BABY FOR A PRICE: Marino Crime Family

by Kathryn Thomas

  “I know, and I appreciate that.” I smiled at her. “But I just think being around people is the best choice for me right now.”

  “Of course, after what happened.” She furrowed her brow at me. “You know, if you need to talk…”

  “You’ll be here. I know.” I nodded gently. Then I ducked into the back room. My heart was hammering in my chest, as ridiculous as I knew that was, and I had to press my hands up against the walls to keep upright. I was glad for the moment of privacy, as I knew much of the day was going to be spent fighting to keep myself together. I knew if I told Lily what had happened, about the message that I had received the night before, she would freak out hard. There was no question in my mind that she would get herself involved, and that was the last thing I wanted. If she got hurt because of this, because of me… I had to close my eyes to dismiss the thought from my head. It was too horrible to even think about.

  I felt a wave of panic wash over me, and I knew then that I couldn’t make it through this day without arousing some suspicion. At least I had a decent excuse - I could duck out, and Lily would cover for me, give the staff an explanation they could believe. I stepped back into the serving area, and Lily instantly rushed over to my side.

  “Jesus, Sabrina, do I have the authority to send you home myself?” she muttered, winding her arm around my waist to keep me upright.

  “It’s okay, I’m going.” I nodded. “I think I just need some time to get myself together, you know?”

  “Take all the time you need.” She led me to the door. “Will you be okay? Want me to stop by later with anything?”

  “No, I’ll give you a call if I need anything,” I reassured her. “The fresh air will do me some good.”

  She opened the door for me and stood by the window, watching me as I walked down the street. I waved, and she seemed happy enough to let me go. As soon as she was out of her sight, my knees crumpled beneath me, and I sat down in a doorway just off the sidewalk. I pulled out my phone and stared at it. Who do I call? The police? I would surely end up in deep shit of my own if they found out that I had lied to them about the initial attack, now that I knew who the perpetrator was. And maybe these people had links of their own to the cops? What if they would be alerted if I got in contact with the police and they just handed me over quicker? I was paranoid, and I wasn’t sure how right I was to be so on my guard.

  Instead, I pulled another number up on my phone - Anthony’s. My finger hovered over the “call” button for a moment as I tried to decide whether this was a good idea. Whoever had sent out those guys for me, Anthony was an enemy of theirs too. That was certain. He was probably the only person I knew right now who was unequivocally on my side. That made him my best bet to get in contact with, and God, I needed someone around right now. I couldn’t have given less of a shit if I came across as needy after our hook-up the night before - once he found out what was going on, surely he’d come to my aid. He had saved me once, why wouldn’t he do it again?

  I dialed his number and lifted the phone to my ear.

  “Hello?” He picked after two rings.

  “Anthony?” My voice sounded small and pathetic as it echoed around my head.

  “What’s up?” He sounded worried.

  “I… I don’t think I’m safe right now,” I admitted. “Do you think you could come meet me?”

  “Where?” he asked, without pausing to think.

  “My apartment, I’ll send you the address.”

  “I’ll be there in half an hour.” He hung up, and I quickly passed on my home address. I knew that it was risky, but I just needed someone by my side, someone who could protect me if things went to shit. I realized I was shaking, and forced myself to get to my feet and walk the few minutes to my apartment. I had to pass the spot where I was attacked a few nights before, and a shiver ran up my spine as I thought about what could have been.

  I hurried back to my place, practically running by the time I got to my building. I found myself glancing over my shoulder as I unlocked the door and pushed my way inside as if someone had followed me back from the restaurant and was lurking in wait for me as I jammed the keys into the lock. I pushed the door shut behind me, and let out a sigh as I heard the lock click into the latch.

  I practically hit the roof when I heard the knocking on the door. It took a second for me to realize that I had invited Anthony around, and I peered through the keyhole to find him staring back at me.

  “That was quick,” I commented as I opened the door, and he shrugged.

  “I wasn’t far when you called me.” He peered at my face as if looking for a visible injury. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I stepped back to let him in. “At least, I am now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I got a message last night.” I hastily scrolled through my phone to pull it up, and then thrust the screen towards him. “When I got back from the restaurant.”

  He peered at the screen for a moment, and then his eyes widened.

  “Jesus,” he muttered to himself and looked back up at me. “Any idea who this might be from? Any friends with a sick sense of humor?”

  I shook my head. “Lots, but none of them would go this far.”

  He observed me for a moment and then began to pace the room.

  “I think you need to get out of here,” he suggested calmly, and I felt another shiver run up my back.

  “What?”

  “Pack up some stuff - we need to leave,” he explained. His voice was under control, but I could hear the waver in it. He didn’t want to have to do this, but we both knew it was the right option.

  I did as I was told, striding through to the bedroom and grabbing a handful of clean clothes, my toothbrush, and a couple of toiletries. My heart was pounding against my ribcage. Could this really be happening? I was going on the run, no two ways about it. Anthony was taking me out of this situation because he didn’t think it was safe anymore. Should I trust him? What if he was taking me straight into their hands? My brain was overflowing with irrational thoughts, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to calm down until I was out of my apartment and far away from where I knew they could find me.

  As I stepped outside, I went to grab my phone, but he shook his head.

  “Take a note of the numbers you need, then leave it here,” he suggested. “They know your number, they might be able to track you through it too.”

  “Good point.” I felt like I was in some kind of heist movie, but I wasn’t enjoying the drama one little bit. “So… where are we going?”

  Anthony held out his hand, and I took it, grateful for the feeling of his strength so close to me.

  “Follow me.”

  Chapter Twelve

  As we sat in the car, I couldn’t help but steal a look over at her. She looked exhausted as if she’d been up the entire night, and part of me wanted to lean across and assure her that things were going to be alright. I would have, except that we both knew that was a lie and I prided myself on telling the truth when it was needed.

  We weren’t going far out of town. I knew exactly what roads to take to get us to our location fast; I’d been there so many times myself. Luckily, she didn’t really seem to be taking in where we were headed, which was a good thing - if someone asked her, she wouldn’t be able to come up with specific directions, which gave her a little bit more safety.

  We arrived after about three-quarters of an hour of driving, and I helped her get her stuff out of the back of the car and carry it up to the front desk.

  “Why are we at this hotel?” She wrinkled her nose up as she looked around, and I couldn’t say that I blamed her. It wasn’t exactly the nicest place in the world. In fact, it was a pretty grim establishment, an old-fashioned motel over two stories that sat just off the main road, but it was quiet and cheap, and I often came here back when I was working to use one of the rooms as a vantage point watching for cars coming into town. It would work well as a safe house too - next to nobody in the cit
y bothered to make it this far in this direction out of town, and she would be far out of reach of Leo and his foul crew. At least for now.

  “It’s safe, trust me,” I reassured her, placing a hand on the small of her back and guiding her up to reception. But I made sure she stood to the side of the window, so the receptionist - an older woman who always recognized me back in the day - wouldn’t see her. The last thing I wanted was some innocent old lady getting dragged into all of this. The woman turned around, and her face lit up when her eyes landed on me.

  “Ben!” she exclaimed. “It’s been a while.”

  “Yes, it has.” I smiled at her broadly.

  “The usual room? I think it’s free.” She looked behind her at the keys hooked over their corresponding room numbers.

  “Yeah, that’d be great, thanks.”

  She pulled the key for room number forty-six from its hook and pushed it under the laminated plastic shield between the two of us. I plucked it up and slipped a couple hundred bucks across the counter.

  “How long are you planning to stay?” She cocked an eyebrow at me as she took in the amount of money I was giving her.

  “Not sure yet,” I admitted. “Just tell me when this cash runs out, alright?”

  “Will do.” She smiled brightly. “Enjoy your stay!”

  “Thank you, ma’am.” I smiled at her and turned to get up to the room I’d just booked. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure the woman at reception wasn’t watching us, and hustled Sabrina up the stairs.

  “Why did that woman call you Ben?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder. “Is that your middle name or something?”

  “Sure.” I shrugged - I didn’t want to have to explain the ins and outs of working as a hitman right now.

  A few seconds later, we were inside the room, and I locked the door behind us. I went to the window and pulled the curtains open, scanning the cars passing by for anything suspicious, just on the off-chance someone had followed us. But the coast was clear, and I sat down on the bed, letting out a breath.

  “Is this a safe house?” Sabrina asked quietly, and I looked up at her.

  “Not officially. Well, not at all, really. But it’s a decent enough place, and it gives us time to figure things out from here,” I replied briskly.

  “How do you know about it?”

  “I just do.” I got to my feet and began to pace as it sunk in just what I had got myself involved with here. Sabrina observed me for a second, her eyes following me as I made my way back and forth across the cheap carpet, and then she reached for her bag.

  “I think I’m going to take a shower,” she murmured. And then, taking me by surprise, “Care to join me?”

  My head snapped up, and I furrowed my brow at her. Was now really the time to…?

  Before I had a chance to think things through any further, I found that she was already peeling her clothes off and making her way to the bathroom. Her pants and her shirt were on the floor, and my eyes dropped straight to her pantie-clad ass just as she disappeared into the bathroom. A few seconds later, her bra landed outside the door, and I bit my lip. I hadn’t had a chance to see her naked, really naked, the first time. Was I really going to pass up the chance to do so right now?

  I followed her into the bathroom and felt that I was already growing hard beneath my pants. Fuck, was this really the right time to be doing this? And more importantly, did I give a shit whether it was or not? I nudged the door open just as I heard the whoosh of the water starting up, and paused for a moment to take her in.

  Before the glass of the shower fogged up, I was able to see her in her full, glorious nakedness - she looked unbelievable. Her breasts were generous but not saggy, her waist nipped in a little before it spread to encompass her broad hips. Her legs were decadently long, and I could already imagine them wrapped tight around my waist as I fucked her. I quickly stripped down and pulled open the door, stepping inside the enclosed space with her.

  She didn’t turn around for a moment. Instead, she continued to douse her hair with water. In the tight space, her ass was pressed up against my dick, and I couldn’t resist grinding up against her a little as she washed herself. I stared as her hands slipped easily over her breasts, her stomach, her thighs, and fought the urge to grab to soap from her hands and go to town on her myself. There wouldn’t be one dirty inch of her if she let me do it - I’d be the most attentive shower buddy she ever had. She seemed to enjoy my voyeurism, casually shifting her ass back and forth against me a few times as she slid her hands all over her body. Damn, that woman could put on a show.

  As my dick grew harder against her ass, I slipped my hands around her waist from behind and pulled her close. She finally acknowledged my presence, interlocking her hand with my own and guiding it down towards her pussy. Her pubic hair was soaked from the water, and I wove my fingers into it and tugged lightly. She let out a groan that echoed off the walls of the shower, even over the sounds of the gushing water.

  I slipped my hand down to her cunt, and slid a finger inside of her, just as I had at the table in her restaurant the day before. I couldn’t believe how fast things were moving. Hell, I couldn’t believe that we’d only fucked once. She felt so good pressed up against me, her body tight and slick against mine, and I leaned down to kiss her neck as my finger moved in and out of her. After fucking her basically fully-clothed, it made a hot difference to feel her flesh up against my own. I dragged my teeth lightly down the back of her neck, and she shivered suddenly, her body momentarily tensing before she relaxed once more. I could feel her pussy tightening around my finger, and I wondered how long she’d wanted this - if it was some kind of a relief to her, a way to get her mind of all the crazy shit that had been going down in the last twenty-four hours.

  Suddenly, she shifted her hips away from my hand and turned around. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she kissed me - her tongue was in my mouth at once, her body sliding up against mine. I kissed her back, trying to remember if this were only the second time we’d actually come face-to-face-despite out midnight rendezvous the day before. And then, before I knew it, she was down on her knees, her hands wrapped around my dick. She moved a few inches so she wasn’t directly under the stream of water falling from the shower, and slowly lowered her mouth onto my cock.

  I let my head fall back as she worked her magic on me. The warmth of the shower matched with the warmth of her mouth was almost too much to bear, and when she started sliding her tongue across the bottom of my cock, slithering along my seam like a snake, I couldn’t hold back a groan of pleasure. Her hands worked in perfect tandem with her mouth, taking advantage of the water to slide easily up and down my length. Every inch of me was catered for, and I wondered if this was her way of thanking me for everything that had happened in the last couple of hours. If it was, I happily accepted.

  I couldn’t take much more of her talented mouth, so I caught her by the arms and pulled her to her feet. Our eyes met for a second, and I saw her breathless expression, her dilated pupils. I knew at that moment that she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

  “Shit, condom,” I muttered, but she shook her head.

  “I’m on the pill, it’s cool,” she murmured. I reached down and sank my fingers into her thick ass, lifting her up so that her back was pressed against the tiled wall behind us. She parted her legs and wrapped them around my waist, just as I had envisioned. She snaked her arms around my neck, looking down at me, and bit her lip slowly as I began to enter her.

  Her pussy felt just as good as I remembered – hot, tight and addictive. I held myself inside her for a moment, enjoying the feeling of my cock buried inside her, and then I started to move. All she could do was cling on for dear life as I began to fuck her - the sound of her small cries of pleasure echoing off the walls around us was enough to tell me that I was doing something right. Her legs tightened around my waist, and I caught a brief look at the two of us in the reflection of the glass of the door - she looked incredible, her head thrown
back as my cock slid in and out of her. I wanted to sear that image onto my brain for good, make it so I could come back to it anytime I wanted to.

  A few moments later, I felt her pussy clench around my cock as she let out a half-silent cry of pleasure. She went limp for a moment, her body twitching slightly before she pushed herself back up and kissed me, hard. The sensation of her mouth against mine while her pussy milked my erection was too much to handle, and a few seconds later I came inside her, biting her lip hard as I did so. She gripped my hair, not letting my gaze move from her as I came, and the intensity of the moment wiped the memory of everything that had happened over the last day from my mind.

  I slowly withdrew myself from her, planting a kiss on the back of her neck, and slipped out of the shower, leaving her to finish washing up in peace. Then I went back to the window, peering outside. Now that reality had set back in again, I was feeling uneasy. Something was off, even though I couldn’t put my finger on it. I scanned the cars going by, but I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t on the way.