by Bella Juarez
The guy was sickening. Reese Thompson was as healthy as a human being could possibly be and had a spotless record and numerous decorations. He was the perfect Marine. He was married…it was then something caught Marco’s attention. Victoria, his wife. Margret, his first wife. Maybe the guy wasn’t so perfect after all. Marco made a note of the record and continued looking for more possibilities.
* * * *
Victoria couldn’t seem to shake being tired all the time. Reese’s mom had come from Philadelphia while he was gone to Korea for eight days. When he returned, his mom informed him that Victoria wasn’t eating because she couldn’t seem to shake the nausea either. The only thing she was managing to hold down was a couple of soups that his mom had made. Lucia was worried about her and was telling him what had gone on while he was away when Victoria appeared in the kitchen.
“God, Reese! I feel like I’m turning into Maggie!” Victoria lamented when Reese asked her how she felt.
“Oh, no! Dolce, you couldn’t be Maggie if you tried…” Lucia said, shaking her head.
“Ain’t that the truth!” Reese agreed as he held Victoria.
“I’m just so miserable all the time,” Victoria said.
“It will pass, Dolce,” his mom said.
Reese drove his mom to the airport and got back home as quickly as he could. Lucia had made enough soup to feed an army and left it all in the freezer. If that’s what keeps Victoria going then great, she can have soup for the next seven months. When he got home, she was passed out on the couch. He felt terrible because he had really pushed her into having kids and now she was suffering so badly. He sat down on the floor next to her and watched her sleep. Her eyes fluttered opened.
“I knew you were here,” Victoria said.
“Yeah? Did you hear me come in?” Reese asked.
“No, I just knew,” Victoria said. Reese kissed her again and rubbed her back. “Can we go back to Texas for a long weekend? I talked to my grandpa today and I really want to go down for a visit before I’m too far along,” she said.
“Of course we can! When do you want to go? I need to ask for leave,” Reese said.
“I don’t care. Let me know when you can go and I’ll schedule my workload accordingly,” Victoria said.
After watching a movie, they went upstairs to turn in. Victoria lay down and yawned. Reese pulled her close and held her, and he closed his eyes. It feels so good to be home. She kissed him deeply, and he winced slightly because he could feel his cock respond to her fingers running up and down his back. Her bone-melting kisses were causing him a lot of distress. He wanted her so bad because it had been such a long time. He didn’t want to bother her because she had been feeling so miserable lately.
“Sweetness…” Reese whispered against her skin as he moved his hands lower and squeezed her ass.
“Oh, Reese, it’s been so long,” Victoria said as she pressed up against him.
“Baby, are you sure you want to do this?” Reese asked, moving away slightly.
Victoria reached down and felt Reese’s stiff dick. “I know you do…” she said seductively.
Reese growled as he started taking off her clothes. He could feel her urgent hands tear at his clothes as well. He made his way down her torso and started licking and kissing her. He paid extra attention to Victoria’s belly. He could feel her flinch every now and then when he would reach for her breasts. He looked up, concerned.
“They’re just a little tender right now,’ Victoria said
Reese took Victoria’s hands and placed them on her breasts, figuring she’d know how to touch herself and how far she could go. Meanwhile, he went back to work on the rest of her body. He remembered something he hadn’t done in a while and how much she seemed to like it when he did it. He sat back on his knees and gently flipped her over onto her belly and started massaging her lower back. He licked and kissed her back and the moans he heard were music to his ears. He had rediscovered something that he knew wouldn’t hurt and, by the sounds he was hearing, felt pretty damn good. He reached down and felt in between her legs. Victoria’s pussy was soaked.
“Do you want me, sweetness?” Reese asked as he buried a finger inside her cunt.
“Yes!” Victoria panted.
“I want you, too.” Reese whispered against her skin.
Reese was so horny and he knew if he tried to fuck Victoria, it would be over with way too soon. He flipped her onto her back and worked his way down to her pussy and started feasting. He slowly licked her clit and felt her fingernails dig into his shoulders. He sank two fingers inside. She was so close and his cock was so hard. He stopped and planted himself on top of her. Reese slid forward and buried his cock inside and felt Victoria clamp down instantly.
As Reese felt Victoria’s pussy clench him, he could feel himself start climaxing as well. Reese pulled out and pushed back in again. She wrapped her legs and arms around him as she shook with her orgasm. He started fucking her faster and harder. Her slick pussy was heaven and a decadent treat he had missed. He pulled her close and ground his cock deep inside her. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned at the relief he felt. He lowered himself onto her and kissed her. Reese could feel Victoria unwrap herself from him.
“I’m sorry, sweetness. I wanted you so bad. I couldn’t wait,” Reese said.
“I couldn’t, either. I missed you,” Victoria whispered.
“Are you okay?”
“I feel better than I have in a long time.”
“Maybe that’s the cure for all of this,” Reese said as he kissed Victoria again.
“Isn’t that what got me here in the first place?” Victoria quipped.
Reese slid off Victoria and fell into a contented sleep. He woke to her throwing up in the bathroom in the middle of the night. He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom where she was running a washcloth under some water. She looked pale and exhausted. This is getting really rough.
“Sweetness, are you okay?” Reese asked.
“Did I wake you up?” Victoria asked hoarsely.
“It’s okay, baby,” Reese said, taking the washcloth and ringing it out. “Come on. Let’s go and lay down,” he said, leading her out of the bathroom.
They went a few feet when Victoria seemed to fold in half and collapse. Reese decided he wasn’t screwing around with this anymore. There was something other than just the pregnancy going on here. He lifted her up and carried her to bed. He called her doctor, who told him to get her to the hospital. She objected and fought him all the way. As he got in the truck and started to drive, he remembered a similar scene almost five years ago. Only in that particular instance, it was Reese doing the objecting. He thought about how Victoria would be dead before he knew what hit her. Maggie, on the other hand, would gladly take a trip to the hospital whenever she could get one. What a difference, huh?
When they got to the hospital, the staff was waiting for Victoria and took her back immediately. She insisted that he go with her. He waited with her as she napped on and off between bouts of nausea. He was rethinking this whole “having kids” thing. Unfortunately for her, it was too late. The doctor walked in and checked her over.
The doctor informed them that Victoria was dehydrated and he was starting her on fluids and keep her in the hospital for a good twenty-four hours. She looked scared and worried. The doctor had them moved to a more comfortable room and she settled into a peaceful sleep with something the doctor had ordered for her. He discovered that he could fold out a big chair that was in the room and get comfortable enough to sleep.
* * * *
“Damn it, Reese! You need to go home and get some rest!” Victoria demanded.
“I got some sleep. I’m fine. I don’t have to be back at work until Monday,” Reese said, settling back in his chair.
“Reese, I have to get out of here! I can’t stand it!” Victoria said, tossing the sheets back.
Reese said nothing as he stared at Victoria. She was agitated and felt like she had been locke
d in a cage. She turned and looked at her husband. She knew that look. He was about to call her on something he was seeing. His ability to read her when she didn’t even realize what was bothering her was scary sometimes.
“What?” Victoria demanded.
“You want to settle down and tell me what happened while I was gone?” Reese asked calmly.
“Nothing happened,” Victoria said.
“Okay,” Reese said as he picked up his bottle of water and took a drink as he continued staring at Victoria. “Then do you want to tell me why you want to go to Texas all of a sudden? We were there for Christmas, for two weeks, and that was four months ago.”
“I want to see my family before I get so far along that I can’t travel,” Victoria said, looking away. “And what makes you think anything has changed?” she snapped.
“There’s something you’re not telling me that’s got you really freaked out right and it’s starting to affect your health. And there’s only one thing that stresses you out like that. Family,” Reese said.
“Reese—” Victoria started.
“Start talking…” Reese said, cutting her off.
Victoria settled back into her bed and picked at the tape that was attached to the IV in her arm. Reese continued staring at her, waiting for her to talk. His demeanor left no doubt he wasn’t playing and wanted her to spill whatever she had going on with her.
“Victoria, I’m not screwing around. Start talking…” Reese said.
Victoria sighed heavily. She had indeed been on and off the phone with her family and Tammy, Anna’s best friend. Things had finally come to a head with Anna. She looked at Reese, who was still staring her down.
“It’s Anna,” Victoria said quietly.
Reese got up from his chair and sat at the edge of Victoria’s bed. He took her hands in his own and traced the ring on her finger.
“What happened?” Reese asked softly.
Anna had finally snapped. She had managed to get through all the press regarding Marc and the accident. At first it had been investigated as a murder for hire. Then it had been suspected that Marc had been the cause of the accident and the other man’s family sued Anna. Anna’s brothers, Jessie and Art, who were attorneys in San Antonio, had countersued and the lawsuit had gone on for a year. Jessie and Art had managed to win the suit and a very handsome settlement because the driver of the other vehicle was drunk at the time.
Anna suddenly disappeared a week after all the courtroom battles ended. Gavino had found Anna locked in Alyssa’s bedroom refusing to come out. It had taken everyone to get Anna out of the house in McAllen and move all the stuff in the house into storage. Anna’s brothers had gotten her to sign a power of attorney to them and put the house up for sale. Tammy and Anna’s family in San Antonio moved Anna out of McAllen and into Anna’s mother’s house. Anna was refusing any kind of counseling and refusing to talk to anyone. Anna stayed in her old bedroom at her mother’s house, staring at the wall.
Reese looked away. “I’m sorry, sweetness. We’ll get down there as soon as you get better, okay?”
“Okay.”
Reese gathered Victoria in his arms and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. “But you have to get better. You have more than yourself to think about right now. If you don’t keep up your strength and get so stressed out that you make yourself sick, you’ll hurt the baby. You’re not just affecting you anymore.”
* * * *
Nayyaf Bakri walked into the office of Crescent Environmental. His cousins had done well. He no longer had to wire them money to keep the business afloat because they were doing well for themselves as established businessmen.
“As-Salāmu `Alaykum,” Krazi greeted his cousin.
“I am proud to be here. I can tell you have done well for yourself,” Nayyaf said, smiling.
Krazi led his cousin to Omar’s office and shut the door. Omar was happy to see such a familiar face. The men chatted briefly about family and the success of the business. Bakri got down to business after the small talk. They had established full ties with Mara Veintidós, an organized crime cartel out of Panama. M-22 had ties to the United States with their controlling interests in the Mexican Mafia. They would be the conduit for getting their brothers into the country and establishing sleeper cells. Bakri had established a foothold for M-22 in Marco Lima, who was laundering the money being funneled into Crescent Environmental.
Bakri told Krazi and Omar that he was here to establish a foothold in the United States military. Greed had no limits in this country. Bakri’s contact, a high-ranking government official, had managed to recruit members of the military to spy and obtain critical information regarding movements of Special Operations troops in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. The price was high, and for now, Bakri could pay. He was redirecting US aid money to Pakistan for this operation. They had started to nail down the plans for a biological attack on this US military that no one would be able to control.
“So that’s the plan as I know it. Continue your efforts with gathering information on the military installations and I will keep you informed,” Bakri said.
“Cousin, I do not trust Lima. He is a little too reckless. He has informed us of a plan to blackmail some of the soldiers involved in the raid that proved damaging to us in Fallujah in order to recover a laptop that was lost during the raid. Surely the Americans have knowledge of the data on this machine? Why not let it lie?” Krazi asked.
“They don’t know everything. There were some hidden files that had plans for a large-scale cyber-attack. We will hit these devils several ways. Our US ally feels we need to recover that machine,” Bakri said.
“I am concerned Lima will be traced back here and we will be caught while we are trying to serve your purpose. If we are eliminated we will no longer be able to help you,” Krazi said.
“I will talk to Lima and our US ally and relay your concerns,” Bakri said.
* * * *
Victoria was furiously typing. Work gave her a sense of normalcy. All the trouble she was having with her pregnancy was gradually passing as she learned how to cope with her changing body. She looked over the plans lying on her desk and adjusted some of the calculations. This new engineer was an idiot. Marco Lima had been with the company for six months. She shook her head. How the hell did this guy ever graduate with an engineering degree? She would have to make a trip to Quantico this afternoon and redo some of his work.
Victoria packed up a few supplies in a small briefcase. As she opened the passenger-side door of her car, a piece of paper fell out. She picked it up and tossed it in the nearby trash. It was the parking permit from the airport. Victoria and Reese had just returned from San Antonio, Texas, and visiting Anna. That was the other reason she could more fully focus. Anna, it seemed, was doing much better.
Tammy had convinced Anna to go and get a civil service job at Lackland Air Force Base, which was near Anna’s mom’s house. The US Air Force was in the process of recruiting civilian computer system administrators. Anna’s original college degree had been in computer science. She had become a chef because she was bored with computers after college.
Victoria recalled her and Reese discussing Anna’s possibilities after visiting her one day. They had returned to the hotel and were searching for dinner along the River Walk.
“Is she qualified for a job like that?” Reese had asked Victoria after returning to the hotel room.
“Anna is qualified. Her original degree from Texas A&I in Kingsville is in computer science,” Victoria had said.
“How did she get to be a chef?” Reese had asked, puzzled as he changed for bed.
“Anna is probably one of the most brilliant people you’ll ever meet. She does things in her sleep that most people can’t do fully focused. She went to chef’s school while Marc was in law school in Austin. She was pissed off because Texas Instruments wouldn’t hire her for three weeks. The Cordon Bleu took her before Texas Instruments,” Victoria had said.
“Brilliant, huh
?” Reese had said with a laugh.
“I mean it. Her brother, Art, was on the chess club at the University of Texas at Austin and was ranked in the world at one time. Art taught Anna how to play chess and now refuses to play a game with her because she always beats him so bad. And she does it in the most humiliating way she can think of. She screws with him until she gets bored with the game and then ends it in like three moves! It pisses him off so bad! The temper tantrums he throws when she does that are awful,” Victoria had said, shaking her head.
Victoria was drawn out of her thoughts as she pulled up to the building at Quantico that was in dire need of renovation. She walked around and ran into some of the people Reese knew. She took a look around and instantly saw the mistake. She fixed the errors and got her information. As she turned to leave she heard a familiar voice.
“Victoria?” Frank asked.
“Hello, Frank. Excuse me,” Victoria said quickly, trying to make an exit.
“Wow! You really are having a baby, huh? What are you doing here?” Frank asked.
“I’m working. My company is doing the environmental impact study on this building for the renovations,” Victoria said.
“So what do you do for the company?” Frank asked.
“I’m an environmental engineer at the company. I was rechecking some information,” Victoria said.
“Yeah, that’s right. Reese told me that. How are you doing?” Frank asked.
Victoria wanted so badly to leave this man’s company. Her wish came true. Before she could answer Frank, her BlackBerry rang. She looked at the screen and saw Reese’s number. Thank God! Victoria cried silently.
“Excuse me, Frank, I’ve got to go,” Victoria said as she answered the call.
