by Nowlan,Anya
The inside was pretty bare, just two tables filled with papers and tools and a couple of chairs. Stone started to look around, running his hands over the walls and searching for potential hiding places.
Something about the space seemed odd. Glancing down, he figured out what looked out of place.
Who would bother putting a carpet here?
Selina followed his gaze with her eyes, catching on.
“You want to rip it up?” she asked eagerly, making Stone chuckle.
If you can have fun while trespassing and doing property damage with her, she’s a keeper.
He grabbed two box cutters from the nearby table and they went to work. Stripping away the ratty green covering, they uncovered the floor along with the little hatches built into it. They started prying them open, one by one, and were greeted by a wholly different kind of green.
Selina clamped a hand over her mouth, looking at him with wide, excited eyes. Stone grinned.
This was it.
Now, they had a fighting chance.
Twenty-Nine
Selina
They both grabbed garbage bags from the corner and piled them full of money. There had to be at least five hundred thousand dollars there in small denomination bills. They didn’t waste any time getting the bags to the car and driving back into town.
The whole time, Selina thought her heart was going to beat right out of her chest.
This is madness, she thought.
Selina still couldn’t believe they had actually pulled it off. Even Stone was grinning from ear to ear. It took them about an hour to get to the apartment. The clock showed well after midnight when they finally arrived, hauling the bags full of money up the stairs only to be met by an angry Kate when they opened the door.
“Where have you been? I thought you were both dead. You didn’t even call,” she accused, holding an icepack in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.
Richard was still tied to the chair, facing a wall with music blaring into his ears. Selina almost felt sorry for him, but then thought better of it. He’d earned his fate.
“We got it. We found the place and then Parker showed up and stashed a bunch of money there!” Selina explained excitedly.
“You got the money?” she asked, looking at Stone with some surprise.
“You could act a little less surprised. I’m starting to think you didn’t have a lot of faith in us,” Stone smirked.
“All the faith in the world,” Kate mumbled, eyes still glued to the bags.
Their current victory aside, they still had to let Parker’s boss know they took his money right from under Parker’s nose. All their chips were riding on the assumption the mysterious man would be angry enough at Parker to not care when Stone killed him.
Killed him.
They all knew that was the end goal here, yet no one had said it out loud. Seeing as Kate and Stone were both assassins, Selina assumed it was because of her that the topic was being avoided.
Selina tried to feel bad about being part of a plan that ended in someone’s death, but she couldn’t really muster up anything resembling guilt or hesitance. Parker was a ruthless, savage man who had no regard for human life. That was evident enough in the slaughter she had witnessed at Kate’s villa.
No, Selina had made peace with the fact Parker had to die. The only thing she was concerned with was that Stone remain unharmed in the process.
“How are you doing with your contacts, can anyone get us a meeting with Parker’s boss?” Stone asked, grabbing two beers from the fridge and handing one to Selina.
“No one is really jumping at the chance to talk to me right now, and those who do pick up my calls claim to know nothing,” Kate answered, her brow furrowing.
“Wait a minute!” Selina exclaimed, abandoning her drink untouched and running to the bedroom to rummage around in her pants pockets.
She returned to the living room holding Tom’s phone, still in its Faraday bag. Kate’s eyes widened.
“This could definitely help me along,” she murmured, nodding appreciatively.
Kate took the phone and retreated to her bedroom, looking like she had forgotten Selina and Stone even existed.
With Kate nowhere to be seen after a while, Selina and Stone decided to get some rest, as well. It had been a long day, and they weren’t out of the woods just yet. Besides, cuddling up against Stone was something that Selina was sure she would not get tired of. She took every chance she got to indulge in it.
Luckily, she felt much better today than the day before, so the risk of throwing up in his lap was minimal.
“I want to be there when we manage to get the meeting,” Selina said, as Stone slid into bed next to her, clad only in boxers.
She could feel him tense beside her.
“Selina, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Have I not been an excellent partner in crime so far?” she countered, pushing herself up on her elbows and staring into his emerald eyes.
“Yes, but…”
“What if I promise to be extra special careful?” she bargained.
Selina knew she would probably not be of much help if something went wrong, but sitting around with her hands in her lap as Stone risked his life for her yet again wasn’t an option.
The dim light cast shadows on his hard, handsome features. She had to restrain herself from tracing the lines of his face, lest it lessen her bargaining position.
“There’s nothing you can say or promise that will make me not worry about your safety,” Stone murmured, kissing her forehead.
“Maybe there’s something I can do instead?” Selina offered cheekily, pulling herself upward to nibble on his lower lip.
Why not combine business with pleasure, right?
Stone growled softly, making excitement pool in her belly. If they did get a meeting tomorrow and everything went sideways and this happened to be their last night on earth, she was going to make it one to remember.
She slid on top of Stone, their bodies pressing together, and planted soft kisses along his jawline. Stone’s hands cupped her ass, squeezing and massaging. Selina pulled away just as he was leaning into a kiss, wearing a devilish grin.
She sat up to straddle him, enjoying how Stone’s eyes grew hazy with desire. The grumble in his throat grew louder as he licked his lips. She slid down the straps of the nightgown she’d found while searching through the cabinets in the room with deliberate slowness, tugging at it to expose the hard peaks of her nipples.
Stone was thoroughly entranced. She could feel his cock grow between her thighs and she started to softly rock back and forth, grinding on top of it.
Stone pulled her back down, claiming her mouth in a sizzling kiss. There was an urgency to it that Selina thoroughly enjoyed. They broke apart only for the second that it took them to remove their underwear, her panties already soaking wet.
Why did I keep them on to begin with? She wondered absently.
She lowered herself onto his thick cock, savoring the way it filled and stretched her, a sensation so intense it bordered on pain.
Stone groaned, gripping her hips as she started to move on top of him, her body knowing exactly what to do. Stone’s hands roamed over every part of her body that he could reach, stopping to spend extra time teasing her nipples in between his fingertips.
The way he pinched and pulled had her whining with need. He grinned in response and she felt her cheeks flush red.
Tease, she thought feverishly.
“You’re cruel,” she complained as Stone hiked himself up slightly to suck one of her nipples into his mouth.
He grumbled something that sounded like a ‘no’, but she was in no state to check. Selina kept rubbing herself against his thick, hard, veiny cock, spreading her juices all over him and relieving some of the pressure inside of her in the process.
She could have stayed there forever, almost, rocking back and forth, feeling him stutter for breath as she rolled her hips in a way tha
t put pressure on the top of his cock.
Selina’s head fell back as the tension inside her grew. His hands moved back to her hips, lifting her up only to pull her back down, slamming deep into her hot core. He fit easier now, but it was still a bit of a struggle each time. A struggle she thoroughly enjoyed.
“Finally!” he hissed, as if he’d been waiting for the moment forever.
Truth be told, time seemed to stand deliciously still when Selina was in Stone’s arms, so she couldn’t blame him for the sentiment.
Selina could only whimper, overwhelmed as his cock touched spots in her that she’d never expected to find. He made her blossom around her and her pussy fit him perfectly, as if she’d always been waiting for him and only him. She used her knees as leverage and picked up the pace, losing more and more control each time Stone raised his hips to thrust into her.
“Yes, please,” she practically purred, her voice breathy.
The growl she received in response told her all she needed to know. He was as far gone as she was.
The cold, the dirt, the mud and the endless waiting on the ground seemed to be a distant memory. All there was left was Stone and the way his hard, unyielding body felt against hers as he claimed her and filled her with each deliciously painful, long stroke.
Her eyes rolled back in her head and she gurgled a moan as her whole body seemed to throb, the rhythm their bodies took now seeming more like breathing than anything else because it came so naturally.
“Oh fuck, Selina,” he growled, the low murmur of his voice rattling through her and seeming to gather in her pussy.
Leaning forward, her mouth covered his. Stone lifted his thighs and bucked his hips, pounding into her relentlessly and splitting her open for him until she unraveled in ecstasy. She clenched around him, and it wasn’t long until his roar of pleasure echoed through the room.
She felt him fill her with his seed and Selina licked across her lips, completely spent. The endless shudders of her orgasm seemed to trek through her even as Stone softly enveloped her in his arms and made her lay down on top of his chest, his cock still sometimes twitching inside of her and making her whimper. It was heaven captured in a moment and she never wanted to let go of it.
If tomorrow is it, then at least we went out with a bang, Selina thought, falling on top of Stone in pure, post orgasmic bliss.
Thirty
Stone
Stone padded into the kitchen area, lost in thought. Everything had to go just right, no missteps. Everyone’s safety depended on it. Kate was already at the table, a cup of coffee in her hands.
It was hard to focus on the problems at hand when he had the most beautiful woman curled up under the covers in the other room, though.
“You know, I really do miss the villa,” Kate said in way of a greeting, looking at her cup of instant coffee like it was a personal insult that she had to drink it instead of the fancy espressos she was used to. “At least there my bedroom was far enough from the guest one so I didn’t have to hear you two go at it all night long,” she commented, yawning at Stone to really drive the point home.
He didn’t even try to hide the grin that spread over his cheeks. Hell if he was going to feel sheepish about showing his mate a good time.
He heard a rustle from behind him and turned to see Selina standing awkwardly in the doorway, clutching the frame with one hand.
“Oops,” she muttered, cheeks turning red.
“We may all be dead soon enough, nothing wrong with having a little fun,” Stone remarked, unapologetic.
Selina was his and he wasn’t going to let embarrassment stop him from showing her affection. Kate would just have to deal.
“Any luck with the phone?” Selina asked, obviously trying to redirect the conversation, her cheeks still that sweet color of scarlet.
Kate stood to grab another icepack from the freezer, something that seemed to have become second nature to the resilient little woman.
Glad she’s on my side, Stone mused for what had to be the umpteenth time.
“As a matter of fact, yes. I used all the favors I had left to cross off the numbers belonging to Crimson Claws’ flunkies. That left me with only one contact. I drove to the other side of town while you were still asleep and used a payphone to call the number.”
“I said I had something the boss would be very interested in. The man on the line said if I called back later tonight, they were willing to set something up.”
“Did you tell him who you were?” Selina queried.
“Of course not. We can’t let word get to Parker that we’re up to something,” Kate scoffed.
“Could anyone have spotted you at the payphone? The bounty on my head had to have expanded to you by now,” Stone asked, calculating the risks.
There were too many things that could go wrong. He felt like he’d been playing catch-up the entire time and he didn’t like it one bit.
I don’t remember work being this messy before… But then again, I don’t usually have to care about anyone’s well-being when I’m on the job.
His gaze went to Selina and then Kate. Both women he was responsible for, who he had to keep safe. The parameters for this mission were completely different from what he was accustomed to.
“I can’t be sure, but I was careful,” Kate answered.
Stone knew it was the best any one of them could do at the moment. With who knows how many greedy scumbags out there looking for them, showing their faces was inherently dangerous. It was a risk they had to take.
Stone was glad they actually had a real shot of meeting the Crimson Claws’ boss, but he wasn’t keen on Selina’s insistence on being involved. If he had his way, she would be somewhere far away from the action and ready to board a plane to Acapulco if something went wrong.
She’d look great in a bikini.
Concentrate.
He knew that wasn’t the kind of woman Selina was to stay away from something where she could be of help. He had to admire that about her, even if it annoyed the hell out of him at times.
Richard suddenly piped up from his chair, speaking louder than necessary due to the music blaring in his ears.
“I know you guys are up to something and I’d like to help,” he yelled at the wall.
It would have been a downright comical sight if it weren’t also so sad. If Richard was to be believed, he only wanted to keep Kate safe. Now he was strapped to a chair, unable to help anyone. If the man loved Kate even half as much as Stone loved Selina, the helplessness he must have been feeling had to be overwhelming.
The gravity of what his thoughts betrayed hit Stone like a ton of bricks as Selina sauntered across the floor and curled up on his lap, her arms around his neck.
I love her.
Selina considered him with a slight smile. Her dark eyes were kind and innocent, no hint of bitterness or anger despite all she had been through in such a short time.
What’s not to love?
“What are you grinning at?” Selina asked, tousling his hair and pulling him out of his thoughts.
He hadn’t even realized he had a goofy smile plastered on his face.
“Nothing. Just in a good mood, I guess,” he replied.
Stone had already scared her once when he blurted out that she was his mate, his fated. He would wait for a more suitable time to express his feelings for her. More drama was the last thing they needed today. The Crimson Claws provided plenty of it without their help.
“Weirdo,” Selina mumbled, giving him a suspicious look.
“Hello?” Richard continued loudly.
Kate rolled her eyes at the man.
“Do you want to hear what the traitor has to say?” she asked.
“It wouldn’t hurt to hear him out,” Stone suggested with newfound pity, feeling a sense of odd camaraderie with the man.
“His kidnapping was one of the nicest I’ve been involved with,” Selina shrugged. “No threats of violence or anything. And I’ve had plenty of material to comp
are it with recently.”
Selina sat in her own seat as Stone stood and gently deposited her from his lap. He pulled Richard’s chair away from the wall and up to the table. The earbuds and blindfold were removed before Stone sat back down, considering the man quietly.
Richard blinked, his eyes not yet used to the lights.
“Whatever you’re planning, I want to help. I need to help. I know it won’t make up for what I’ve done, but I have to at least try,” he said.
“It’s not like we couldn’t use help…” Selina commented.
“I have absolutely no reason to double-cross you. I just want Kate to be safe and I know better now than to try and reason with a madman,” Richard continued, meeting their gazes one by one.
Stone was inclined to believe him, but ultimately it was Kate’s decision. She was the one whose trust had been betrayed. Whose crew had been killed because of Richard’s lovesick choices.
“I’ll think about it,” Kate responded, getting up from her seat to put Richard’s earbuds back in.
Judging by her tone and the way she shoved the buds in a little too hard, Stone concluded she was most definitely not going to think about it.
A screech of tires from outside the apartment caught Stone’s attention. Curious, he rushed to the window, just in time to see a blue Audi pull up to the curb.
It can’t be.
Stone’s suspicions were immediately confirmed when Parker stepped out of the car, three other shifters in tow.
“What is it?” Selina asked, walking beside him and tugging at the curtains.
She gasped when she saw the men outside, looking up at the building and talking amongst themselves. Stone’s lion roared to life, ready to protect his mate. Ready to rip Parker to shreds if he so much as looked at Selina the wrong way.
If Parker thinks he’s here for Selina, he’s dead wrong.
