The Price We Pay

by Alora Kate

  I twisted the knob and it was locked.

  A part of me was happy that the door was locked. It was the smartest thing they’ve done since this whole thing started. They didn’t know us or Randy.

  This whole situation was all kinds of fucked up, and I wished that it wasn’t taking so long to get to Carlos. The drugs were bad enough, but we knew he was also trafficking women and we needed to get that shutdown. That was our goal. It was too dangerous for an undercover female cop so we were trying to work our way into the trafficking through the drug channel.

  I dropped the bags by the door and turned to leave just to hear the door creak open.

  “Hey,” her sweet, sleepy voice said behind me making my body automatically turn to her. I watched her push the bags inside, then shut the door. She rubbed her eyes and walked towards me so I started moving my feet.

  “Thank you,” she said softly behind me and when I turned back around she had slipped into the bathroom.

  Guess she didn’t need the tampons after all.

  “Keylan said he took care of Mark and that we’re meeting up with his other two runners,” Jaxon informed me when I joined him on the couch with a beer in my hand.

  “Think it’s odd he’s only got three runners?” I asked before I took a swig of my beer.

  “Nothing that comes from that man’s mouth is the truth.”

  “Which is why we can’t get anywhere.”

  “We need more help,” Jaxon said sitting on the edge of the couch, pausing the movie.

  “Too risky,” I reminded him. It’s been discussed many times with our handlers and they won’t have it. We’re following the orders and instructions we were given.

  “We need more intel. Another way to get closer to Carlos and the whole operation.”

  I drank the rest of my beer at a loss for words and thoughts.

  No contact with our superiors was best and we’ve only checked in a few times in the last two years. This was the second time I’ve been undercover, and although I loved catching the bad guys and putting them away for life, saving lives and all of the above, I was exhausted. I was letting little things slip passed me, like not checking Marvey for a phone. I was overwhelmed and frustrated with this case. I needed a break.

  “Can I talk to you?”

  I was up and off the couch without hesitation at the sound of her voice. She led me outside and stood by one of the beams at the top of the steps and I stood opposite of her, leaning my shoulder on the beam.

  She searched the night sky and had a small smile on her face. “It’s nice to see the stars once in a while.” She was more relaxed and calmer than she was earlier.

  “I like it,” I said, admiring the sky. The stars shone brightly on nights like this when the clouds were few and far between. It was a beautiful night with no wind and it still felt like it was in the seventies. It was nice to see the world looking so simple and peaceful.

  “Thank you for protecting Sofia.”

  “Just doing my job.”

  “She’s all I’ve got and I’m not sure what I’d do without her.”

  I didn’t like that she had no one else but remembering what Laken said earlier it was all making sense. I still wanted answers, though.

  “No family?”

  “Foster kid,” she paused, “my whole life.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said honestly because I also had no family. I was raised in a good home with loving parents but they were taken from me early in life. A case I’ve never solved. I never knew my grandfather, and my grandmother passed away years ago leaving the house to me.

  She slowly turned her head and looked at me, which I in return, gave her my full attention.

  She cracked a small smile. “I believe you.”

  “How long have you known Sofia?”

  She turned so her back was resting on the beam and she faced me. “I know you want answers to your questions but I’m telling you, you won’t like them.”

  “Fine, I’ll back off for the night, let you get some rest.”

  “That’s surprising,” she said sarcastically and I swear to God she glanced down at my lips. “After how insistent you were today.”

  “I’m not lying when I said you ladies are caught up in a dangerous situation.”

  “Trust me, I know that now,” her smile fell away, “we all do.”

  “Is she doing any better?” I asked.

  “She knows that Kennedy is alive and will be okay but people shot at her. She was in shock most of the night and just wanted to talk to him. Randy found some Tequila and we got her drunk, otherwise, she’d still be awake pacing around the house.”

  “Glad we had Tequila.”

  “It’s gone now. We had one hell of a night but mostly just sat around getting to know each other. Bonding.” She chuckled and took a step towards me. She searched my face, my eyes in particular, and then said, “It’s good to know you’re not always an uptight asshole.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “But I am.”

  “Yeah, you are.” She closed the distance between us but wasn’t touching me. Her hands were in the pockets of her sweats and she tipped her head slightly to the side and smiled. “But not right now. Not here, standing on the porch talking to me under the stars.”

  Christ, was she asking me to kiss her? Because that’s all I heard her say.

  She was so close I could smell her soft perfume that still clung to her tanned skin. I don’t pay much attention to women, especially when I’m working, but there’s no way I could overlook her or her beauty. I was attracted to her from the moment I saw her, even when she wore that stupid yellow hat.

  She glanced down at my lips again and lingered there. I wanted to reach out to her, wrap her sweet body against mine, with her longs legs around my waist, but I couldn’t.

  “I should get back to bed,” she said covering a yawn and stepped away from me. “Have a good night, Latch.” I couldn’t be sure, but she sounded disappointed. I loved hearing my name on those plump lips of hers, soft and sincere, even though it wasn’t my real name. I watched her walk away, saying nothing. I was at a loss for words.

  Marvey

  I woke up with a slight headache, and the conversation I had with Latch last night was the first thing that slammed into my brain. I wasn’t drunk but I had a buzz, a buzz that made me think I could flirt! I flirted with him. Flirted with my kidnapper! Such a dumb idea. I should have gone back to bed! But no, not me. I had to go talk to him, try to flirt with him and make a complete fool out of myself.

  I mean, he didn’t even kiss me.

  He didn’t even try!

  Did I do it wrong? Is there such a thing as wrong flirting? I wasn’t going to throw myself at him, but I put myself right where I needed to be. His charming smile sucked me right in. I mean, there was barely any room between us!

  Stupid Marvey!

  The three of us showered and changed into the clothes that were bought for us. Surprisingly they fit, and they got us underwear. We all had black sweats and light blue t-shirts on. We had white t-shirts also but we decided we’d wear the same colors.

  “Great, now they know what our panties look like,” I said pulling my wet hair up into a messy ponytail.

  “Who cares,” Harper griped. She somehow whipped her wet hair into a nice, sleek ponytail. “At least you didn’t have an orgasm on the back of his motorcycle!” She was still upset about that.

  “It could happen to anyone,” I reminded her, trying to reassure her that it was okay.

  Last night the three of us girls and Randy bonded over Tequila. We all knew why we were at the house now and I felt like an idiot for not just explaining yesterday that it was a misunderstanding. Maybe Sofia and Kennedy would have been safe if I would have come clean. Maybe I would be home and in my bed this morning instead of here, out in the middle of nowhere. But then I wouldn’t have met Latch.

  Not that it meant anything.

  “It’s so embarrassing,” Harper cried again
at the same time Sofia came walking out of the bathroom. She was fully dressed and looked very uncomfortable wearing sweats. I never saw her in sweats. Or a t-shirt for that matter.

  “Still upset about the orgasm?” Sofia smirked. She woke up in a good mood and wasn’t going to cry today. She knew Kennedy was okay and was staying positive.

  “Don’t lie to yourself ladies,” she said going to the door. “You’d be embarrassed too.” She swung the door open and came face to face with Jaxon. She shifted her weight and blocked my view of him.

  Sofia sat next to me on the bed and whispered, “This should be good.”

  I smacked her leg, she shrugged a shoulder.

  “Morning,” Jaxon grumbled and we watched Harper stand even taller, arms crossed on her chest.

  “Jaxon,” she said firmly.

  “Sleep well?”

  “As well as I could, considering …” She sounded a bit harsh.

  He didn’t let her finish. “Thought after your ride yesterday that you’d sleep-”

  She put her arm out and shoved him out of her way. “Shut up,” she hissed and stormed off.

  Jaxon flashed us a grin. “Couldn’t help it.”

  I shook my head at him and he turned around, hopefully going after Harper.

  “Think they’ll have sex?” Sofia asked standing from the bed. She held her hand out to me and I grabbed it, standing next to her. “Duh.”

  I put my hands on her shoulders and got serious. “You okay?”

  “Kennedy’s fine,” she forced a smile, “I’m fine.”

  “I believe you.”

  She smiled.

  “A little bit,” I finished.

  “He was shot!”

  “I know, sweetie.” I pulled her into a hug.

  “I won’t cry Marv, not today. We’ll explain everything to Latch and Jaxon, they’ll let us go home and we’ll get back to normal.”

  “I hope it’s that easy but someone tried to kill you, Sofia.”

  “My dad will protect me.” She pulled away and straightened her shirt. “How do I look?”

  “You look comfortable.”

  She glanced down. “Surprisingly, they are.”

  “See, it’s not so bad.”

  “I have to go home and change prior to seeing my father and Kennedy though.”

  “God forbid,” I tossed my hands in the air, “you be comfortable or be who you want to be.”

  She glared at me and I felt bad for what I said. Her fiancé was just shot, and her life was in danger. She didn’t need my shit. “I’ll shut up now.”

  There was a knock at the door before she could answer. She spun around and I stood from the bed.

  “Come in,” she called and Latch appeared in the doorway.

  “Company’s coming.” He briefly flashed his eyes to me. No smile. Just a hard face with no emotion. He turned to leave and called behind him, “Breakfast is on the table.”

  “At least they’re feeding us,” Sofia muttered and walked out of the room.

  I was right, I made a complete fool of myself last night. He couldn’t even look at me.

  Whatever.

  It’s not like we would date, fall in love, and have the white picket fence with three kids and a dog kind of life. Or one kid and three dogs.

  I walked down the hallway and noticed dark square patches on the wall where pictures once hung. Randy said this was a safe house, but that it also belonged to Latch. Maybe he took all his pictures down to keep his personal life a secret.

  I heard chatter and a woman’s voice that didn’t belong to Sofia or Harper. I came around the corner and saw a short girl with long, dark hair talking to Latch and Jaxon. She had her back to me and wore a pair of jeans, tank top, and flip-flops.

  “Did you kidnap her also?” I asked leaning against the wall. What I said shut everyone up and they all turned towards me.

  “Marvey!” the girl squealed and came at me. “It’s Laken!” The way she said her name was like I was supposed to know who she was. “We were in a foster home together when we were kids.”

  “I’ve been in a lot of homes,” I informed her with very little emotion in my voice.

  “I know, you told me when you were only eight-years-old. I felt so bad when we lost contact after I was adopted. Our family moved out of town for a few years and I was young, but I wrote a few letters.”

  Laken. There was something familiar about that name but it still wasn’t ringing any bells.

  “I’ve blocked a lot of things out from my childhood.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice was full of concern and she tentatively touched my arm. “I wish you could have come with me.” She dropped her hand and looked behind her at Jaxon. “Jaxon and I ended up in the same home.” She turned back towards me and took a step back. “He’s my brother.”

  I tilted my head at her. “He’s also a kidnapper.”

  Her jaw dropped and she turned back around, with fists at her side.

  I grinned at Jaxon and he raised an eyebrow at me silently flipping me off. It only made my grin larger.

  “You did what!?”

  “It’s not what you think,” he ground out and then Latch took over.

  “We’re protecting these women.”

  “You kidnapped me!” I said pushing off the wall.

  “Latch!” Laken yelled.

  “Marvey, Sofia, Harper, and Laken,” he swung his arm out towards the couch, “sit.”

  Oh, the nerve! He said my name just to piss me off.

  “We aren’t dogs,” Laken said, not moving.

  At this point, a guy said something that came from the front door and everyone swung their head to him.

  “What the fuck is he doing here?” Latch yelled at Laken and she walked to the man and stood at his side, to defend him.

  “We pinky swore,” she told him matter-of-factly.

  “That wasn’t the deal, Laken. How many times do I have to repeat myself? This shit is out of control. You’ve put yourself, and him, in danger now. You’re all in fucking danger!”

  “Latch, man,” Jaxon gripped his shoulder, “chill.”

  “Fuck off.” He stormed outside passed Laken and her friend, and she walked over to Jaxon.

  “I’m sorry Jax, I didn’t think it was that serious.”

  “It is that serious. Just give him some time to cool off.”

  I felt bad, Latch was really pissed off and it was all my fault. It all started with me. It was time to tell him this was all just a silly mistake.

  “It’s my fault,” I confessed, not looking at anyone in particular. “I’ll go tell him what it is he needs to know.”

  He wasn’t on the porch, so I walked down the steps and around the house. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining bright with the perfect temperature. I wasn’t sure how much land Latch’s house sat on, but I could see far out and noticed a barn off to the right of the house and tree behind it. As I came around the back of the house I heard him grunting.

  “Dear God,” I muttered as soon as I saw him. He had taken his shirt off and was picking up a large tire and flipping it over. The tire was at least three times his size, but he flipped it over like it was nothing. There was a small patio on the back of the house but I leaned against the house to watch him flex his muscles as he continued to abuse that damn tire. I didn’t want to interrupt him. Not yet. He needed to get that shit out and be calm and collected by the time I told him what was going on because I knew it just might make him even more upset with me.

  Hopefully, he took the news well, but I was afraid since Sofia’s life was in danger that we’d be stuck out here. This situation wasn’t going to work out for me because I had three jobs to get back to tomorrow. I can’t afford to get fired.

  “Marvey.” His voice pulled me back to him and he was walking towards me. He ran his blue shirt over his face, wiping the sweat off and tucked it into his back pocket.

  “I’m ready to talk,” I said quietly trying to keep my eyes focused on h
is and not his delicious body.

  He said nothing, but walked towards the small patio and I followed. There were two wood chairs that looked like they were made from hand sitting next to a small wood table that matched.

  “These are nice.”

  “Made them,” he said staring off into the field.

  I sat down and ran my hand over the smooth arm of the chair. “You’re good with your hands.”

  He huffed, and I looked over at him. He was trying not to smile. I knew that wasn’t going to last long.

  “This whole thing has been a huge misunderstanding. I should have told you from the beginning but I had never been in that kind of a situation before.” He said nothing and I continued, “Regardless of what you think, I was kidnapped. I had a gun to my side and I really didn’t want to give you my friend’s name and have her at risk. Even though someone tried to kill her. But I think, and so does Sofia, Harper, and Randy that Sofia’s thing is a separate incident then whatever it is you think I’m involved with.”

  “You all discussed this over Tequila?”

  “Yes,” I said softly as my heart raced in my chest. “Sofia is my roommate, not my boss. She’s not a boss of anything. She’s about to graduate college and then she’s getting married.”

  “To Kennedy.”

  I nodded even though he still wasn’t looking at me. He leaned forward in his chair, elbows on his knees and he loosely held his hands together.

  “Sofia noticed you at the condo a few times and was worried you were a bad guy. She said you didn’t fit in with the kind of people who lived there. She asked me to keep an eye on you that day. It was silly really.”

  He slowly swung his head to me. His face and body were more relaxed and he just stared, so I kept talking.

  “We can see you from our window so I was watching you for a little bit, prior to you leaving. She never asked me to follow you, I did that on my own. It wasn’t planned, I wasn’t hired, and I had no clue what I was doing.” I shrugged a shoulder. “I know nothing about what’s going on with you and Jaxon. Randy wouldn’t say anything but Harper said she thinks it has to do with her, and some motorcycle guy she thinks killed her brother.”

  That got a reaction.