Crimson Desert

by Melissa Jane

  Danny looked somewhat amused by my concern. “Laila, you know what he is like once his mind is made up. He won’t listen to me. You saw yourself how much of a struggle it was for me to get him to wear the bandage.”

  “I know, but he’s disadvantaged if he goes in injured.”

  “The desire for revenge is a rush. Trust in him.”

  “When you two are finished pretending I can’t hear you, perhaps you might like to give the ‘injured’ a helping hand.” Aiden turned his face lightly so that we could see the small smirk he wore.

  “She was merely confessing her love for you,” Danny began, holding back a chuckle. “How she doesn’t see me as the better man, I will never understand.”

  Aiden laughed good naturedly at his friends banter, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere.

  “Laila, come help me.” He called with his back to me.

  Walking over the cracked concrete I stood by his side, peering into the trunk at the frightening array of arsenal.

  “Wow, that is a lot of choice in there. How ever will you choose which weapon to use?”

  He threw me an amused look, a look that made my legs quake. I watched as he tidied up the trunk and zipped up a duffle bag. He turned to face me, his hands coming to rest just below the shoulders. I was caught in a moment of awe as his intense gaze ravaged me.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” his voice husky.

  “Like what?”

  “With those beautiful blues pleading to me.”

  I smiled at the compliment. A gentle finger brushed over the healing knife wound on my cheekbone.

  Being careful not to further injure his own wound, he pressed the good side of his body against mine. His fingers laced through my hair pulling my face to meet his, forehead to forehead, nose to nose.

  “I need to end this, Laila.”

  “I know.”

  “I will not let them do to you what they did to my mother.”

  I nodded, unable to speak as emotion once again bubbled to the surface.

  “This is for us.” Aiden assured me with a dazzling smile. “They’re not going to know what hit them.”

  “Are you sure I can’t help in some way?”

  “About that.” He pulled away from me, but didn’t let go. I watched as he swallowed, his Adams apple bopping. “I can’t leave you here with no protection. It would not benefit my attack in any way if my mind is constantly worrying about whether you are safe or not.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  “It’s not without its challenges, but I will be taking you across the border with me. You will be staying at Danny’s place. It is so far isolated from anywhere else, no one would even consider looking there for you.”

  Aiden pressed his lips to mine and amidst all my fear and anxiety my knees still grew weak at his touch.

  “How will I know that you are safe?” I asked against his mouth.

  He pulled away and I almost wished I hadn’t said anything. I had to cherish the moments with him. Aiden reached into the back pocket of his pants and pulled out a cell.

  “This is a SIM phone. It has my number already programmed into it. It should be the only one you will need.”

  “How will I know when to call?”

  “You don’t. It is for me to call you on to let you know our progress.”

  “And if I don’t hear from you?”

  “You will.”

  “Aiden, I love your confidence, I truly do, but it does nothing to ease the stress of it all.” To say I was a fan of his crazy strategy would be a lie. There were so many variables that could turn everything ass up that it was almost making me physically ill.

  “We are down a man, and that’s not favorable, but we have to work with what we have. Ethan will stay with you at Danny’s. We should only be gone overnight at the most.”

  “Aiden, how is this all going to go down. You can’t just walk through the front doors as if nothing has happened.”

  “I know that place better than anyone. They won’t even see me coming.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Aiden

  The first shot fired and her tiny body jolted with the kickback.

  “Hold it firmly, keep your shoulders strong.” I said gently. I could tell she was growing frustrated and the last thing I needed was a frustrated woman with a gun.

  “I just want to shoot straight. Why won’t it shoot straight?”

  I couldn’t disguise the chuckle. She was so fucking beautiful.

  “Why are you laughing?” Laila swung around, her Glock now pointed at me.

  “Whoa, point that thing away from me, you crazy woman, before I put you over my knee.”

  This time it was her turn to laugh. “Shit, I’m sorry. Maybe I am just naturally unco at this. But the knee suggestion sounds like a good idea.”

  I tutt-tutted her which drew an even wider smile on face. We were still in an abandoned industrial parking lot practicing handling a gun. I didn’t want to leave for Hector’s without ensuring that she could at least handle disabling someone if needed.

  Ethan, who was less than impressed watched from afar, kicking small broken up pieces of concrete. Danny on the other hand had taken a front row seat only a few meters away, enjoying the show before him.

  “I handed you a gun in San Diego and you said you knew how to use it?”

  “That was tiny compared to this. This one is so powerful, I can’t even keep my arm straight.”

  “Ok, come here. It’s all in the shoulder, elbow and wrist. The three need to work in unison otherwise you can kiss your straight line goodbye.” Spinning her around to face the targets of glass bottles sitting on a crumbled wall ledge, I moved to stand behind her, our bodies molding into each other’s.

  “Nice,” Danny sparked up from his seat. Neither of us deigned him a glance. “If this isn’t clichéd, shoot me now.”

  “Do you have a better idea?” I quipped.

  “I do actually. I could swap positions with you.” Fuck he was a smart ass. Laila giggled and I cracked a smile.

  “Ignore the heckler,” I said loud enough for him to hear. “You need to concentrate on the targets.

  “Yes, boss.”

  “Keep being cheeky and …” my fingers brushed over nipples and she jolted away backing further against me. “Oh, on the other hand, keep being cheeky.”

  Laila giggled before regaining composure. “Come on, stop misbehaving and show me some skills.”

  “Alright, let’s do this. Arm up and point. I want to feel some resistance in the shoulder.” I pressed my palm against her shoulder in an attempt to budge her. She didn’t move. “Good, now, the lock the elbow. Your wrist is the weakest point, so resist the kickback you feel when you fire. Are you ready?”

  “Yep, let’s do it”

  “Three, two, one.”

  Laila fired a shot and missed the target. “Shit. Again.”

  “Three, two, one.”

  She released a second shot, this time with the pleasure of seeing a glass bottle shatter from the ledge.

  Screamed like she had just won the lottery, her excitement was contagious.

  “Good girl, now if you shoot the others down without my help, you will make me a happy man.”

  I watched as she lined up her targets and successfully shot four of the five remaining bottles. A wicked gleam in her eyes as she spun around making me laugh.

  “God, I have created a monster.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Laila

  We passed through the Tucson Mexican border without an issue. Despite our fears, the border patrol seemed to be nonplussed by our travels and barely even gave us a second glance. My heart had been permanently lodged in my throat the entire journey as I recalled the events of the last time we travelled through. The vibe in the car clearly reflected my thoughts and all of us were on guard. After all, this was only the first leg of the journey.

  Aiden and Danny were in the front continually running through th
e plan to ensure all basis had been covered. Ethan seemed quieter than normal but I just put it down to nerves.

  “Is everything ok? I whispered to him.

  He glanced at me, a worried look marring his features. “I don’t have a good feeling about all this, Laila.”

  I sighed, knowing full well that I too felt the same. Something didn’t feel right, but I guessed that we all felt like that due to the nature of the job ahead.

  “Trust in them. They know what they’re doing.”

  “Maybe so, but that doesn’t help us while they are gone. Maybe we should have stayed across the border.”

  “Nobody knows where Danny lives. Only Jorge, me and Aiden know. And staying at Danny’s means we are closer to them in case something does happen.”

  Ethan nodded, but I knew he still held reservations. His apparent misgivings weren’t sitting well in my stomach.

  From what I could gather from their conversations, it had to be tonight. Aiden had known in advance that there was a scheduled dinner for all the buyers, not unlike the one I had been introduced to. More girls were being exhibited and later sold. Aiden also knew that not only would Juan and Hector be there at the same time, but Alexsonov, my intended master, would potentially be there also.

  The scenery passed in an unspectacular fashion and I wished nothing more than for this to all be over. I didn’t want to say goodbye to Aiden. I didn’t want him to walk away from me for twenty-four hours, leaving me to fret about his safety. Ethan was right. Crossing the border felt like we were freely heading towards our own deaths, when we should have been running in the opposite direction.

  Hours later we pulled up outside Danny’s house and made ourselves at home. While Ethan was sprawled on the downstairs couch asleep, I watched Aiden as he drew Danny a map of the mansion. They first discussed the ballroom where the dinner and show would take place, followed by Hector’s lounge and the respective bedrooms. Once in, navigating wouldn’t be an issue. What did pose a challenge was access from the perimeters to the main building and then gaining entry to what Aiden called a fortress. He wasn’t apologetic when he went through the amount of deaths that would have to take place in doing so and I noted that Danny too seemed unfazed. They were trained to take lives if necessary. Given that Aiden was head of security, he knew the location of every camera and guard rotation. This part was a breeze, apparently.

  Upon entry, Aiden would cut the power sending the party of guests into disarray.

  From there it was game on.

  ***

  I could feel his eyes lingering on me for the last few minutes. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

  “All set?” I asked, leaning my stomach against the porch railing, my back still to him.

  “As set as I can be.”

  Aiden had joined me as I watched the sun go down along the flat plains of the dry Mexican desert. His body pressed against mine and I molded into him, slowly inhaling his heady cologne.

  “Are you nervous?”

  “No.”

  “When all this is over, where to?” I asked. Despite the impending departure, I felt myself relax when Aiden was near.

  “Well, that depends.”

  “On what?” I asked, suspicious of his tone.

  “On,” he rested his face on my shoulder, our cheeks touching. With his arms wrapped tightly around me, a lump formed in my throat. I didn’t want to say goodbye to him. Not now, not ever. “Wherever your heart desires to go.” Aiden’s fingers crawled over my chest, above my heart.

  I considered the logistics of what he was saying.

  “We will both need jobs to survive. Ones that don’t involve killing other people. We might actually be normal for a change.” The thought seemed so foreign to me. Could we ever be normal again?

  “You can find work in a gallery if you want, but for a while, let’s just enjoy not looking over our shoulders.”

  That was a nice thought. One we couldn’t quite indulge in just yet. “I have some money saved, enough for a holiday.” It wasn’t a lot, but it counts for something.

  “My love, we don’t even need jobs. Once I can access my accounts off shore, we can do anything we please. I already know what I want to do.”

  The last part sounded rather suggestive. “Oh, yeah? What’s that exactly?”

  “I want to keep you as close to me as I can. Court you properly, take you on dates, romance you and make you fall hopelessly in love with me.”

  “Without the killings and kidnapping?”

  He laughed lightly. “Yes, without all those.”

  “That sounds like the best idea ever.”

  “I have another good idea.” Aiden breathed heavily against my skin and I melted. His lips grazed my neck and I groaned with the pleasure it was sending through my body.

  “Oh, yes. What is that?” I barely managed.

  “Come with me upstairs and I will show you.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Aiden

  One of the things I loved about Laila, was her unrelenting passion. She didn’t even have to touch me for me to feel it. Those eyes spoke in volumes and I fucking loved it. I couldn’t get enough of it. With the other two watching television downstairs, we had quietly made our way up to the bedroom. The second the door closed I trapped Laila between my body and the wall. Cupping her ass with my hands, I lifted her so that we were eye level, her legs circling my waist.

  She was breathless and so fucking sensual, I needed her then and there.

  “Aiden, your injuries.” She said, her face crinkling with worry.

  “Muñequita, don’t let that worry you. I am tougher than you think.”

  “Maybe we should –”

  Claiming her mouth, I cut off her words of concerns. Sure it all hurt like hell, but nothing could stop me having Laila’s body wrapped around mine. I revelled in hearing her rhythmic moans as I sucked her bottom lip between my teeth. She returned the intensity which made me want to devour her then and there. But this time, I wanted to take it slow. I wanted to make love to the sweet girl I held in my arms.

  Pulling away, I studied her flushed face and swollen lips. “When all this is over, I want you to marry me!” I couldn’t believe the words that came from my mouth. It’s not that I didn’t want to. I did. I just didn’t know how she felt. She pulled her head back and carefully considered me, her beautiful blue eyes wide with doubt.

  “You want to marry me?”

  “Like I’ve never wanted anything else before.” Tears clouded her eyes as I closed the space between us, my nose and forehead touching hers. “You are the only honest thing in my life.”

  “Aiden.” She whispered, her hand tenderly cupped my cheek.

  “Will you?”

  “Of course I will.”

  My smile was ear to ear and she laughed gently, tears cascading down her face.

  “You’re crying, my love.”

  “Happy tears, babe. Happy tears. But what about wanting to court me and take me out on dates, to be normal.” She teased.

  “Normal is for boring people.” I said as she laughed. “I can do all that while you wear my ring. I am never letting you go.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Laila

  He moved rhythmically inside me, his soft lips trailing kisses down my neck and over my hypersensitive breasts. The roughness on his face was a delicious sensation against my skin that left me craving him more. Aiden was taking it slow, relishing in every second and it was blissfully wonderful.

  “Every time I am with you feels like nothing else matters,” I whispered into his ear.

  “My beautiful girl, the world could be crumbling around us and I wouldn’t care in the slightest.”

  Pushing Aiden’s shoulders, I encouraged him to roll gently onto his back. He was injured, but despite showing no sign of hurting, I wanted him to enjoy our time together. Straddling his waist, I sat up and rocked gently against him. His eyes hooded with desire as I touched my breasts, relishing th
e feeling of his length sinking further into me. With one hand wrapped around my hip, he ground against me encouraging a small cry from my lips. His free hand worked my clit, his thumb varying in pressure sending me to the brink of no return.

  “Babe, you should see yourself. You are like some goddess sitting on top of me like this.”

  He often rendered me speechless. Now was no exception. Pulling his hand from my hip I placed it over my cheek. I needed that connection, to feel him in more ways than one.

  Aiden continued his pressure on my clit as I sucked his thumb into my mouth. He groaned with the new stimulation and that was enough for me.

  My body shook uncontrollably, a small cry escaping my panting lips as I rocked back and forth relishing in the waves of pleasure. I could feel Aiden’s length throb within me, his body becoming rigid as he released his own orgasm. When we both gathered our breath, he framed my face pulling me down to meet his lips. He kissed me tenderly, the moment of something so intimate not lost on us.

  “I will be back for you, my love.”

  “I know you will.”

  ***

  “Laila!” Amidst the haze of a dream or nightmare, I couldn’t tell, someone was screaming my name. “Laila, run!”

  Bolting upright in bed, my heart racing, Ethan’s desperate voice played over my head. A nightmare, that’s all it was. Just paranoia over what was unfolding some distance away. Aiden had left almost an hour ago with Danny, a part of me going with him.

  The smashing of glass and a man’s anguished cry sounding downstairs had me flying out of bed frantically searching for the Glock Aiden had left for me on the dresser. It wasn’t there. I was sure he left in that very spot. He had even made a point of showing me. Before I could put on any clothes over my underwear a dark silhouette appeared in the doorway of the bedroom.

  “Who are you?” I demanded, feeling that ever familiar fear.

  “Does it matter? I’m just the collector.” His voice was gravelly and unkind.