Black Escape

by C. J. Thomas

  Bending at the waist, he hovered over me. His rough hands were back on me, pushing my dress up to my waist. I sat up and pulled it the rest of the way over my head. My bare breasts perked and I called him in to take them into his mouth.

  Kelly’s tongue flicked over the sharp rosebuds as I mewed over him.

  Finding my fingers beneath my underwear I circled my erect clit, building the momentum toward the inevitable edge I hoped to see tonight.

  Kelly licked and nibbled his way down my body. Lifting each leg, one at a time, I fell back onto my elbows and watched the man gently pepper kisses behind my knees. His tongue swirled in endless circles between my thighs. I tossed my head back, loving how his lips tickled the sensitive areas of my body that rarely got the attention they deserved.

  It felt like we were back—like we hadn’t experienced the horrors of the last few days. And as I let my mind wander into the dark pleasures of what Kelly was doing to set my body ablaze, I soon escaped to another world.

  Kelly was slow, caring, and managed to bring each of my senses to life one inch, one moment, at a time. From the way he smelled like a high-class bar, to the way he tasted like lemon. It was a heady combination that allowed me to be ready to take him fully inside of me by the time he entered.

  I couldn’t remember him taking off my underwear but I felt him stretch me, open me up to a place of familiarity. As he rocked his hips in passionate circles of love, it was then I realized just how much I had missed him.

  I hooked my heels around his back, clasped my hands behind his head, and closed my eyes while he kissed me to the tune of his hips. I didn’t care if I climaxed or not. As long as he kept this up—kept us on this plane of extended ecstasy—it was enough to get me through the tough day ahead, knowing that I always had him.

  51

  Kendra

  I stayed in that elevated state of mind until I woke the following morning.

  Kelly never got rough, nor did I ask him to. It was only in the beginning that I thought I needed it. And maybe I did, because as much as he kept me suspended over the edge, I never could bring my body to find the release it was convinced it needed.

  I turned my head and stared at Kelly.

  His eyes were peacefully shut. Each of his hands rested on his chest; one over his diaphragm, the other over his heart. His facial features as calm as I had ever seen them. I wished I could have said the same for myself.

  Inside, my muscle fibers quivered as today’s mission weighed heavily on my mind. I couldn’t stop from thinking about the worst-case scenarios and what might happen to me—to Kelly.

  The corners of my eyes crinkled when a tiny snore rolled through him. He never stirred and I took it as my opportunity to escape to the shower.

  The hot water spilled over me like rain, splashing off my face. I stayed buried beneath the stream. I didn’t want to wash Kelly’s scent off my skin but I knew I couldn’t meet with Madam smelling like him, either. I needed her focused on what I was bringing her—what I was going to request in exchange. In and out, that was the goal. Give her what she wanted, call a truce between us, and hope that she would give the files to Oscar just as the DEA and FBI hoped.

  Rotating away from the water spilling out of the shower head I soaped my body, thinking how I couldn’t tell Kelly what I was about to do without compromising the deal I’d made with the authorities. It was a secret I didn’t want to keep but had to.

  After I was cleaned and shaved, I turned the water off. Toweling dry, I wrapped it around my body realizing Kelly still probably thought Drake had taken the files and given them to Madam himself. And as I slid into my underwear, clasping my bra shut, I felt my stomach begin to shrink as the time came closer for me to leave Kelly behind.

  I leaned over the sink and applied just enough makeup to look like I cared but not to overdo it. My fingers shook as nerves began to surface.

  I felt bad for Kelly. He might have felt his impending arrest coming down the pipeline but he had no idea the amount of surveillance and intelligence that had been collected on him.

  When I opened the bathroom door, I stopped dead in my tracks.

  Kelly kneeled on the floor with his hands in my bag. One glance and I knew what he’d found. “You’re going through my things?”

  He stood, still holding the disk Drake had given me to give to Madam. “I was looking for my gun.”

  I stepped forward and snatched the memory stick out of his hand. “It’s not here. And you shouldn’t be putting your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

  “That’s Giselle’s, isn’t it?”

  I skirted past him, needing to get ready before time slipped away.

  Kelly turned on a heel and kept pressing for more details. “Where did you get that? What are you planning to do with it?”

  Dropping my chin, I closed my eyes. Last night was perfect. It was everything I’d hoped it would be—and so much more. I wanted to leave here with that as a reminder of what to look forward to. Instead, Kelly had to go and get himself involved, just like he always did. “You don’t want to know.”

  Kelly padded across the floor and placed his heavy hands on my shoulders. Pressing his thumbs into my tense neck, I rolled my head from side to side. When he stopped, I held my breath knowing the next question would be the hardest he’d ask. “Tell me the truth, Kendra. Whose side are you on?”

  Twisting around, I brought my hands to his hips. “Yours.”

  He quirked a brow.

  “I swear.”

  “You can’t give that to Madam.” When my lips parted he held up his finger, shaking his head. “That’s why you chose this hotel. It’s close to her place. Isn’t it?”

  “Kelly,” I felt my gaze tremble, “last night… they caught me.”

  He pulled his brows together and I watched his gaze harden.

  I nodded. “After I left you, I made my way home. That’s when they came for me.”

  “Who?” Kelly firmed up his grip.

  My voice disintegrated into a whispery breath. “The DEA and FBI.”

  His nostril flared as his head pulled to the ceiling. “Then how did you get Giselle’s disk?”

  “Drake gave it to me.”

  The lines on his face deepened.

  “He’s DEA, Kelly.”

  Kelly stepped back and lowered himself down on the bed. Resting his elbows on his knees, he sat there for a minute with distant eyes staring at the floor.

  Draping my arm across his shoulders I sat next to him, whispering the story of my night. I told him about Rob Jones, how I assumed they were also in contact with Sylvia and using her the same way they were using me. “I made a deal, Kelly. As long as I give Madam the disk and she gives it to Oscar, it’s over. They’ll arrest both of them.”

  Kelly sat there, unresponsive throughout it all. Only when I was finished did he angle his head toward me and say, “You should have told me this last night.”

  I frowned. “I didn’t want to ruin a good thing.”

  He lifted his eyes and locked them with mine. “I gave O’Brien my copy of the files you’re about to bring to Madam.”

  Tucking my chin into my chest, I tried to put my feet in his shoes.

  Kelly stood and reached for his cell phone.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I have to call O’Brien.”

  Crawling across the bed, I said, “What? Why?”

  “Because if he does anything with the information I give him before you hand yours to Madam, word will get around to Oscar and, not only will the FBI’s plan fail, Oscar will know what I did and charge me with the crime I committed to get this information.”

  I fell back on my heels. “Then I better get going.”

  Kelly lowered his phone away from his ear and said, “I’m coming with you.”

  “Kelly, you can’t. If Madam sees that you’re with me—”

  “She doesn’t even know you’re coming.” He slid his arms through his shirt. “It would be more suspicious if yo
u weren’t with me.”

  Knowing I couldn’t convince him otherwise, I agreed. A minute later, I was dressed and we were stepping outside the building together. O’Brien didn’t pick up but Kelly left him an urgent message without going into detail. We walked down the block, heading toward Madam’s, and, though I didn’t admit it to Kelly, I was glad he was with me. It would have been a thousand times harder to do what I was about to do without him at my side.

  We rounded the block. The red bricks of Madam’s building called us in like a beacon in the night. Kelly’s phone rang and my heart skipped, hoping it was O’Brien. I listened to Kelly say, “Don’t say a word until I arrive.” He lowered his phone and turned to me. “Guess who that was?”

  “Do I want to know?”

  Kelly stopped walking. “Emmanuel. He’s been picked up and needs representation.”

  “Why did he call you?”

  “I guess he still thinks I’m working for Madam.” Kelly turned his head and let his gaze travel up the block toward Madam’s. “I don’t know about this.”

  “C’mon. I don’t have a choice.” I looped my thumb through my purse strap.

  He grabbed my arm and stopped me mid-step. “What if you’re walking into a trap?”

  “Either option I take isn’t good. I choose one path to prison, or take my chances with Madam. Which path would you take?”

  Kelly rubbed a hand over his face, still staring at Madam’s building.

  “Forget it.” I started walking, not wanting to know what Kelly would choose if in my position. I was working as an informant and, soon, hopefully Kelly would be, too. That was the cold, hard truth and there was no way around it.

  Marching up the steps, Kelly was a step behind when I swung the front door open with a tad too much gusto. A knot quickly tied itself in my gut as I tried to remember the last time I was here. My feet kept me moving and, suddenly, I noticed Janine missing from her normal seat behind the front desk.

  The soles of Kelly’s shoes squeaked to a sudden stop.

  When I saw the worried look on his face, my heart lunged into my throat. “What is it?”

  “It’s too quiet,” Kelly whispered behind me. “This doesn’t seem right.”

  As if on cue, footsteps echoed down the steps. A large man—who I had never seen before—wearing a sport coat over jeans showed his face. “Why am I not surprised to see you here?”

  “Kendra, get behind me.” Kelly grabbed my hand, twirling me around until I was standing behind him.

  “Ah, isn’t that sweet.” The man continued to walk toward us. “What a gentleman you’ve become, Mr. Black.”

  I latched on to Kelly’s belt, fearing what would happen if I let go.

  “I’d say I’m surprised to see you here but I’m not.” Kelly was confident in his delivery, like he knew who this man was and what he was after. “You trashed my apartment and I’m not too happy about that.”

  Detective Matt Fletcher. I looked at the man closely.

  Fletcher peered over Kelly’s shoulder. “Kendra, Madam is waiting for you upstairs.”

  “Don’t move, Kendra.” Kelly raised his voice.

  I froze. My heart hammered. I didn’t know what to do.

  Fletcher reached behind his back, taking out a polished pair of handcuffs. “You’re coming with me, Kelly.”

  “For what?” The crease between Kelly’s eyes deepened.

  “You’re under arrest for solicitation of prostitution, money laundering, conspiracy to murder, and god knows what else the DA will decide to add to your list of charges.”

  “Go fuck yourself.” Kelly pushed my hand away from his belt as he stepped forward to rush Fletcher.

  Fletcher was quick to react. Diving his hand to his side, he reached to his belt and pulled his department-issued pistol. Kelly tossed his hands up and stopped. “That’s as far as you come, Counselor.”

  52

  Kendra

  Naturally, I flinched as the room spun around me.

  Kelly’s eyes were wide with fury as he stared into Fletcher’s gaze. Fletcher lifted the gun higher in the air. Kelly never flinched—stood amazingly calm for having a gun pointed at him. And when I saw apparent frustration building inside Fletcher’s eyes, I said, “Stop! I’ll go.”

  Neither of the two men looked at me.

  I showed Fletcher my palms before stepping around Kelly. But I was a lost bargaining chip between the silent pissing match going on between them.

  “Bella, no.” Kelly held his arm straight, acting as a blockade. “Don’t listen to this asshole.”

  Fletcher took a giant leap forward and pressed the gun against Kelly’s temple when he wasn’t looking.

  Without seeming to react, Kelly said, “Oscar is here, I feel it.”

  Feeling my insides shake, I muttered, “It’s okay. I can handle it.”

  Kelly flashed me a questioning look.

  I gave him a reassuring nod back.

  “It’s over, Kelly,” Fletcher said. “Stay, Kendra. Watch your boyfriend die. I promise it will be a great show.” He pressed the muzzle deeper into Kelly’s head.

  “Go, Kendra,” Kelly barked.

  My heart drum roll increased with speed and intensity as I felt my feet suddenly glue to the floor.

  “Now!” Kelly screamed as if realizing Fletcher might actually put a bullet in his head.

  Backpedaling, I kept my eye on Kelly, whispering to him that I loved him. I held my breath, praying that no more people would die before the end of this. My head jerked forward when, suddenly, I backed into a wall of muscle. Jerome snickered from behind.

  A compulsion to look back sent my heart thrashing between my ears. I twisted around and was met with a wide grin. I didn’t expect to be scared but I understood what he was capable of doing when given the chance.

  “Perfect timing,” his deep voice said. “We were just leaving.”

  Pivoting back to Kelly, I darted forward choosing to be with him instead of Jerome. Jerome caught my arm, tightening the clamp until my blood vessels popped. “Not so fast, sweetheart.”

  My fist beat against his chest as he dragged me to the back. “They’re taking me away. Kelly! Help!” I cried until Jerome’s hand muffled my shouts to be saved.

  Jerome was too strong.

  My heels weren’t sharp enough to stop the progression toward the back exit.

  Kicking the door open, a blinding ray of sunshine hit our faces. Squinting into the light, Jerome bear hugged me and carried me the rest of the way. I kicked and screamed until finally clamping my teeth into his palm, making him bleed.

  He immediately dropped me, and I ran back to the door only to find it locked. “Kelly!” My opened palms slapped hard on the glass. Not a second later, I was swallowed up inside Jerome’s arms again.

  “Don’t piss me off any more than you already have.” He spun me around and my mouth snapped shut.

  Madam stood tall next to the limo with her eyes shadowed by her bright white sun hat. I stopped fighting, knowing that I needed to complete the task of giving her the disk she’d asked for. It was my only chance—the only shot I had at getting back to Kelly before Fletcher took him away.

  Jerome brought me closer. I couldn’t stop myself from doing a quick inventory of Madam’s white everything. Her gloved hands, white pearl necklace, pearl strapped heels. I had so much I wanted to say to her but, when Jerome planted my feet in front of her, my mind went blank.

  “My dear, Kendra.” Her face beamed. “Just when I had given up on you, here you are.”

  Willing myself to remain calm, I said, “I have what you asked for.”

  “Then we should get going.” She stepped to the side and Jerome’s hand was on my head, forcing me to duck inside the limo.

  I tossed my sharp elbows to the sides, fighting off Jerome’s clammy hands.

  Madam stood there cackling like it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.

  With one stiff shove forward, Jerome had me flying across the leather
bench. My head hit the opposite door. I cringed and winced. Jerome’s bruising grip didn’t inspire the confidence needed to trust either one of them, and this was certainly not how I’d anticipated the day going.

  I watched Madam contort her body inside. Jerome followed a step behind, and as soon as the back door shut, the limo pulled away.

  They both stared at me like I was some kind of animal who couldn’t be contained. Pulling myself up, I mentioned the disk again. “Just take the disk and let me go.”

  Madam’s thin lips curled upward. “Tell me darling, are you feeling like a whore?”

  “Excuse me?” My lips pinched.

  “Is this the excitement you craved?” Her brow arched. “The adventure of a lifetime you were looking for?” The twinkle in her eyes brightened with each question.

  With my eyes darting across her face, I said, “You’re a sick woman.”

  She snickered and patted Jerome’s knee. “I guess she didn’t like having the cops frisk her.”

  Jerome chuckled.

  Realizing that she might not be letting me go because of Kelly, I asked, “Is that detective really arresting Kelly?”

  Madam’s aged eyes perked up. “He is proving more useful to me than I could have imagined.” She glanced to her hands before her eyes were back on me. “You see, young child, good things come to those who obey. To those who listen. And to those who respect the fortunes we’ve collectively earned.”

  I stopped breathing when I tried to decipher what she was saying. I couldn’t decide if she was referring to my lack of obedience during my time with Kelly, or just how lucky she was to have found a team on the police force who transferred their allegiance to her. “I listened. I obeyed.” I dug out the disk. “Here. Take it.”

  Madam’s eyes never left mine.

  “It’s what you requested. I got it. Aren’t you proud of me?”

  Madam continued to stare, a knowing glimmer lighting up her eyes.

  The limo rocked its way out of the city and headed to a place I’d hoped I would never have to see again.