by A. C. Bextor
“Ah,” Viktor answers, lifting his head and smiling. “I see.”
“Give me that and we’ve got a deal.”
What about Casey, Aimes? Don’t fucking stop.
“And I want to see the girl you mentioned before,” Aimes adds, to my further relief.
“The young one,” Viktor replies.
Aimes doesn’t answer verbally, but nods.
“She’s resting and I’m not waking her on the off-chance you may or may not wish to take her, too.” Viktor’s protective tone sears my blood. Without him having to say it, I hear the doubt he has in handing Casey over to Aimes. Or anyone else, for that matter.
“We’ll need to finish this tomorrow then,” Aimes confirms. “But I want to see her.” He stands and closes his jacket in the front before extending his arm.
Viktor takes his hands and I watch them shake. “I’ll be in touch.”
Just like that, Viktor’s sold a young woman to a man he doesn’t even know.
Helping these women, my fucking ass. This is a business, a way to make a fuck-load of money, and there’s no one who could convince me otherwise.
Aimes pushes in his chair and walks to the door. Before he’s through it, he stops and turns to me. This time, he’s not smiling or winking. His jaw ticks, so I look away and aim my focus to Viktor, who’s staring at Aimes with question.
Turning his entire body around, Aimes looks directly at Viktor with this threat. “Don’t fuck with me, Mr. Koslov. Do not underestimate me, either.” He waits for Viktor to say something in response, and when he doesn’t, he finishes, “I’ll show myself out.”
After Aimes offers his parting shot, he walks through the door without bothering to close it behind him. Viktor looks amused as I stand to shut the door.
“Think he’ll find his way out of here by himself?” I ask with feigned concern.
I know why Aimes chose to split so fast. He’s not leaving. He saw and was told how vacant this place is. He’s scouring for information, checking the layout carefully before departing.
“Dextor Ahrens is a smart man,” Viktor counsels in answer. “I thought he was dead for many years. He’s well-known among men such as myself. Nearly famous.”
“You know Dextor Ahrens personally?” I ask with confusion.
“Until today, I’ve never met him. He’s known as a bit of a recluse now. The rumors were so that he’d committed suicide after losing his daughter. Someone he once stole a great deal from had her shot and killed in revenge. I’ll admit I hadn’t expected him to be so young. I looked into him, though.”
No, you didn’t.
“His people are very loyal and he comes highly recommended. We share a lot of the same interests.”
Before I can pull it back, I answer his ridiculous statement. “Selling women isn’t an interest.”
“It is if you’re doing it for a living. It’s an interest one had better be well vested in.”
“I’m not here to learn from you. I’m here to find out what you know about my sister.” And to get to Casey.
Sitting back in his chair, he pins me with a look of certainty. “And you’re so willing to sell your soul to get it.”
“If it means killing the one who hurt her, then yes.”
“Tangled webs, Max. Ignorance transformed to truth is a carefully mastered and delicately woven string that people grasp hold of tightly. When the truth isn’t what we wish to hear, it changes us. You’ll never be able to forget it once you have what you’ve spent so long in search of.”
“I’m doing as you’ve asked,” I answer, ignoring his even more ridiculous claim. “When you tell me who’s to blame, you and I are done. I’ll handle the rest.”
“As I’m sure you will,” he replies, sitting up and turning the monitor to his computer back on. “I’ve got work to do. See if you can find Anna on your way out. Tell her I need her in here.”
I don’t answer as I make my way to the door and outside his office. There’s nothing more to say. Witnessing a transaction, so polished and practiced, is enough to tell me the man sitting behind the desk has no soul to ever try and find.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It isn’t until I’m almost home when I look at the clock on the dash of my truck and note it’s nearly one in the morning. The time inside Viktor’s office went quickly. My heart and mind are still reeling from watching as that young woman was dragged into that office and put on display for Aimes to review before he accepted Viktor’s terms of agreement.
Part of me is thankful that for now, she’s safe, and it was Aimes who was the one to make the offer for purchase. The other part worries about what’s been done to her since she’s arrived there. And where the fuck did she come from? Viktor was tight-lipped when explaining, so I don’t know how she came to be at Creed and at this point, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter how I feel about what’s happened; it only matters that we move quickly to ensure no further damage has been done.
My phone buzzes on the passenger seat and I grab it quickly, nearly dropping it as I see who’s calling.
It’s Aimes.
“What the fuck?” he barks into the phone. “What the fuck!” he repeats louder, so loud I pull the phone away from my ear to avoid his anger. Without giving me a chance to answer his question or statement, he continues. “That was… What the fuck!”
“Aimes,” I reply, hoping to rein in his temper and get his attention.
“Jesus Fucking Christ. I wasn’t ready. Brayden tried to tell me about this fuckin’ place, Max. That motherfucker is a loon. One hundred thousand dollars? What the fuck!”
“She looked scared,” I add, still not reacting to his tirade. If I do, we’ll both end up going nowhere, and one of us needs a clear head. “She wasn’t physically hurt as bad as she could’ve been. Some bruising, but if we get her out of there, she’ll be okay.”
“How the fuck are you not surprised by any of this shit? Christ, it was all I could do not to turn and kill that sick, pompous fucker where his smug ass was sitting.”
Slowing the car at a stoplight, I look around outside my truck. With my paranoia seeping in and my mind racing with scenarios, I’m honest with Aimes. “I was surprised,” I confirm. “I was. I had no fuckin’ clue who she was.”
“You sure? ‘Cause you took that meeting in stride,” his smart mouth sets off.
“I’ve been in there. I’ve seen how these people operate, Aimes.”
“Christ,” he hisses. “I forget you used to be one of ‘em.”
I narrow my eyes, angered at his words. “Fuck you, brother. I was never…”
“Fuck, sorry. That came out wrong.”
“Check it, Aimes. Pull it back. Bury whatever emotion you have in this shit.”
“And fuck if this isn’t some shit.” He sighs after a collective timeout.
“You can’t let anything in that place penetrate for long. It’s surface, man. We’re working with what we have. Stay focused.”
I’m almost certain I’ve put him in his place until his voice raises again. “What the fuck!”
“I know.”
“You can’t leave her now. You’ve gotta stay there.”
“Club’s gone,” I remind him. “Most of them, anyway. I’m on my way home now. I’ll grab some shit and go back if you think that’ll do any good.”
“I do. This is it, Max. Tonight was a declaration of war, whether Koslov knows it or not.”
“Dextor Ahrens?” I ask, still shocked at Aimes and his role play.
“Long story,” he returns. “But one I hope I get to share after we’re done with Creed.”
“You’ve gotta watch your back. Viktor doesn’t seem the type to play games. He said he knows Ahrens.”
Aimes laughs one time. “He thinks he does. He doesn’t have a clue. I had help pullin’ the name out of the ‘bad dead people’ hat. The man’s been dead for an age.”
“Anna,” I say clearly into the line, though as I say it, I’m unsure why.
“Anna,” he repeats quietly. “I talked to her before I made my way in. She’s not gonna end up as collateral damage in this.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means she’s as good as Casey. And it means we’re getting her out, too.”
Knowing Anna, even as little as I do, I’m sensing she handled Aimes with the same care she handles Casey, Ci, and me, only Aimes isn’t used to a woman with such a soft touch. “What the fuck did she say to you?”
“She didn’t have to say anything,” he tells me. “I know you’ve seen a lot of shit in your life with those fucked-up and bullshit MCs, but I’ve seen shit in my line of work, too. And she’s coming out with us.”
“You’ve got a plan?” I ask, ready and willing to listen.
He releases another single laugh. It’s not real, but he’s finally calming down and sounding more like himself. “Fuck yeah, we got a plan. So you gotta be ready when it goes into play.”
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“Nope,” he affirms. “Better you don’t know. You spend too much time in your head. Figure if you don’t know what’s happening before it does, you’re less likely to fuck anything up before I have my shot.”
Charming.
“How will I know it’s time?”
“Max,” he says quietly, I hear the smile in his voice; it’s disturbing. “Have you ever known a time when I’ve done shit on the down low?”
“Fuck.”
“Exactly. I told you once we were gonna blow shit up. That’s exactly what we’re gonna do. That whole fucking sinister, bullshit, goddamn place is going down in flames.”
“Okay, Aimes,” I concede, trying to keep him calm but already knowing he’s too far gone. “How much help do you have?”
“A fuck of a lot. I’ve got favors pulled in from everywhere. Some are already familiar with Creed, so they’re more than willing to wade in. They hear about this shit with your buddy Viktor and holy to hell water, brother, blood will run. Add little Casey to this shit? The motivation and determination increases tenfold.”
I think of the women, Cilas, and even Charlie. I’d hate to see them end up as ‘collateral damage,’ as Aimes referred. “I know you’re good, brother. But be careful. Not everyone in there is bad people.”
“Crazy fucks,” he utters. “When’s the Creed criminal get-along gang waltzing back into town?”
“Don’t know. While they’re gone, it would be good time for you to do whatever you’re doin’, though.”
“You trust me, Max?” The tone he asks this in is serious, and I hesitate to answer.
“I’ve got no reason not to trust you. I need them to get out safe.”
“They will be,” he assures with confidence. “Go home, make love to your woman, and stay low. I’ll be in touch.”
“Will do.”
“So fucked,” he utters before the line goes dead.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When I walk into the apartment, the first thing I notice is that it’s been cleaned again. All evidence of dinner earlier is gone and the smell of Em’s candles still lingers in the air. The room is dark, but I don’t turn on the light to avoid startling her. She wasn’t expecting me back or they’d have been on and she’d have been waiting up.
It’s now I realize how little credit I’ve actually given her for being strong.
My life hasn’t ever been simple. Even back then, all those years ago while knowing me, Emma’s held fast to my complicated existence. She’s adhered herself to it and for the most part hasn’t complained about my needed absence.
I’ve given her very little to go on in regards to the plan for Casey, and not only because I’m not privy to it. I’ve tried to keep her shielded, although it’s motivated by selfishness. Keeping Emma strong, using her as a pillar through this, has in turn kept me the same.
She’s truly one of the best people I’ve ever known.
This realization continues as I head toward our open bedroom door. The light from outside silhouettes her small body wrapped in our blankets. The shirt I wore earlier tonight lies by her side, near my pillow.
Removing my boots first, then clothes, I pull back the blankets and as gently as I can, I lay my body on top of hers. Her legs adjust, circling my waist as her hands make their way to my back. Her eyes open and she smiles.
“You’re home,” she says, her voice broken from sleep.
“I love you, Emilyn,” I tell her with absolute sincerity as I thrust my hips, feeling the soft skin of her thigh graze my cock and bring it to full attention.
I’ll never have enough of her.
Her hands shift from my back to frame my face. Her lips touch mine briefly before she pulls back and rests her head back down on the pillow.
She stares carefully, curiously, and I wonder what she’s thinking before she voices, “I hated that you left.”
“I know, baby,” I answer, gently kissing her neck. She allows this and places her hands on my shoulders. “I’m here now.”
Finding my chest, her fingers smooth over my piercings and her touch forces me to thrust again. The material of her thong is the only barrier left between us. Once I’ve situated myself so as not to crush her, I use my finger to move it to the side then enter her slowly. My eyes close, enjoying the feeling of her warmth taking me in.
As I continue pushing in and pulling out of her, I move my hands to her wrists and pin them over her head, holding her still beneath me. The smell of her skin, the sounds of her soft moans, and the sight of her body moving under mine hold me captive in the moment, precariously close to already losing myself inside of her completely.
“I love you, Em,” I tell her again, but this time on a lost breath. “Do you feel what you are to me?” I ask on the next.
Her legs wrap around my waist as her hips work in sync with mine. “Tell me what you feel,” I demand when she says nothing in return. “Tell me, Em,” I insist again, listening to the hitch in her breath as she tries to deny her own release.
“Max, I…”
Before she can say the words, my mouth slams against hers. Her body shakes as I keep moving, and I feel her grasping me from inside. I feel her greedily pulsing around my cock, coaxing me into letting go inside of her before I thought I wanted to.
Her voice, whispering words of promise in my ear as I spend my release, pushes me further, extending my pleasure. Em’s nails dig deeper into the skin of my back and shoulders as she succumbs to her own climax, matching my fevered breaths one after another.
“Fuck,” I hiss right before slowing.
The sweat from our bodies has created a slick barrier between us and before I stop moving, I hear her again, this time loud and clear. “I’ve always loved you.”
“I missed out on so much,” I admit, carefully settling my forehead on hers.
Aimes’ words of confirmation, that he has a plan and was moving forward, turn in my head. If something happens to me, I want Em to know how I truly feel.
“No more than I’ve missed.”
Without hesitation and with complete honesty, I admit, “You bring me peace.”
With the same honesty, her words pierce my chest. “You bring me hope.”
“I’m trying,” I reply, closing my eyes and taking in what I was too greedy to before.
Pulling me from the moment, Em drops her legs from my waist and starts to reposition, signaling me to move. Sliding out of her, I resume my place on top of her, resting my head on her chest and looking to the side.
“I need to tell you something,” she admits. I hear her voice come through her chest. It’s laced with nervousness.
“What’s that?”
“I got a call tonight. I was expecting it to be you. I answered without looking.” Her fingers sift through my hair before she bends to kiss the soft crown of it.
“And?”
“It was Hoss Lattimore.”
My pulse quickening with the anger which fires it, I sit up and brace my arms
on either side of her face. Looking down on her without worrying she may hate my demand, I force her to answer. “Tell me.”
“He wanted me to know Casey was okay.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you call me the moment you hung up from him?”
Her body tenses and her face scrunches with annoyance. “I didn’t want to upset you.”
“Upset me?” I ask, trying to keep my voice low but failing. “What the fuck, Em? What else did he fuckin’ say?”
“He wants me to come visit Casey,” she answers, then further explains, “He said she’s upset.”
“He’s not even with her!” I spit out. “He’s out on some fuckin’ bullshit ride with his boys from Creed!”
“I didn’t know…”
Lifting myself off the bed and making a move to stand, Em grabs my arm to stop me but I abruptly pull it back. “And of course she’s fucking upset. She’s alone, scared, and fuck all if we know what’s happening to her.”
“Max…” She breathes her fear through my name.
I don’t guard her from the truth. I just admitted to myself I had been doing that so far, but for her sake and for Casey’s, I can’t do it anymore. Hoss is changing the fucking game mid-turn. Fuck that, and fuck him.
Standing straight, I give in to my fury and pointedly, ensuring she understands, tell her, “You’re not goin’ there, Em. You’re not.”
“Hoss sounded sincere,” she argues quietly.
Putting my hand to my forehead, I look down before craning my neck to glare at her on the bed. “Jesus Christ in Heaven, of course he did!”
“What?”
“You aren’t dumb, Emilyn.”
She’s angry; I hear it in her next question. “Why would he call me if she wasn’t okay?”
“You’re shittin’ me,” I tell her calmly. “Tell me you didn’t fuckin’ make arrangements to go there.”
“I…”
Now, I’m enraged and don’t let her answer. “You did not set a time to meet,” I tell her, rather than question. “’Cause you’re not gonna make that meet if it means I gotta tie your ass to this bed.”
