This Time

by Ingrid Monique

  “Freeze!” He aimed his gun at him, firing a warning shot. Kurt didn’t stop. Sean could have killed him, he had a good enough shot, but he wanted him alive. Kurt kept going. Sean shot him in the leg. Kurt went down screaming. Jack came out to cover Kurt. Sean gestured for Jack to stay back. Kurt had a gun on him. And from his curled up position on the floor, there was no telling what he might do. He was still screaming and holding his wounded leg.

  “Don’t move!” Sean warned. Kurt let out strings of curses, spitting at him.

  “Let me see yu’ gun,” Sean demanded.

  “Yu’ dead!” Kurt screamed at him. Kurt was sweating. Sean could see the blood flowing through his fingers over his wound. And that was when Kurt went wild. He growled like a madman, pushing himself up, firing at him. Sean fired back, hitting him in the chest twice. Jack also fired, hitting Kurt in the back. Kurt went down, dead. Sean walked over to him. He lay on his side, eyes wide open. His gun was still in his hand. Sean kicked the gun out of his hand. He didn’t want it to end like this, but Kurt had given them no other choice.

  “Yu’ OK?” Jack asked, looking at him.

  “Yeah,” he said, looking at Kurt’s body.

  Jack walked over to him and took his arm, looking at it. He felt the pain in his arm and looked down at it. He’d been shot. From the look of it, it was only a flesh wound. One of Kurt’s bullets must have hit him when he slammed into the crates. He pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it against the wound to stop the bleeding. They had the drugs and had taken Kurt down but he still wasn’t satisfied. He wanted Mike; however, more than that, he needed Kelee.

  Back at the docks Sean gave his men specific instructions about securing the drugs, the boat, and the arrest of the men they hadn’t killed. Sean then called his cousin Sue, who was a doctor, asking her to meet him at the safe house.

  Jack looked at him and smiled. “Guess I’ll drive.”

  Chapter 15

  Kelee came awake suddenly. Disoriented, she looked about the room, recalling that Sean had her locked up. She closed her eyes and that was when she heard the voices. She threw off her covers and jumped out of bed, slipping her feet into her bed slippers. She headed downstairs. She heard a few male voices and a woman’s. She walked into the living room to see a small pretty woman hovering over a shirtless Sean. She was doing something to his arm, but she couldn’t see what.

  “Yu’ should know better,” the woman scolded Sean, who moaned. Kris stood nearby watching whatever the woman was doing to Sean. Kelee saw Jack coming out of the kitchen with a couple of stouts. Jack saw her and cleared his throat. Everyone looked at her. Kelee’s eyes met Sean’s. He looked like he was in pain and that was when she saw what the woman was doing to him. She was stitching up a nasty-looking gash on his left arm. She also saw bloody gauze in a bowl on the sofa and her heart sank. He’d been hurt. Fear gripped her. He’d been hurt, was all she could think of.

  “Kelee?” Sean said. She looked at him, afraid. “I’m OK, it’s a flesh wound.” He gave her a reassuring smile.

  “Keep still!” the woman warned, finishing her stitching. Kelee remained frozen. She found that she couldn’t speak.

  “Kelee, this is my cousin Dr. Sue Harrold; Sue, Kelee,” Sean introduced them. Sue looked her over.

  “So yu’ the reason he didn’t want to go to the hospital.” Sue smiled at her. “I can see why,” she said. “Just don’t do this again; next time yu’ might get an infection,” she warned and finished her stitching. She cleaned his wound and put a dressing on it. Then she pulled off her gloves and packed her small doctor’s bag. She pulled out some fresh dressings, leaving them on the sofa.

  “Yu’ need to change the dressin’ once a day,” Sue told Sean.

  She walked over to Kelee and looked her right in the eyes.

  “Take care of him; he needs it,” Sue told her and left. Jack and Kris left the room also.

  “Sorry we woke yu’,” Sean said, moving over to her. She stared at his naked chest; he had such a fantastic body. She suppressed her desires; there were more important things to address. Like how he got wounded. She could still see the bloodstain on his jeans. It was his blood and it made her heart race with fear. Kelee stared at him, not knowing what to say.

  “Have yu’ been shot before?” She couldn’t recall seeing any scars on his body, and then again, she hadn’t seen every inch of him.

  “Yeah,” he admitted.

  “Where?”

  “In the thigh, another flesh wound,” he told her with a smile. She didn’t find it funny. He lived a dangerous life. His work was dangerous. Being with him was dangerous. She wondered if him getting shot had anything to do with the kidnapping.

  “What’s really going on, Sean? I need to know.” She heard her voice tremble. She was scared.

  “Don’t be frightened,” he told her, taking her into his arms, holding her tightly against him. It felt wonderful to be in his arms, but also scary.

  “I want to go home,” she told him, trying not to cry.

  “I can’t let yu’ go, not yet,” he said, kissing the top of her head. She looked up at him.

  “Why?”

  “Yu’ safer here,” he said. She could see regret in his eyes.

  “From who, Sean?”

  His eyes held such conflict that Kelee trembled. Was it that bad? Whatever it was, she needed to know.

  “Please, Sean, I need to know,” she said and pulled away from him. He looked at her, torn.

  “Come with me,” he said, taking her hand. He led her upstairs and into the room adjacent to hers. The room was a little bigger than hers and had the same kind of furniture.

  Kelee watched as Sean got out of the bloody jeans. He wore boxers; she went hot at the sight of him. He had great muscular legs. She reminded herself that she should be mad at him, but looking at him she felt relieved that he was OK. She sat against the headboard and wrapped her arms around her knees. She watched him as he washed up in the adjoining bathroom. He returned, wiping his face with a towel. He sat on the edge of the bed and gazed at her with that torn expression again. He looked tired.

  “I’m sorry for lyin’ to yu’. I never meant to hurt yu’,” he started. “This isn’t the way I want ’tings between us. I especially don’t want to keep yu’ locked up here, but yu’ safety is important to me. I don’t want any’ting to happen to yu’.” His sincerity touched her. She wanted to touch him, kiss him, but she was too scared.

  “I’ve been after this dealer name Mike Curve for about three years. He’s a ruthless businessman and a killer,” Sean said. “He uses his business connections to traffic drugs. Every time we get some’ting on him, he slips by us. But this time, I’ve got him and I’m goin’ to take him down. He has eyes everywhere. That’s why we haven’t been able to get him. That guy Tyce who came to yu’ rescue is one of Curve’s men.”

  Kelee covered her mouth with her hands, trembling. “Oh my God!”

  “I’m sure he arranged yu’ gettin’ robbed that day.”

  Kelee thought back to how it had all went down that day and realized that Sean was right. The whole idea of Tyce watching her and pretending to be her friend disgusted her. She had almost played right into his trap, especially back at the west coast. She felt like a fool.

  “Don’t beat yu’self up about it. I just found out who he really is.”

  Kelee smiled, grateful for Sean and the fact that he was protecting her. She looked at his wound and wondered how hurt he was.

  “How did that happen?”

  “I had to take down Curve’s brother tonight.”

  “Is he dead?” She was almost afraid to ask.

  “He gave me no choice. That means ’tings will be dangerous until I get Curve. That’s why yu’ here. His people have seen us together and I don’t want any’ting to happen to yu’.” He took her hand. She moved to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She knew she’d always be safe with him.

  “I understand now,” she told him.


  “Forgive me.” He pressed his lips against her cheek.

  “When this is over I expect yu’ to do some major apologizing, especially for this kidnapping bit. Yu’ scared the hell out of me.” She gazed into his beautiful eyes.

  “Sorry; so can I start apologizin’ now?” he asked with his sexy smirk.

  “Yu’ hurt,” she reminded him, looking at his wound.

  “Not where it matters.” He gestured to his crotch. She looked down to see him bulging out of his shorts. She smiled and giggled like a schoolgirl, touching him. He was warm and hard in her hand. He moaned at her touch, pulling her towards him, kissing her. She melted under his kiss. He pulled her down under him, never breaking their kiss. His hand found and caressed her breasts through her silk PJ top. Her body trembled with her need for him. She moaned, tightening her hold on him, careful not to touch his wound. He pulled back, admiring her. She looked at the open bedroom door, and he got up, closing the door and turning the light off. The bright moonlight illuminated the room. She sat up and started to unbutton her PJ top. He sat on the edge of the bed watching her. He smiled as she tossed the top aside. He reached for her PJ bottom and pulled it off. He ran his hand up her leg and up her inner thigh to rest on her pelvis. His touch elevated her desire as she trembled under his touch. He pulled her underwear off, admiring her body. He got up and pulled off his underwear and reached for a condom in the drawer before rejoining her on the bed. She opened her arms and legs to him. She welcomed him inside her, and into her heart. Their lovemaking was a slow exploration that left them spent. They fell asleep in each other’s arms as dawn crept into the skies.

  Chapter 16

  Kelee woke to find Sean still sleeping beside her. She had thought he’d have left, but he was still here with her. She watched him sleep for a while. He looked so at peace. She studied him, knowing it would be hard when she left St. Pala. She was going to miss him, but she would enjoy every moment with him.

  Sean’s eyes slowly opened; she smiled at him; he reached for her, pulling her on top of him. Their lips met in a heated kiss that left her hungry and wanting more. She wrapped her arms around him, rubbing her pelvis against his hardening sex. His hands gripped her rear, pressing her hard against him. She trailed kisses down his chest and across his stomach; she pulled back and took his sex in her hands, caressing him. He closed his eyes and moaned her name. Reaching for a condom, she luxuriously put it on him, enjoying the pleasure she was giving him. She saddled him and exhaled as she took him inside her, falling onto his chest, moaning his name. He grasped her hips, lifting and lowering her on him. In one fluid movement Sean had her on her back and was moving hard and fast against her. She held on to him, moaning his name as they both found the ultimate release together.

  Kelee must have dozed off because when she woke, Sean was gone. For a moment she was disappointed, but smiled as she remembered their night and morning together. She got up, took a shower and went downstairs for something to eat.

  Kris was sitting on a chair, smoking in the backyard. He gave her a nod and a smile, enjoying his cigarette.

  Kelee made a large cheese omelet with toast. She was pouring coffee when Sean walked into the kitchen looking refreshed. He was dressed in loose slacks and a white undershirt. He smiled at Kelee, moved over to her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her. She returned his kiss, enjoying the minty taste of him.

  “Mornin’.” He smiled, releasing her. She smiled up at him.

  “Mornin’. Hungry?” she asked.

  “Yeah, thanks,” he said and took the plate she offered with half of the large omelet and toast. It was good to have him here with her like this, but she also knew he’d be gone soon. His work was far from done. Yes, he had killed the dealer’s brother, but what about the dealer?

  “Are yu’ goin’ after this dealer?” she asked. Sean stopped eating and looked at her.

  “I have to,” he said. The determination in his eyes scared her. She knew he was doing his job, and it scared the hell out of her.

  “Is yu’ work always this dangerous?”

  “No,” he said. “I usually don’t get this physically involved, but this case is different. The police haven’t been able to get to Curve. That’s why I was called in.”

  “Oh.” She was afraid for him. She had thought dating a possessive cop was bad, but this was worse. Sean’s work had put both of them in danger. She wasn’t sure if she could really deal with it.

  “It’s goin’ to be OK. I promise,” he reassured her, taking her hand. She looked into his eyes. She believed him, but she also wanted to get away from it all. It was a bit too much for her right now.

  Kris entered the kitchen and Sean let go of her hand.

  “Jack called,” Kris told Sean.

  Sean got up from the table and went to make his call. Kelee started to clear the table. She knew he’d be gone again. She hated the fact that he had to go after Curve, but he had a job to do. A few minutes later Sean returned and from the look on his face she knew he’d be leaving.

  “I have to go,” he announced, walking over to her. Kris had gone back outside.

  “Be careful,” she said, holding back her tears. He walked over to her, taking her face in his hands and looking into her eyes.

  “I promise, this will be over soon.” He kissed her long and hard. Kelee felt alone and scared as she watched him leave.

  Tyce was a nervous wreck. Kurt was dead and he had to tell Mike. Mike had told him to take care of Kurt, but Kurt was hotheaded and reckless. Kurt was supposed to come in at the west docks and at the last minute had changed the location and fallen right into Sean’s hands. Knowing Mike, he would want someone to pay for Kurt’s death, and it wasn’t going to be him. He had to deliver big and he knew exactly what he had to do to keep Mike from killing him for Kurt’s death.

  Back at his office Sean was informed that Mike was back in St. Pala. No one knew exactly where he was, but he was back on the island. Which meant he had come back sometime in the morning. This also meant that he knew of his brother’s death. He was going to come after him with everything he had, but Sean was prepared for him.

  Kelee was about to take a shower when the cell phone rang. She answered it, expecting to hear Sean’s voice. She missed him terribly and was worried about him.

  “Kelee?” Allan’s panicked voice came over the phone. Instantly a cold chill ran through her.

  “What happened?” Her voiced trembled in fear as both Lori and Sean flashed before her eyes.

  “It’s Lori,” Allan said.

  “Oh, God, is she OK?”

  “She was in an accident. I don’t know how bad it is yet.”

  “What kind of accident?”

  “I don’t know, I’m about an hour way from town,” Allan told her.

  “Which hospital is she in?”

  “Kings Hill. Is Sean with yu’?”

  “No,” Kelee told him.

  “Can yu’ get to the hospital? I don’t want her alone.”

  “I’ll be there; see yu’ soon,” Kelee reassured him.

  Kelee pulled out a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and her flats and hurried downstairs. She found Kris watching TV.

  “Yu’ have to take me to the hospital! My sister was in an accident and she needs me,” she told him frantically.

  “Sorry, I can’t,” he told her. Kelee glared at him, boiling mad.

  “Listen, my sister is pregnant and hurt and she needs me. I don’t care what Sean told yu,’ I’m goin’ to that hospital. After I see that my sister is OK, yu’ can bring me back here. My sister needs me, and yu’ taking me right now!” she demanded.

  Kris looked at her, torn.

  “Please, I jus’ need to make sure that she’s OK. Please, she needs me.”

  “I can take yu’, but we can’t stay too long,” Kris told her.

  “Thank yu’,” she told him, relieved.

  The car Kris took her to the hospital in had tinted windows, added security no doubt. She noted that the dri
ve took almost forty-five minutes. She also noted that the house was located in a country area with widespread farmlands.

  The hospital Lori was at was uptown. It was a small private hospital with peach-tiled floors. The nurse told them what room Lori was in. Kelee and Kris took the elevator to the maternity ward on the third floor. Kelee rushed into the room. Kris stayed outside. Lori was lying in the bed, asleep. Kelee noted the bruise on her forehead. She rushed to Lori’s side.

  “Lori?”

  Slowly Lori opened her eyes and smiled at her.

  “Yu’ OK?”

  Lori smiled. “Yeah, I panicked. The baby isn’t comin’.”

  Kelee hugged and kissed her, relieved. “Thank God.”

  “The doctor wants to monitor me for a few more hours before he sends me home.” Lori looked her over. “Are yu’ OK? Is he treatin’ yu’ well?”

  Kelee smiled. “Yes.”

  “I’m surprise he let yu’ out of his sight.”

  “He doesn’t know. I convinced Kris, the guy who’s watchin’ me, to bring me to see yu’.”

  “Sorry I scared yu’.” Lori pushed herself up into a better sitting position. Kelee adjusted her pillows for her.

  “I’m just happy yu’ OK. Did Allan get to yu’?”

  “Yes, he’s not far away.” Lori sighed, tired.

  “How did yu’ get into an accident?”

  “My fault. I backed out into this guy’s car.”

  “Is the guy OK?”

  “Yeah, thank God. Allan’s gonna be so mad at me. He doesn’t want me to drive, yu’ know.”

  “No, he won’t,” Kelee told her with a reassuring smile. “He’ll be happy yu’ OK.”