by Brook Wilder
And she wanted to. More than anything else in the world, she wanted to give herself over to this man and let him take care of her, to forget about her life and all the terrible things that had happened over the past months.
It hasn’t all been terrible, that soft voice in the back of her head whispered.
And she knew that was true too. She’d met Preston, for one. He’d changed her life in more ways than one, but a part of her knew that he was worth it.
The memories of their times together threatened to break through her shield and instinctively she shied away. Finally, she shook her head and looked up at him, standing so close to her that their bodies were pressed together, skin to skin.
“I don’t know what to do.” Olivia whispered.
Preston laid a featherlight kiss against her lips, his words just as soft.
“Trust me.”
His lips pressed just a little harder, dragging out the kiss as he traced lazy circles on the arch of her back, just under the hem of her shirt.
“Just feel me, Olivia,” Preston said on a warm breath. “Don’t think about anything else. Just let me in. I’ll take care of you, I promise. I’ll keep you safe.”
Preston angled his head, using his other hand to tangle in hair at the base of her neck, and held her still for his onslaught. Never fast, never hurried, he took his time exploring every inch of her lips.
Only after she had let out a restless sigh did he tease his tongue against hers, drawing the kiss deeper a little bit at a time.
Olivia lost track of time as they kissed, slow and heavy. Her whole body felt heavy and weightless at the time, and she started to feel like she was unraveling in his arms.
She could still feel the numbness, the emptiness waiting there, just out of sight, beckoning her. But she couldn’t ignore the urgency of Preston’s lips on hers. She ignored the feel of his body and warmth enveloping her. She didn’t have a choice. All she could do was follow wherever he might lead her.
Her heart began to pound faster and faster in her chest as Preston stripped off her shirt and jeans. Suddenly, they were both fumbling for each other, frantic as teenagers in the back of a car.
Preston pulled her over to the bed and kicked off the rest of his clothes in a hurry. He paused for a moment and Olivia heard the sound of a foil packet tearing. But then he was back, laying stretched out on top of her, and she reveled in the weight of him.
“I’m sorry, love. I can’t wait. I… I just…” Preston’s voice was rough and ragged as he moaned out the pained words, but she thrilled at the sound of them.
“I need you, Preston,” she whispered fiercely, pulling him even closer to the haven of her body.
She was trembling with desire and overwhelmed by the torrent of emotion that filled.
“I don’t want to wait, either. I need to feel you. I need you to make me feel again.”
His needy mouth pressed against hers in a soul-stealing kiss. It left her breathless as well and aching for him with a desperation that bordered on pain.
Preston kissed her, hard and on edge this time, and all the frantic, adrenaline-fueled feelings filled her up until she felt like she was about to burst. But she knew Preston was there, waiting to catch her if she fell.
So, she let go.
As Preston moved inside her, making every nerve ending sing with pleasure, her heart and mind burst open. Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes as everything stormed through her, chaos and fear transformed by the one thing more powerful than anything else, love.
Olivia clung to him, moaning his name with every thrust of his hip against hers, holding on to him so tight she could barely breathe. And she didn’t let go until she threw her head back on a cry as bright pleasure arced through her.
Preston wrung every ounce of ecstasy that he could from her body, and only when she collapsed back onto the bed was she able to draw in a deep breath and stare up at him in awe. The storm inside her had finally passed; the numbness that had become such a crucial part of her had shattered and now broke apart piece by piece.
With one last deep sigh, she turned into his arms and sobbed. She cried for everything she had lost, and everything she had gained. For fear of the past and hope for the future. And through it all Preston held her, whispering sweet words into her ear, never loosening his embrace until finally she passed into a deep exhausted sleep.
Chapter 21
Preston flipped idly through the channels that came in on the small T.V. in the motel room. It didn’t take long. There were five that came in clear enough to watch and, even still, those were a little fuzzy, the sound crackling in and out.
He paused on the evening news. It was 9 o’clock and the anchor on the screen was reading the day’s events in a monotone, disinterested voice.
Preston’s foot twitched with impatience. But after about twenty minutes without any news of deadly gang violence, he let out a sigh of relief. He’d been half-afraid to see another story on the news, this time of a little girl beaten bloody by the local biker gang.
She’s safe from them, he reminded himself.
He’d been careful not to reach out to her in any way since everything had started with Capone and Knox and this whole god damned mess, not even to mention her name out loud. The smallest slip-up and she would be the one to pay for his mistake. Preston wasn’t about to let that happen.
When the news cycle started all over again, he picked up the remote and flicked the power button. The screen faded back to black.
He should be exhausted, he knew that. He hadn’t slept a wink since leaving Olivia’s house. But instead he felt wired. Maybe it was having Olivia back by his side, or the knowledge that Knox was still out there somewhere and Capone was still after him, that had the adrenaline pumping through him. He wasn’t sure.
But he did know that, if he had to stay cooped up in that tiny, run-down motel room for much longer, he was going to go insane.
The need to act flooded his system and he jumped to his feet, pacing to the edge of the room and the small window and then back. It was all of five paces altogether, but it was better than sitting still and waiting, not doing a damned thing.
With the TV off, Preston could easily make out the sound of the shower running in the small bathroom. Olivia had slept like a baby in his arms for almost an hour before rousing. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her cheeks were flushed, but the blank empty look was gone now.
He stared at the bathroom door. He was still worried about her. She’d gone through so much in such a short amount of time. It was no wonder she had trouble coping with everything. Hell, he didn’t even know how to begin.
But he knew how strong she was. He’d told her so, over and over again, whispering the words against her ear as he held her tight in his arms. She was the strongest person he’d ever met.
He was much more worried about his own state of mind if he had to stay trapped in that tiny box of a room for much longer.
Preston was saved from his own restless thoughts by the soft knock at the door. Preston peeked through the peep hole and let out a sigh of relief at seeing Charlie’s familiar face. He opened the door.
“Jesus, man, you’ve been gone for hours,” Preston said as he ushered Charlie back inside, stopping to give Bowie a pat on the head as the dog loped past and leapt on the bed.
Preston still hadn’t forgotten the role his pup had played during the altercation. He had a big juicy bone in his future.
Charlie just shrugged at Preston’s words.
“I thought you guys could use some space.” He looked around. “Where’s Olivia?”
“Bathroom.” Preston answered shortly, waving him to take the only other chair in the room while he sat on the edge of the bed. “She’s taking a shower. Now, we need to figure out our next move.”
“Did you find Knox?” Charlie asked softly.
Preston shook his head, trying to order his tumultuous thoughts.
“No, I didn’t find him. Damn my broth
er. I was sure he’d be back in our old hiding place, but it was empty.”
Charlie’s brow furrowed after a minute.
“So, what’s the plan then? If you don’t know where Knox is…”
He trailed off, but the implication was clear. If they couldn’t find Knox, they were all screwed. And Preston knew it just as well as Charlie did.
Bowie let out a soft whine behind him on the bed and Preston idly scratched his ear while his thoughts tumbled one after the other in his head. If they showed their faces anywhere near Devil’s territory, they would be killed on sight. If they tried to leave, it would leave his daughter vulnerable with no one to keep her safe.
And without Knox, there was no way to prove that Capone had made up his murder and Preston’s involvement in it.
Arthur had them trapped and, at the moment, Preston couldn’t see any other way out of it.
“We have to find Knox,” Preston finally said after a long silence. “We don’t have any choice.” He looked over at Charlie, taking in his friend’s serious expression. “You don’t have to stay. You can still get out of this, get back into Capone’s good graces. But if you’re seen helping us…”
“Not going to happen, Pres, so you can just forget about it right now. How many times have you helped me out of a tough scrape?”
“This is a hell of a lot more than a scrape,” Preston said on a rough laugh, but warmth filled him at his friend’s words. “But I appreciate the help. Once we find Knox, then we’ll make the next move. You should still be able to set up a meeting with Capone and the rest of the Devil’s Martyrs?”
Charlie nodded.
“Yeah, I’ve still connections. And more that aren’t just loyal to Capone, but…” Charlie grimaced. “Capone has really been losing it lately. I wouldn’t trust a meeting unless the whole crew was there.”
“We can figure that out when we come to it. First, we have to find Knox,” Preston said, clapping Charlie on the shoulder. “It’s going to be a couple of rough days ahead of us.”
Charlie nodded, and then his expression grew somber.
“Olivia… You think she’ll be up for it? After… everything?” Charlie asked hesitantly.
Preston opened his mouth to answer, but Olivia herself beat him to it.
“Don’t worry. I’m up for it.”
Preston looked over at Olivia. She was dressed in the same jeans and t-shirt she had been wearing before, towel-drying her hair in the doorway of the bathroom. He hadn’t even heard the door open.
“I am,” she said again, giving him a stern look when he didn’t say anything.
Preston threw his hands up in the air.
“I know you are,” he told her hastily.
She nodded firmly, looking almost like her old self again.
“Good. Now, what’s the plan?”
Chapter 22
Olivia let her eyes slide shut as the hot water of the shower sluiced over her tired body. It was a good sort of tired, from Preston’s loving touch, the feel of his body still imprinted on hers. A warm glow that settled through her worn muscles.
Not at all like the exhaustion of the last few days. The type of exhaustion induced by constant panic and fear, behind in danger, being threatened.
Being nearly burned alive.
The deadly memories rose up, flames licking at her mind. But this time, instead of pushing them down and locking them away, Olivia acknowledged they were there and then let them pass.
She was still on shaky ground, but she felt stronger now, thanks to Preston. She still felt the remnants of fear, the pain and grief over losing Johnathon, but Olivia didn’t hide from the feelings this time. She knew it would take some work, but she could learn to live with them and would come out of the other side even stronger than she had been before.
I hope. Or I’ll turn into a blubbering mess.
Olivia smiled wryly at the thought, swiping away a stray tear that was carried away by the water jetting down on her from overhead. She knew she could handle it now though. She had proved it to herself, and to Preston. She knew she wasn’t going to break apart again.
Olivia lathered her hair with the tiny bottle of shampoo, grateful for the small luxury. As she was rinsing it out, the sound of low muffled voices reached her from the other room.
For a moment, she froze. Panic hit her as she remembered being trapped in the bedroom of Charlie’s apartment, the sound of Capone’s two thugs drawing closer and closer, with nowhere for her or Bowie to run.
Panic started to set in, but Olivia forced herself to draw in a deep breath. She quickly finished her shower, toweled off and dressed, all the while keeping an ear out for gunshots or loud noises.
After she was dressed and mostly dry, Olivia cracked open the bathroom door and let out a breath of relief as Preston and Charlie’s voices hit her. They were talking softly, but not soft enough for her to miss Charlie’s question about her.
“Olivia… you think she’ll be up for it? After… everything?”
Olivia had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the doubt in his voice.
“Don’t worry. I’m up for it.”
Both men looked over at her as she walked out of the bathroom. She gave Preston another look.
“I am.”
He just nodded.
“I know you are.”
Olivia sat down on the bed next to Preston and Bowie immediately rolled onto her lap. More than half his body was still hanging off the bed. He was way too big to be a lap dog, even if he didn’t realize it.
“Good. Now, what’s the plan?” Olivia waited, but was disappointed when Charlie and Preston both just shrugged.
Preston caught them both up on what he had found out at the quarry. Which, unfortunately, was a whole lot of nothing. Olivia perked up suddenly as a thought occurred to her.
“Why don’t we just call the cops?” Olivia asked.
Both Charlie and Preston winced at her question. It was easy to forget sometimes that she was on the other side of the law than him and the gang. Preston shook his head.
“We can’t go to the police.”
“Why not?”
“Because, Olivia, they’ll arrest Knox, or me. And probably you too. Anyone involved in this will go down.” Preston hesitated for a moment before going on, “And there’s another good reason, too. At the moment, we have a chance, a slim chance but still a chance, to find Knox and let him convince Capone and the rest of the gang that we’re innocent. But if they find out that we had gone to the cops, the gang wouldn’t rest until we were all dead, Knox included. Anyone we care about would be in danger.”
“We can’t risk it,” Charlie added. “Capone hates snitches, and the rest of the gang doesn’t feel any better about it.”
Olivia grew quiet as she thought over what they had said. Unfortunately, it made sense. Too much sense to ignore.
“Okay then. What do we do?”
“We find Knox,” Preston answered.
“And how do we go about finding a man that doesn’t want to be found?”
“We make a list,” Olivia said, biting her lip as both men turned to look at her.
“What?”
“A list?”
“Yeah. When I’m researching a case, I make a list. Their favorite places, favorite food and drink, where they spent their childhood. Most people travel within the same fifty-mile radius. We make a list. We narrow the possibilities. Then, we test them out.”
Olivia didn’t wait for them to answer and ignored their dubious expressions as she grabbed the notepad and pen from the nightstand drawer.
“Okay, come on, Preston. You know your brother better than anyone.” Olivia handed him the paper. “Where does he like to hang out? He wouldn’t go far on foot, so we’ll keep it close I think.”
“I don’t think this is going to work, Red.” Preston said with an impatient sigh. She gave him one right back.
“Just humor me, alright? What was Knox like as a child?”
“W
ild. Reckless. Impulsive.” Preston rattled off the adjectives.
“Okay, that’s a good start. So, he’s a daredevil. Careless. Not easily afraid.” Olivia nodded her head, “So, he wouldn’t be scared out of state, probably not even out of town.”
“Yeah, he’d be dumb enough to stick around.”
“Lucky for us,” Olivia muttered, “Okay, what else? What about later, teen years? Early twenties? Was there a bar or club he would visit? What type of place does he like to hang out at?”
