by Pinki Parks
Nobody was above suspicion in an environment where secrets were par for the course. I should’ve known they would have dug into my past to see if I was hiding anything that could come back and haunt them. I didn’t know how extensive the research into my life was. I really didn’t want to know.
“I know I shouldn’t, but I feel like you have invaded my personal space. It seems strange saying that after what we did last night.” Something was nagging at me about the way he was staring at me when he thought I wasn’t looking.
“You are entitled to your feelings. I would probably feel the same way standing in your shoes. It was nothing personal. This business is one where the one hand doesn’t always know what the other hand is doing. It’s perfectly natural to feel like you have had a colonoscopy.” It was an interesting analogy and one that made me shift nervously in my seat.
“I want you to brace yourself for what we might find against Mason. He claims to be innocent, but he could be waiting to see how far up the chain of command this goes. I know he’s the owner of the company, but he has clients depending on him for his discretion.” Those clients would take a dim view about allegations of fraud and embezzlement.
“I know him better than anyone. You are vastly off the mark with this one. We have saved each other’s lives more times than I can count. You get to know somebody quickly when their lives are in the palm of your hand.” I could hear his conviction and understood this was a sore subject better left alone.
“Leave me with this and I’ll see what I can dig up about the IP address without involving Ethan.” His hot breath on my shoulder was causing those butterflies to churn in my stomach.
“You don’t need me standing over your shoulder. I trust you and I don’t even know you very well. Being intimate with someone gives you a better understanding of what they’re capable of.” My cubicle was surrounded by others with the sound of typing and talking going on around me. The lights were giving me a migraine.
I was lucky that Henry was busy and didn’t stick his head up to see what was going on behind his back.
Chapter Ten
Chase
She was sitting beside me in my jeep with her hands in her lap. She had raced inside after returning home to change into something more comfortable. It turned out to be a pair of tight form-fitting jeans and a white sweater. I had a feeling she wasn’t wearing a bra. I was trying to determine if there was the slightest hint of a panty line through her jeans.
“I wasn’t able to make any headway with the IP address. Apparently, anyone can learn to track an IP address off Google but this one was encrypted. Unfortunately, I had to bite the bullet and go down and personally discuss this matter with Ethan.” I didn’t specifically tell her not to if something weird was going on with the IP address and that was on me.
“I don’t know how comfortable I am about involving somebody I don’t know.” If things worked out, I might have to consider using him to find out who sent the letter attached to the scorpion’s claw.
“I know we have been intimate with each other, but going with you to your home seems like a risk. I don’t get anything resembling a bad feeling about you. It could be what we did together is clouding my judgment.” I could easily reach out and touch her inappropriately.
I was determined to keep her as far away from me as possible. Being thrown together was asking for trouble. Keeping things platonic was the best way to prevent things from getting complicated. It wasn’t easy with the intense heat between us.
I weaved through the back roads with my hands instinctively knowing where the hairpin turns were. The knobby tires and the four-wheel drive made short work of the sloppy conditions. There was no snow in the city, but at this altitude, accumulation was more than possible. The change in temperature was dramatic and whatever rain had soaked the city streets can turn into ice fairly quickly.
“I don’t even know how you can see what you’re doing. I have to close my eyes and hope we don’t end up flying off the side of the cliff.” My place was off the beaten track away from the prying eyes of others.
“I should’ve considered this before issuing the invitation to join me at my place. I actually find driving during inclement weather to be soothing. It forces you to be alert, and I have the good sense to be driving in something known for its safety.” I loved the outdoors and found comfort in the sounds of nature. This was the first real storm of the year.
“I’m probably going to need a stiff one when we get there.” I smiled and then I felt her punching me in the arm. “I don’t mean that kind of stiff one. I know what you’re thinking and it’s written on your face. For a man who prides himself on keeping secrets, I can see through you like a cheap suit.” I handled the adverse conditions like a seasoned pro.
There were moments where I found myself sliding and I took my foot off the gas without panicking. I turned the steering wheel calmly shifting into a lower gear to find the traction on the side of the road. I kept my eye on the rear-view mirror. There was a pair of headlights that had been there from the moment I had left the city.
I sped up and slowed down finding the vehicle keeping pace with me. She had no idea we had a tail and there was no way I was going to take her to my place without losing him first. It was a good thing I knew the area like the back of my hand. There were several different makeshift roads. Nobody really knew they were there without personal knowledge.
“I’m going to need you to hold onto something. Make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened. This might be a bumpy ride.” I turned the corner and then veered off the road heading for a copse of trees which essentially was able to hide us from the road.
“I thought we were going to crash. My life flashed before my eyes.” I turned off the engine with the lights extinguished long enough to hear the vehicle passing without slowing down.
From the angle of the turn, the snow bank would hide the tracks from oncoming cars. I got out and quickly moved through the trees using my glove to shield my face from the falling snow from the branches. I got to the road and could see his tail lights a few yards ahead. He had stopped and was attempting to turn around.
I raced back and jumped into the driver’s seat with my gloved hands holding onto the steering wheel. I was on an old logging road which was going to take us right along the path to the back side of my property.
“Don’t you think you might be a little paranoid?” It was only paranoid if somebody wasn’t out to get me.
“It’s not unreasonable to take precautions when we don’t know who we can trust.” It could’ve been innocent, but I had two good reasons to think otherwise.
There was no way for whoever was tailing me to find the road in the pitch-black conditions. With the snow coming down it would be virtually impossible to find the road which was barely two tire tracks. I felt a little bit more secure. Taking evasive action was necessary to keep them from finding their way to my doorstep. Not even Mason had any idea of where I resided. I liked my privacy and I had made too many enemies in my past to think they wouldn’t come after me one day.
“I still think you went overboard, but I bow to your expertise in this matter.” Gail was white knuckling the dashboard and breathing heavily like she was in labor.
I began whistling making her believe there was nothing to worry about. It was a tactic I had used when soldiers were at their wit’s end. Soldiers never knew when provisions and reinforcements were going to show up.
Her breathing evened out and she smiled despite the fact that we were in the middle of nowhere without a compass. I knew exactly where I was going and how best to navigate the snowy terrain.
“I made a mistake by bringing you up here, but we can’t go back. This weather will pass quickly. It always does. I have a generator and a wood stove.” Her leather jacket with fur lining around the top was open.
The heat did nothing to keep her nipples from being on high beams. They were poking quite noticeably through her sweater makin
g my lips desperate to have a taste of them. I remembered last night vividly and could bring to mind her naked body by taking off each individual item she had on. It was an easy exercise when I had already seen her unencumbered by clothes.
“Are you undressing me with your eyes?” She seemed perturbed and I shrugged my shoulders to give no definitive answer to her query. “I can’t believe you can think about sex at a time like this.” She pulled her jacket closed and zipped it up to her neck.
“It won’t help and I can picture you naked anytime I want. You forget, I did orally please you and I know your body like a blind man does Braille.” I was dangerously close to getting on her last nerve by poking fun at her.
“I can do the same thing.” She stared at my crotch trying to make me feel like she was picturing me without my pants and failing miserably.
Her attention awakened one piece of my anatomy that had been lying dormant all this time. It rose from the ashes of my previous orgasm to stretch to its full potential down the left side of my leg. She gasped and turned away as if she was disgusted by my behavior.
“You may not know this, but it sometimes has a mind of its own. I can’t be held responsible for how it reacts when in close quarters with you.” I flexed the bulge a few times to make my pants rise and fall.
“Do you really have to do that?” I cocked my head to the side with indifference.
“I don’t have to, but it’s fun to see your eyes grow big as saucers.” I laughed with no regard for her feelings.
It was a callous thing to do, but it was all part of the dance we were trying to learn the steps to. I felt it was necessary to keep her on her guard. She could despise me, but her instincts would be awakened to keep her alert to anything out of the ordinary.
Chapter Eleven
Gail
I was warming my feet and hands by the fire with a cup of warm brandy clutched between my fingers. I couldn’t get rid of the shiver running down my spine and through my lower extremities.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to take a shower before we begin. There’s certainly room for two if you wanted to join me.” I gave him a dirty look and he smiled like he was expecting it.
“I’m going to sit here at the fire you made with your bare hands. It’s a good thing you are good for something. Don’t take long or you might find me sleeping soundly. I have the tendency to sleep through a hurricane.” He was taking off his shirt in front of me with no shame.
“Go ahead and close your eyes for a few minutes to catch your breath. I have an interesting way of waking you up without using my hands.” I slapped my knees together mimicking a chastity belt closing shut any possibility of getting physical.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but I know the hidden meaning behind your words. This is highly unorthodox. I can tell you’re excited to be with me. Keep it in your pants where it belongs, mister.” I had the files in a tangible format of papers littering the floor.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” I heard his zipper and I darted my eyes around without turning in my chair.
“If you are expecting me to turn around then you’re going to be waiting a very long time.” From my vantage point, I could see the notations I had made on some of the papers.
“You know you want to look. What possible harm could come from a little show and tell?” I knew exactly what would happen and how close I was to jumping into his arms for a repeat performance of last night.
“Stop screwing around and this is more important than your classless attempt to get into my pants. I don’t have any intention of doing anything with you besides work.” That damn wedding ring was keeping me from throwing good sense out of the window.
“I’m only kidding. This is my way of trying to get you to relax.” My whole body was like a live wire ready to go off at the slightest provocation.
“I’m as relaxed as I’m going to be under the circumstances. Don’t even think about taking advantage of me. I always sleep with one eye open.” I waited until I heard his footsteps going up the stairs.
The wood stove was a throwback to a different era and I could see the flames licking between the slats in the metal door. It was pure black with a pipe jutting out of the roof.
The furniture was customary for a cabin of this variety. There was even a moose head on the wall and a shotgun hanging below it. I got up and walked around to see the sparse kitchen with very little cutlery. There was not even a knife block. He had one pot and pan and a couple of utensils. This screamed a bachelor pad, but it also made me see him as a recluse.
I heard the shower running with one lone occupant and I looked up to see the steam coming out from underneath the door. The temptation to scrub those hard to reach places for him was prevalent in my mind.
“I know you’re probably sneaking around down there, but try to show some respect for my privacy. I know how hard it is for you when you have seen me naked. It might seem I have very little, but I have what I need and not what I want. I live a minimalist lifestyle. I do have a few luxuries. The jeep was a no-brainer. The snowmobile and the all-terrain vehicle in the shed are perfect for the environment.” I could hear his voice in a higher register to make sure I could hear every single word he was saying.
“A man only needs a few things to survive. Food and water are at the top of that list. You could probably live without female companionship, but you would most likely wither away and die. Don’t you think being out here in the middle of nowhere is hurting your chances to find a relationship?” I let the question linger in the air and I went through his fridge to find the basics.
He had several condiments, a package of expired hamburger, and the date on the milk made me hesitant to even open it up. There was no telling what I was going to find in his freezer. There was a medley of freeze fried family entrees. I had a feeling he hadn’t seen a good home cooked meal in quite some time. His only saving grace was he had the good sense to go with a brand name. Hungry man dinners had everything for a growing boy.
“It would take a unique kind of woman to handle my mood swings. Take what you go through at a certain time of the month and multiply it by a hundred.” I had heard of the condition post-traumatic stress disorder, but I had never seen it for myself.
“A woman would have to be out of her damn mind to live here with you. They would take one look at this place and automatically label you as some kind of anarchist.” There was a small lake beyond the deck connected to the kitchen. It was covered with snow, but I could make out some wildlife foraging for food.
“You would be surprised at how their curiosity can get the best of them.” I felt a little out of my element and there was not even a trace of a feminine touch.
“Spare me the details of your carnal trysts.” There was a spare bathroom downstairs with a sink and a toilet.
I went through his medicine cabinet and found various pills with names I couldn’t pronounce. I did recognize one for being a very powerful painkiller. He must’ve received a prescription for the injury to his knee. The bottle hadn’t even been cracked open.
“If it makes you feel any better nobody can hold a candle to you. I know you’re trying to peel back the layers to see if there’s a bleeding-heart underneath. I can assure you I bleed nothing but red, white, and blue. My patriotism is not on trial.” It wasn’t fair to judge him by the brief look I had behind the curtain of the man.
“I mean no offense and I was only trying to break the awkward silence. I have the bad habit of saying what is on my mind without a filter. I learned a long time ago the only way to know what somebody is thinking is by asking.” I walked up the stairs and made my way quietly down the hall past the bathroom.
I found his master bedroom with a king size bed and a rolled-up cot by the window. The place was immaculate and he really did take pride in his place of residence. There was a multitude of different photographs with people smiling in uniform.
I got a little clos
er and found myself staring at Colby’s face. It was a big coincidence for him to know my brother. Was it possible he knew more about me than he was saying? Colby was surrounded by his comrades in arms and one very familiar face standing behind him. Chase had two fingers over Colby’s head mimicking the devil or maybe bunny ears.
The names of those soldiers were written embossed in gold underneath their photos. My brother’s nickname was Cold Cock and his best friend was a man he referred to as Preacher. The name corresponding to that nickname was Chase.
I saw this red light streaming through the window situated over my breast. I was frozen like my feet were caught in quicksand. I was going to die and there was a sense of calm that came over me. I was ready to join my brother.
Chapter Twelve
Chase
I had to act quickly. It didn’t even occur to me that I was completely naked tackling her to the ground. The bullet shattered the mirror over my dresser. I shielded her body by lying on top of her to prevent any of the shards from cutting her needlessly.
She looked like she was in a state of shock. I had to physically drag her from the room. I barely had the door closed when another bullet went right through the door and into the wall across the hall.
Gail was lying on the floor physically unable to comprehend what was going on around her. It was my job to keep her safe. I had walked her right into the lion’s den.
“Gail, I need you to wake up and get a hold of yourself.” I finally was able to get her on her feet, but she was still dazed and confused.
“What… happened?” She was blinking after coming out of a fugue state.
I gathered my clothes lying on the bathroom floor and with lightning speed put them on.
“I’m as much in the dark as you are.” It couldn’t have been a coincidence and the person following us must have already known where our final destination was going to be.
