by Unknown
"You don't still have the gun, do you?" Mase asked.
"No, I left it there. I even remembered to wipe off my prints."
"We need to call the police," Jo said.
"And tell them what? I don't even know what they had planned."
"But you said there were guns. Surely, that's enough to have them arrested."
Mase shook his head. "With the kid running, they've probably hidden all evidence. These guys are street smart and know how to stay under the cop's radar."
"So what do we do?" Jo asked, sounding discouraged.
Mase stood from the couch. "We go to bed. It's late and there's nothing we can do right now. We'll talk more in the morning and figure it out."
Mase turned off the bedside light and pulled Jo to his side, wrapping her in a tight embrace. She had gotten Chris settled in the guest bedroom, and Mase hoped he stayed put until morning. He had plans for the morning. Plans he didn't want to share in front of the kid for fear he'd do a runner.
"We'll go to the cops in the morning," he told her, hoping to lessen her worry enough for her to get a few more hours sleep. "The kids right. Not much the cops can do at this point with no knowledge of what they had planned and no evidence, but I do know someone's got to be working this case. We can figure breaking into cars is the least of this gangs activities. They'll want someone who can name names and ID in a lineup. Maybe Chris can cut some kind of deal."
"Smart, not letting him in on the morning activities," she said, a yawn making the last of her words garbled.
Mase lightly chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "Go to sleep, Angel."
"I don't think I can fall asleep."
"Close your eyes and try." Mase smiled into the darkness when five minutes later her breathing turned deep and steady.
Chapter Twenty-one
They left the dreary confines of the police station and stepped out on to the sun brightened sidewalk. Their meeting with Captain Frank Decker, head of the Gang Crime Bureau went well, better than Jo expected. They accepted a plea bargain in exchange for turning state's evidence and testifying in any future court proceedings. The captain didn't fill them in on any current actions that may be pending with their investigation, only the fact that they had eyes and ears on the situation. A situation that now included Jo's house where Chris, who'd been remanded into Jo's custody, would stay until otherwise informed.
They also warned Chris to keep a low profile. He wasn't to contact any friends (they'd confiscated his phone for evidence), and he was to stay indoors only leaving Jo's when absolutely necessary and then only with adult supervision. Chris had scoffed at that point, but Mase had given him a look that had immediately shut him up.
"So what's the plan?" Jo looked up at Mase, using her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sun. She'd talked with her supervisor early that morning and he'd given her a few days off to deal with Chris's situation.
Mase slipped his sunglasses over his eyes. "The plan is, we hit the mall. The kid needs clothes." He gave her a smirk. "And you need sunglasses."
"That's not very low profile," Jo returned with a slight frown.
"Trust me."
"Why can't we just stop by my house? I have plenty of stuff there."
Jo turned her attention to Chris. "You can't go back there. It's too dangerous."
"Ever?" He asked, sounding slightly upset.
Jo shrugged. "Well, at least until the gang members that want to hurt you are arrested."
Chris looked down at his feet and kicked at an invisible object. She could tell something bothered him, but had a feeling even if she asked he wouldn't tell.
"Come on. Let's go. We've got a long drive ahead of us," Mase said, ushering them to the parking lot.
Jo looked at him confused. "The mall's five minutes away."
"Not the one we're going to."
Thirty minutes later they reached the Nevada/California border, and Mase pulled into the Primm Outlet Mall's parking lot. Jo had been here quite a few times and knew it held more than a hundred different stores. And best yet, it was indoors with blissful air-conditioning.
"Low profile," Mase grinned. He still had his sunglasses on, and he'd pulled on a ball cap, positioning it low over his eyes to shield his face. He captured Jo's hand, entwined their fingers, and led her to the mall's entrance.
A cool gust of air hit Jo in the face as Mase opened the door to usher her inside. "Where to first?" She asked, spying a directory map and walking over.
Mase scanned the map, over the top of Jo's head, then grunted when he seemed to find what he was looking for. "Come on," Mase said, to Chris as he snatched Jo's hand up once more, pulling her farther into the mall, Jo power-walking to keep up with his long strides.
Of course, Mase's first stop was the sunglasses store. Once an idea formed in his head, he would not let it go and it seemed, if it had anything to do with Jo, he was doubly tenacious.
"We're not here for me, we're here for Chris," Jo protested, as Mase dragged her into the store.
"Babe, you need sunglasses. It's not good to squint all the time."
Jo crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a squinty stare. "Why, you worried I'm going to get lines around my eyes? Maybe look old before my time?"
Mase pulled her arm, bringing her against his chest. He stared down at her, looking very serious. "Angel, even full of wrinkles, I'd think you were beautiful, so get that crazy nonsense out of your head. I'm worried about the sun damaging your eyes."
That shut her up, not having an argument for that.
He looked up as the store employee came into view. "I want to see a selection of women's sunglasses with the highest level of UV protection."
Looked like she was getting a pair of sunglasses.
Four hours, eleven stores, and eight full, shopping bags later, they made the trek back to the car. Even Jo, who was a girl that loved to shop, was done with the mall. Poor Chris looked exhausted, she felt like collapsing, and Mase, the rat bastard, looked as perfect as always. Guess being a star athlete had its advantages, like shopping stamina.
Mase started the car, looked over at Jo, then Chris and started to laugh. "I was going to suggest we go out to dinner, but from the look of you two, I'm not sure you'd make it through the meal."
Jo gave Mase a weak smile. "Just remind me, come Christmas time, to do most of my shopping online."
Chris chimed in from the backseat. "I don't think I've ever spent so much time shopping before. I don't know how you women do it."
Jo snorted.
Mase chuckled. "Okay, picking up dinner it is. What do you guys want?"
"I don't care so long as I don't have to cook it." Jo turned in her seat to look back at Chris. "What do you want?"
He shrugged. "I'll eat anything that's round and flat."
Jo smirked and turned back to Mase. "The kid wants pizza."
*
"You ready to hit the sack?" Mase had his arm draped around Jo's shoulder, her head on his chest as she snuggled against him on the couch. They were watching some zombie show he didn't know the name of, but Chris seemed a fan, if his hooting, cheering, and commentary were anything to go by. It was early yet, a little after eight, but with the missed sleep from the night before and the shopping they did today, he knew Jo must be tired.
"Yeah, a long hot shower and bed sounds great."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You go on. I'll be there in a minute. Just gonna let Charlie out then lock up for the night."
Jo got up, said goodnight to Chris, then made her way to the bedroom. Mase watched until she was out of sight, knowing he would never get tired of the view.
He looked over at Chris to find him smirking. "What?"
Chris shook his head. "You've got it bad."
Mase give him a smirk of his own. "Yeah, well, do you blame me?"
"Nah, Jo's cool."
Mase looked over to where he'd last seen Jo, then back to Chris and gave him a shit-eating grin. "No, she's
fuckin' hot."
He got up from the couch, went to the slider to let the dog out, then went around the house locking everything up. "Don't stay up too late," he said to Chris. "We need to leave by eight tomorrow. I like to be at camp early." Mase let Charlie back in and locked the sliding door before going to the alarm panel and punching in the code.
"I'm just gonna finish this, then head to bed," Chris said, indicating the TV show with a bob of his head.
Mase gave him a nod, then followed the path Jo had taken to the bedroom. He heard the shower running. Shutting the bedroom door, he stripped out of his clothes and entered the steamy bathroom.
He admired her silhouette through the frosted glass. The way her tits pushed out and her back arched as she raised her arms to wash her hair. The graceful slope of her throat as she tipped her head back into the water. The soft, round, curve of her ass.
Mesmerized by the erotic display, he wasn't sure how long he watched, but his throbbing dick reminded him that it wanted in her pussy, and his imaginative mind wanted it done in the shower.
The slide of the glass door alerted her to his presence. Her eyes grew wide, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Mase swiftly covered it with his hand. He leaned in close to be heard over the drumming spray, not wanting to raise his voice. "Shh." He licked a drop of water by her ear. "Don't talk. Not a word. Not a sound. Understand?" He felt her slight nod.
With his free hand, his fingers traced over the curve of her hip, over her mound, and into her pussy, parting the folds, and lightly skimming back and forth at a slow, steady rate. "Not a moan. Not a whimper. Not a sigh." He dragged out the last word, and his warm breath, so close to her ear, caused her to shudder, or maybe it was his thumb that had found and circled her clit.
He backed her up against the tiled wall. "Understand?" He growled low in her ear, capturing her lobe between his teeth. At her nod, he uncovered her mouth and released her ear at the same time, trailing his hand down to her breast, finding her nipple and pinching it between his fingers. "Good."
He kissed along her jaw to her lips, his mouth consuming hers, his tongue invading, fucking her mouth like he wanted to fuck her body, with powerful, deep thrusts. His fingers continued to slide through her wetness as her fingers dug into his shoulders, her short nails stinging his flesh.
He ripped his mouth from hers, taking her by the shoulders and turning her to face the wall. "Raise your arms and grab the shower pipe above your head."
She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach. He helped by reaching around, grabbing the inside of her thighs and raising her body, so she could get a firmer grip. Still holding her inner thighs, he pulled her lower body toward him, her toes leaving the tub as he pushed into her with a swift, forceful thrust.
He heard her gasp. His teeth captured the flesh of her neck, lightly biting, reminding her to stay silent. He pulled almost all the way out before slamming in again, positioning her hips, so he could hit just the right spot. God, she felt so good. He never wanted to stop, never wanted it to end.
He felt himself getting close and knew Jo was right there with him by the way her breathing had turned into heavy pants. Then he felt her body stiffen and knew she was coming, so he let himself go and went along with her.
"You seem to have a fascination with the shower."
Mase chuckled. "No, just a fascination with you naked. If you did your laundry naked, I'd attack you in the laundry room."
They were in their usual sleep position. The solid weight of Jo's head rested against his shoulder at the perfect spot to breathe in the delicate fragrance of her hair.
"Mmm."
He hoped that sound indicated she contemplated doing laundry naked in the near future. Even after coming hard not twenty minutes ago, just the thought of leaning Jo over the washer and slamming into her made his dick hard.
Changing the subject, he said, "I was thinking, maybe we should change locations to my house. It's gated with better security and it's got the big backyard with pools and the basketball court. I don't want the kid going stir crazy here. That could only lead to trouble."
"True, but the police have their surveillance set up here."
"I'll talk to Captain Decker tomorrow. We won't do anything without his approval."
"Okay," she said, around a yawn.
"Go to sleep." He kissed the top of her head before reaching for the TV remote from the end table. He scrolled through the channels stopping at a sport-news show.
"Well, if I weren't already tired, that would definitely put me to sleep."
Mase smiled at her sleepy mumble. "Not a sports fan, Angel?" He lightly skimmed his fingers along the soft skin of her lower back.
"You can say that. Although, I am learning to appreciate a certain quarterback's moves. I might have to start watching the sport if all football is that exciting," she said, with a chuckle.
"Do I have a new number-one fan?"
Jo popped her head up. "Do you have a fan club?"
Mase laughed. "Yeah. There are a few floating around the Internet."
Jo plopped her head back on his chest. "I may have to join one. I wonder if I'll get a Mason Connor jersey?"
"Sweetheart, why settle for a cheap knockoff? You've got the connections. I can get you the real thing."
She picked her head up again. "Really?"
Looking up at him, the glow of the TV playing across her features, excitement shining her eyes, she was so damn beautiful. One word flashed in his head like a big, fucking, neon sign. MINE.
He dropped the remote on the bed then reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, really. Anything for you, Angel." And he meant that. He would do anything for her.
Jo gave him a soft smile, turning her already warm eyes warmer then in a gentle voice said, "I'd like that."
"Then you shall have it." They stared at each other for a long moment, silently communicating something important, but Mase wasn't quite sure what.
Jo was the first to break eye contact, lowering her head back to his chest and tightly hugging him around his waist with her arm. She didn't say anything more and neither did he, afraid of ruining the peaceful moment.
*
Chris approached the house slowly, scanning each side of the darkened street, looking closely at the shadows created from the lone streetlight three houses down. It wasn't late, only about ten. He knew someone would still be up, but he also knew they would be in the living room watching TV, and he could sneak in and out of his room without detection so long as he was quiet. He knew coming home was dangerous, but it was worth the risk. This was something he needed to do.
He felt guilty, sneaking out. Jo and Mase had been super cool, and he hoped they didn't find out. Not because he feared he'd get in trouble, but because he didn't want them to worry, and he knew if Jo found him missing, she would worry. He'd been worried about getting out of the house, not knowing the code to Jo's alarm, but after a quick scan of the all the rooms, he'd discovered his bathroom window didn't have an alarm sensor. It had been a tight fit, but he'd been able to squeeze through the small window.
He stealthily made his way down the side of the house, ducking to avoid windows and entered the empty backyard. It was times like this, he was glad Pam never gave in to the kids' endless pleadings for a dog. A dog, Pam said, she would end up having to care for and so always vetoed the idea. A dog would have made this errand extremely difficult if not downright impossible, without detection.
He'd become a pro at climbing in and out of his bedroom window over the past year. The three bedrooms that faced the backyard had small balconies. And the large oak that grew in the center of the yard had long, thick branches that reach out over his. He swiftly climbed the large trunk then shimmied his way across the branch, landing softly, his tennis shoes soundless on the cement balcony floor.
He never locked his sliding window and hoped no one had been in his room since he'd left to change that fact. Thankfully the window opened easily and Chris slid into
his room. Without hesitation, he went to his closet and took the shoebox from the top shelf, setting it on the floor at his feet and opening the lid. There was but one item in the box that he truly cared about, hated to be parted from, and was worth any risk to get. The only picture he had of his mother.
He looked down at her smiling face, his one connection to a past he no longer remembered. This picture was his only constant during the ten years he'd been shuffled through the system, and he'd never been parted from it for a single day until now. He didn't care to think about the meaning behind his attachment to a photo of a woman he no longer remembered. He just knew, if he lost this picture, he would lose the most vital piece of himself, the piece that was once a son that was loved.
He carefully tucked the photo into his back pocket and replaced the box on the closet shelf. No one would ever know he'd been there.
Or so he thought.
He had no idea that his every move had been watched, and that his watchers plotted their next move.
Chapter Twenty-two
"That's not even possible. They would have frozen to death before help arrived," Jo declared, debating over the believability of the popular nighttime drama.
Chris laughed. "It's just a show, Jo. It's for entertainment purposes only."
"Yeah, but they can at least make it semi-realist–" The doorbell rang, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"I'll get it." Chris hopped up from his seat, but Jo had already stood.
She held up a hand. "You know better than to answer the door."
"Jeez, it's just the delivery guy."
"I don't care if it's the President. No answering the door." She gave him an evil eye that had him flopping back down in his seat.
Not wanting to open the little peep door, Jo peeked out the curtained, side window. A teenage boy stood a few feet from the door, holding a large bag, and wearing a T-shirt with her favorite Chinese place's logo plastered on the front.
