Through the Storm (The Montclair Brothers)

by Terri Marie

  Sean stood up and paced. "Don't you guys understand? Robert will follow us wherever we go. There's a blasted leak in your department."

  "This last choice is pretty much our only route. We've decided against sending you to a remote location, like we've discussed before. Robert obviously doesn't want to be caught, so we're going to temporarily house everyone in a twelfth floor apartment in Lyons, southwest of here," Joy instructed, as he smiled nervously at the glaring men. "He's not going to make an attack when there're lots of people around."

  "Here's the deal," started Jacob. "We have a business and lives to tend to. How close are you to capturing Robert?" he asked angrily.

  "We're trying to locate him." Detective Delcan stood up. "We'll let you know when you'll be transported. If you need anything, just call."

  No one said goodbye to the detectives. They just stared at their backs as they walked out the door. Emma wanted to believe them. Maybe Robert wouldn't come to the surface if he couldn't catch them alone, but maybe at this stage of the game, his desperation would lead him to take drastic measures.

  Jacob turned in his chair to face Tyler. Emma could tell he was still in pain when he winced at the movement. "This is ridiculous, Ty."

  "I know it is, but unfortunately, if we let our guard down, which could easily happen at home, we could be attacked. We're kind of stuck." Tyler looked at each of his brothers.

  "We'll go to the apartment," began Sean. "But we'll have to arm ourselves to the gill."

  "Then what?" asked Renee. "We can never go outside, or by the windows for that matter. I think our best bet is to call him out of hiding and then blow his brains out!" She yelled.

  "I don't think Robert's left the area," offered Emma. "He knows the cops are after him."

  "No," explained Jacob. "I think he fled the state the minute he took off from the hospital."

  "It's all speculation," said Vincent. "We can guess until the cows come home. The point is, he's out there somewhere. Regardless of where we end up staying, we'll have to protect ourselves. I plan on calling Frank, the officer who helped us before, and find out what he knows."

  "Tell us what you find out." Emma reached over and squeezed Jacob's hand. If Robert did show up, she knew of three people who couldn't fight or escape.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Robert stared at himself in the full length mirror on the back of the cheap ass bedroom door in the shoddy trailer. One little bump and the whole place would fall flat. He needed a shower to wash off the blood, which had soaked through his favorite t-shirt. As he opened the closet door, he picked out some clothes that would fit him just fine. They were ugly as hell, but if he was going to be the Stupid Buck Roy, he'd have to dress like him too.

  Robert walked to the shower, and then looked down at his arm. He remembered when he'd had stitches in his head as a boy, which if his old man was alive, he'd blow a hole in his throat too, the doc told him not to get them wet. Nurse Nosey in the hospital, had said if he wanted to shower, she'd put a bag over his arm to keep it dry. Hopefully Big Bad Buck would have something he could use.

  After digging around, Robert found garbage bags under the sink. He carefully wrapped his arm. "Just like wrapping up a baby." He laughed at his humor as he turned on the shower. At least his hair was pretty much gone and he didn't have to use good ole' Buck's Girly Shampoo. What man uses lavender damn shampoo? He closed his eyes and scrubbed his face. The hot water felt good to Robert, but soon he was pissed off again by having only one arm to wash with. Now that Little Miss Prissy was counting her days, he didn't have to put up with being bugged to do this once a week. Only celebrities needed to shower every day…and Renee, because she has to jog around like an idiot.

  When Robert was finished with his shower, he dried off with one of Buck's shitty towels. They were light blue, just like Doc Needle Nose's pj's. He was proud of himself for not getting his stitches wet, but his arm sure did hurt after that pain in the ass shower. Robert waltzed naked into Stupid Buck's cheap bedroom, and opened up a drawer. They must have made this with leftover wood from the door. Robert laughed at his quick observation. He pulled out a pair of boxers, the black ones so he couldn't see any stains, and a t-shirt with yellowing around the neck. The gray sweatpants got him excited. Just like home, he thought, but then he got pissed off all over again because his Stupid Ass wife had ruined everything by not dying.

  Robert went back to the mirror. The red flannel shirt was nice. He had to leave it unbuttoned because of his arm, but he still thought he looked like Buck the Dumb Roy. He put the glasses on his face and hoped like hell he could take them off in public. Robert couldn't see shit.

  While driving down to the dirt road, he remembered that he would have to get rid of Ron the Cops rental, and call him today. Stupid Buck didn't have a bank account as far as Robert could tell. He'd dug all over that hell hole and couldn't find a thing. He felt kind of sorry for the bastard, because stupid Renee wouldn't let him have one either. One more reason to pop her one.

  Driving into the pathetic small town, Robert was instantly waved at. He waved back, but quickly spun his head in the opposite direction. There was no way in hell he could pull off a conversation with someone who actually knew Big Fat Buck. It'd cost him extra money to drive far enough to get to a new town, but that's what Ron the Cop was for!

  Robert drove twenty-five miles to a town called Redford. Matches my shirt, he laughed as he drove up in the parking lot of Merle's Diner. A fine name, he thought, and walked through the front door.

  "Just one?" asked the ancient waitress.

  "Yes. Coffee please." Robert smiled but wanted to sock the woman for wearing so much disgusting perfume. What he really wanted to do was ask her if she'd let a blind man put her lipstick on. How the hell do you miss your lips?

  As Ancient Smelly Lady poured his coffee, Robert eyed the menu. There it was. Two eggs with the meat of your choice. The picture of the fried ham sang out to him.

  "I already know what I want," said Robert as he pointed to the menu. "Ham for the meat."

  "Oh okay. How would you like your eggs?" Smelly Thing was smacking her chewing gum.

  "Scrambled. Don't bring them here if they're runny or you won't get a tip." I gotta tip for ya. Don't look like shit.

  "Yes, Sir. I'll put your order in right way." Snot Wench glared at him and walked away. Robert wanted to slam her face into the wall. He could just picture her red lipstick left on the bricks. He laughed.

  After fifteen minutes, his food was finally delivered. Robert wasn't too happy about them taking their sweet ass time, because he was starving. While he was eating, he ordered two more pieces of toast, and two more pieces of ham. The Smelly Wench glared at Robert again, but did as she was told. He couldn't wait to make himself a good ole sandwich.

  "Got mustard?" Robert mumbled with his mouth full.

  "It's on the table." She pointed like a witch, and Robert wanted to stab his fork into her.

  When he finished his meal, he went to the register and paid the bill, compliments of Big Fat Buck. Robert walked out, leaving no tip. He had to restrain himself from giving her the bird. If she hadn't been such a bitch, he would have ordered something to take home for lunch. Piece of Shit Waitress.

  As Robert got closer to the trailer, he thought about going to the stupid cabin instead. Screw that. He figured it was far enough from view that he didn't have to worry about any nosey neighbors. He carefully parked the Olds around back, and then let himself into his new home. He'd have to make a list of the things he'd need in order to make a nice life for himself.

  Beer.

  Cheese corn.

  Robert couldn't think of anything else he needed at the moment. He took the glasses out of his shirt pocket, and flung them down onto the counter. Who the hell can see out of those things? Buck has Fly Eyes. While he lifted the dirty phone from its cradle on the kitchen wall, Robert smiled at the thought of Money Bags having to wire him money.

  "Ron my man…" began Robert.
<
br />   "What the hell, Rob. Everyone's looking for you. Stop calling me, okay? You're going to make me lose my job." Ron the Cop had guts.

  "You'll lose your job faster, and end up in prison with all those thugs you've locked up over the years, if you don't listen to me." Like Robert was really going to back down from someone he had such good info on.

  "What do you want?"

  "Money, and for you to tell me what the cops know. Where's my dumb wife hiding? She has to be out of the hospital by now." Robert wished he could poke Ron the Cop's eyes out.

  "I don't have extra money right now. As far as your wife is concerned, I can check with Terrance and see what he knows."

  "Have that info for me tomorrow when I call Ron, while you're wiring me a grand." Robert was getting ready to bust a gut.

  "I don't have that lying around." Robert could hear the panic in his squeaky voice.

  "Looks like you'll need to dip into the evidence stash again, you loser. Noon tomorrow. I'll call you with a location. If you don't do it, I'll send your nice wifey and your lieutenant some little letters concerning prostitutes and corruption." It was getting harder for Robert to restrain himself

  "Okay, fine! I'll send the money, but then we're done!" Ron the Cop was all hot and bothered.

  "You stop when I say so." With that, Robert hung up the phone and doubled over while his loud laughter filled the shabby walls of the trailer.

  This was going to be easy. Easy Peasy!

  Chapter 11

  Jacob turned his full attention to Emma. He was done talking about Robert and how their lives would continue to be turned upside down. As far as he was concerned, every moment could be their last. He looked over at the woman with the beautiful red hair and ivory skin. Her green eyes were penetrating, making him feel emotions he'd never experienced before. Being able to resist her was becoming more and more difficult. Taking her hand, he led her away from the group. The way Emma walked, her caring soul, and her selflessness made him long for her. Jacob was overcome with an irresistible need to be with her. At least if he died, he'd pass with a smile on his face, knowing he'd made love to the woman of his dreams.

  But maybe she'd slap him. He'd kissed her a few times, held her in his arms, and received forgiveness, but crossing the line to become one, could ruin everything they were building. Emma was a wreck and Jacob was more than aware of that fact, but everyone was deeply bothered by the situation. Life was about risks, and he couldn't be afraid of alienating her. She'd taken his mouth with a desire of her own, and Jacob had felt every single shiver she'd exhibited. If she said no, he'd back off.

  When they reached his room, towards the end of the hall, Jacob gently pulled her inside and closed the door behind them. There wasn't a lock on the door, and he could only hope that the staff, or his brothers, wouldn't need anything. It certainly wasn't the best place for them to be intimate, but he didn't have much of a choice. Having Emma this close to him all the time had definitely awakened his desires for her. He'd been with his share of women, but this one lifted him up like no other.

  "…Jacob," she whispered when he walked her over to his bed. She backed up and stood a few feet away from him.

  He knew he couldn't hide the want in his eyes. "Emma, let me make love to you." There was no reason to waste any time. He was more than aware that they were living inside of an hourglass. He turned around and brought her closer to him.

  "Wait. I've never been with anyone before." Emma looked at the floor.

  "Don't be embarrassed because of that. It's a beautiful thing. Do you want me to stop?"

  Emma lifted her eyes and looked at him. "No, but I don't want you to re-injure your stomach. I don't think you're ready to--."

  "Does this seem like I'm not ready?" Jacob asked softly as he slid her hand down his blue scrubs, and onto his throbbing erection.

  Emma gasped when he pushed his hips forward, put his hand on top of hers, and tightened her fingers around him.

  He lifted her scrub top over her head, watching her face carefully. When he saw the nervous smile, he searched her eyes for acceptance.

  She slid her fingers through his hair when he began to kiss her neck, moving his lips to the soft but firm breasts that filled her peach, lacy bra. With one hand on her lower back, he caressed her nipples through the thin fabric, causing her to bow and grab his forearms. With both hands, he unclasped her bra and let it fall slowly to the floor, so as not to startle her. The heat of the moment mixed with the cool air of the room, made her abundant breasts call out to him. He took her nipples, one at time, into his mouth and slowly suckled, while her chest heaved.

  Jacob had never wanted to be with anyone more in his life. He untied her scrub bottoms, letting those fall next to her bra. She stepped out of them; her matching panties were making him grow harder.

  He held her hand within his own, sliding them underneath the peach lace, and moved their fingers inside of the moistness that he could almost taste.

  Emma moaned as he pushed their fingers deeper inside of her. She was tight, and Jacob hoped he wouldn't hurt her. Gentle, he reminded himself.

  Guiding her to the bed to lie down, Jacob removed his scrubs, and then slid her legs apart to accept him. As he lay on top of her, a sharp pain darted through his body.

  "Oh God!" He rolled onto his side next to her, and held his abdomen. "Give me a second. I don't want this to end."

  "Shhh, it's okay," Emma whispered with a wild look in her eyes, long red hair falling into her face, and obvious hunger for him. "I'll do the work, but…teach me."

  Jacob moved over towards the middle of the bed and held onto Emma's hips to help her straddle him. He slowly began to slide himself into her, and instantly felt the muscles from her thighs on up, tighten around him. He thought he'd explode, but he took slow deep breaths, and pushed upwards a little more.

  "Wait," she said softly.

  "Do you want me to stop?" He hoped like hell she wouldn't say yes, but if she did, he'd respect her wishes.

  "You're just big, and—"

  "Relax, Baby." Jacob gently put his hands on her hips, and slid her slowly up and down on him, watching her face to make sure he wasn't hurting her.

  "Jacob…Oh God…" Emma began to slide all the way down on him. He took her fingers and guided them to her wet, glossy folds, and moved them to her rhythm. It didn't take long for her to start moving faster.

  He could hardly stop himself from filling her. The pain in his abdomen had paled in comparison to the beauty of this moment. As Emma began to shudder, he held her hips and helped her move faster. With his eyes on her face, sweat beading across her beautiful skin, he filled Emma with a love he'd never given to anyone.

  Jacob knew then that there'd be no more living inside of an hourglass. Now was the time to hunt, rather than be hunted. He ran the back of his hand across Emma's smooth cheek and stared at her.

  "I probably wasn't very—" her face blushed again.

  "You're absolute perfection," whispered Jacob, as he pulled her down to meet his mouth.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Emma held onto Jacob's hand as they boarded the small bus. The windows were tinted and Castle Lake High School was printed on the side. Two black SUV's were escorting them the four hundred miles to their new apartment in Lyons. After three weeks on the sixth floor, the hospital administrator informed the doctors and the detectives that they'd have to leave. Emma was glad to be leaving, but nervous about becoming an easy target on the road. Just because the driver was a cop, and two others were nearby, didn't mean they were safe. All Robert had to do was pick them off; he'd had plenty of practice at shooting moving vehicles.

  She watched Brian look around, knowing he'd probably never stepped foot on a school bus before. She wondered when he'd been yanked out of school. Tyler sat next to him. He'd rarely let the boy leave his sight since the night of the fire. Renee sat in front of them, and Tyler would often lovingly tug on her hair. Brian would yank her hair a little harder, and then quickly look
out the window so Tyler would get blamed. It never worked, though. Sean sat next to Renee, and Vincent sat up near the driver, with legal papers spread out beside him. Emma wondered what the papers were for. Were they for Brian's parents' upcoming trial? Adoption papers? Tyler had been granted temporary custody, mostly because Brian refused to be without him. Because of their situation, no one had to actually go to court for the custody hearing. Vincent was a miracle worker.

  Emma felt Jacob wrap his arm around her, so she let her head rest on his shoulder. For a brief second she thought maybe she'd get a few minutes of sleep, but that wasn't about to happen. She found herself constantly searching the woods, and everything else they passed, for signs of Robert. Everyone else's eyes were searching as well.

  Renee looked at her and smiled, but Emma could read her eyes. Guilt was consuming her again. Here they were, still in hiding, all because of her husband. She wanted to go over and hug Renee, but thought better of it. All that would do was cause her friend to start crying, making things worse. Their entire lives weren't theirs to lead anymore.

  Besides Renee and Brian, the Montclair men were also worrying her. They'd been having private meetings, halting all conversations whenever someone else entered the room. As she got closer to Jacob, he was becoming even more protective, and when she added everything up, she'd become frightened. They were brave, strong men, and certainly not dumb, but anyone who went up against the lunatic would get shot. Emma felt like that's exactly what they were planning. Jacob wouldn't discuss those meetings with her, but after every single one of them, he'd come up and hug her tighter than usual.

  Robert still hadn't been spotted. The detectives said he was definitely laying low, but assured everyone that he'd have to come up for air at some point, and they'd be ready to nab him. Yeah, right, thought Emma. Maybe he'd died out in the woods or something, which would be even worse. They'd spend the rest of their lives afraid to leave confinement. She sighed, and Jacob kissed the top of her head. No one knew what their future would hold, or how long it was going to last, but at least they were in it together. Emma couldn't imagine being in Renee's shoes or Brian's. Being a direct target was unfathomable to her.