Andreas steers the rental vehicle expertly. He’s been here once before, but his sense of direction is uncanny. “I lived here when I was young,” he answers my unasked question.
Small talk isn’t something I’m good at, but I’m trying. “How old were you when you headed farther west?”
His eyes quickly glance in the rearview and then back to the road. I’m sure he’s startled that I actually asked him a question unrelated to working for me. “Around twelve,” he answers. “My dad would let me drive back here. There weren’t as many metal warehouses then, and it didn’t get much traffic so Dad made me feel much older than I actually was. Those were the days.”
I never had days like that. Victor kept a close eye on me the first few years. After I gained his trust, things changed, but he wasn’t the type of man to take me driving. One of his guards taught me when Victor thought I was ready. The guard wasn’t happy about it because I was a scary ass teenager.
We arrive at Moon’s warehouse a few minutes later. I step from the car without waiting for Andreas to open my door. I lean in to shut the door and a bullet wizzes past my head, taking Andreas in the shoulder. We both duck low behind the vehicle trying to figure out where the shot came from. The warehouse door opens and Gomez peers out with a gun in his hand.
“Stay inside,” I yell. He’s shooting from high up.
Gomez barks commands to his men and I check on Andreas. “Are you going to live?” I ask. It would really suck to hire a new right hand.
“It’s only a scratch. It went through. A Band-Aid and I’ll be fine.”
It’s a little worse than he’s letting on because there’s a good amount of blood dripping down his arm and collecting in a pool beneath him. My cell chirps and I pull it out and read Moon’s message.
Will cover you. Get your ass in here.
“We’re making a run for the building. You up for that?”
Pain pinches his features. “Nothing wrong with my legs. Tell me when.”
A volley of shots rings out and I jerk Andreas to his feet using his good arm. “Run,” I tell him as I peer around the car to see if Moon draws fire and I can pinpoint this douche. For once Andreas doesn’t lip my command and takes off running for the door. It’s bright and hot as fuck, but I still see a flash in a shadowed window across the street to the left of Moon’s building.
I shout out the location. Doesn’t mean there isn’t more than one shooter but I wait for Moon’s men to open fire in that direction before I make a run for the door. I charge into the waiting darkness. Not pitch black but shadowed.
Andreas is in the corner with a man examining his shoulder. It’s his left arm, so he’s still capable of defending himself with his dominant hand. “Will the cops show up?” I ask Moon when he steps slightly away from the wall.
“They might. Attacking during the day was stupid, so I have no doubt it’s Fernandez. My question is what the hell is he thinking?”
“He’s desperate. Our men are looking for him everywhere and he’s tired of hiding.”
Moon’s phone rings and he answers the call. “Stay put and head into the safe room if you need to.” Moon ends the call and looks at me with fury in his eyes. “The man I wanted from Fernandez just tried to get up to the escort office. He’s trapped in the elevator. This means Fernandez is working with him and they’re going after Melina too. She’s safe,” he says before I explode. “I have men on the building all the time and there’s a safe room for them. I also have men circling the back of the other building across from us. We’ll be out of here in ten minutes and pick up the women.”
It’s another few minutes before Gomez’s radio chirps. “Clear, the shooter’s gone.” Gomez runs out and across the parking lot to the other building before Moon can stop him. We wait until he returns. “Fucker’s long gone,” he states no happier than me or Moon.
“Check on Celina at the house. We’ll head to the service first and get Madison and Melina home.”
Gomez calls Celina and from what I can hear, it sounds like there’s been no trouble. “See you in an hour, baby,” Gomez says. It just sounds wrong coming from his lips, though. Maybe a good woman takes part of the animal out of us. Melina’s done something to me and I can’t begin to decipher what the hell it is.
Heat literally blasts from the pavement when we leave the building. While being shot at, I hadn’t noticed. Moon has a doctor on the way to repair Andreas’ shoulder. He’s not happy I’m leaving him behind but our plans are to get the women to Moon’s house and then bring the man trapped in the elevator back here.
“He’s armed,” a man tells Moon when we reach the building. “He’s taken a few shots at the control panel, which won’t get him anywhere.”
Moon runs his fingers through his short hair. “Threaten to toss a flash bang inside. He knows he’s a dead man, so he won’t want to come out without a fight. If that doesn’t work, toss the damn thing in. I don’t need his eardrums to get the information I want.” Moon’s control is better than mine. I want to tear this guy apart with my hands right now.
Moon leads me to a closet around the corner. He unlocks the door and there’s an elevator behind it. “This leads straight to Madison’s office. She’s waiting there for us.”
We take the elevator up and find Mak leaning against her desk with a handgun at her side. I glance to the left and see Melina in a nearly identical pose. Mak moves into Moon’s arms and I walk toward Melina.
“Hi,” she says shyly with a slight blush.
I don’t return the greeting because I pull her into my arms and smash my lips to hers. Not the most elegant welcome, but I fucking need her mouth. If we don’t get Fernandez today, she’s coming back with me anyway. I’m not waiting another day to fuck her and I’ll be damned if I’m doing it quietly.
She tastes incredible. I slip her skirt up the back of her ass and pull her against my growing erection. Funny, until now I never felt horny until I had a belt in my hand. Melina just needs to look at me and I’m hard as iron. “Did you miss me?” I breathe against her lips when I’m finally willing to release her mouth.
“I did. I don’t appreciate the box, though. You should have waited until we could look through it together.”
As far as chastisement goes, this isn’t a bad one. “I wanted you to have a chance to run,” I tell her truthfully. I knew I couldn’t let her go and I’d hunt her down and eventually have her anyway, but I had to give her a chance.
“Silly man.” She kisses the side of my neck. “I’m not running. I don’t plan to be a stay at home wife, though. I’m learning to defend myself and I’m improving my shooting score every day. I can now shoot your ass at twenty-five yards if you piss me off.”
I smile. “I’ll try to remember that.” What I’ll never forget is the look in her eyes. This amazing woman will be part of my life and I know I don’t deserve her.
“Gomez says we need to get out now,” Moon says from behind us. “They’re going to flash bang the elevator. It will cause a commotion and we need to be gone before it happens.”
The four of us squeeze into the small elevator and descend to the parking garage, where Mak’s driver waits. He lays rubber and gets us away before we even lock in our seatbelts. The drive to the house is uneventful. Moon receives word that the man in the elevator is in bad shape, but he’s alive. My palms itch to get my hands on him. I’m sure Gomez feels the same way.
The driver heads straight to the front door of Moon’s home and several more men join him to create a wall of men between the women and the house as we hustle Mak and Melina inside. Gomez’s woman is waiting impatiently and throws her arms around Melina when we’re through the door. Funny that she knows to stay away from her man and let him work. Hopefully Melina has taken notes.
Mak is in full cop mode with her gun still in her hand. Melina put her gun in her waist holster after we got in the car. I approve. She’s been in this life long enough to know sometimes you need to handle shit yourself.
&nbs
p; “The house is on lockdown and we need to get to the warehouse,” Moon tells me.
Melina’s eyes well but I pinch her hip above her skirt. “None of that,” I whisper. “You’re returning with me. I’m done with this bullshit. My home is as secure as this one. Pack your things and be ready. Worst case scenario, I’ll spend the night here.”
She exhales slowly and gives me a quick kiss before I turn and walk away. I like that she doesn’t cling. When it’s time to work, she understands the score.
It’s nearly impossible to stay still on our ride to the warehouse. My fingers itch for blood.
The man’s hands are tied to a hook in the wet room at the back of the warehouse. I swear Moon’s eyes practically glow when he sees him. For someone who always appears calm and in perfect control, this is the closest I’ve come to see Moon lose it. His fist connects with the man’s nose and blood flies. Moon removes a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes his hand and face after the hit.
“Do me a favor and take as long as possible to talk. I will enjoy every second you’re still alive.”
The man spits blood but Moon’s backed off and doesn’t take a hit. His smile would send chills down anyone’s spine. “Alex, he’s yours. I’d like to pull the trigger, so go carefully. I want to know where Fernandez is hiding and how many men he has.”
Gomez steps forward shirtless. I’ve seen him work before. He has a way with non-words like no one else I’ve seen. The man is the psychopath to my sociopath. As much as I want blood, it’s a pleasure to watch Gomez do his thing with glove covered fists. Moon and I stand by as he starts striking the man in his chest and gut. Gomez checks him periodically by lifting his head by his hair. He mouths the questions directly into his face because of the blood coming from his ears. “Give me a location, Ramos, and a bullet will be your reward.”
I give Ramos credit, he holds out for an hour. I started worrying his crunched ribs would be a problem, but Gomez knows exactly what he’s doing. Ramos finally gives information in a blubbering voice that’s hard to understand.
Fernandez has two men and he’s moving constantly. He promised Ramos Moon’s territory if he helped. Fernandez is having trouble finding men who will go up against Moon or me. He’s pretty much on his own.
I like the odds.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Melina
Waiting is the hardest part. I spend a lot of time thinking about these last months. About my life before Austin. I hated school, but it was a way to get out from under my brother’s thumb and I was willing to do anything—even sit in a classroom learning a subject I detest.
I would go back to school and learn for Austin, though. If he plans to marry me, he loves me. I think he just doesn’t understand love. I’ll spend the rest of our lives teaching him.
It’s almost midnight when we hear a commotion at the front door. The men are home and the muscles in my stomach unclench.
Moon sports a bloody white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. Gomez is pristine in a three piece suit looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world, and my man looks sexy as hell in jeans and a black T-shirt. Mak raises her eyebrows at her husband. He pulls her into his arms. “One down,” he says softly, but I hear it and hope it’s my brother.
“You’re sexy when you kill someone who needs it,” Mak replies. I still can’t get over that she was a cop. I guess loving a bad man changes you. It’s changed me. I turn to my bad man and I want nothing more than to sink to my knees and worship him. I feel slightly dizzy at the thought. Hell, I’ve never gone down on a man and here I am thinking about it in a room full of people. Poor Austin will need to teach me what he likes.
He hooks an arm around my neck and pulls me close. “Whatever you’re thinking, save it for later,” he whispers.
My face flames and I laugh self-consciously. “How did you know?”
He glances down at my breasts and back up. “Your nipples went as hard as my cock.” He jerks me against the heat between his legs. Yes, he’s hard. I swear I would take the belt for him right now. How can he do this to me so quickly? We still haven’t discussed the yellow shower he gave me when I was unconscious. I need to understand what makes him tick. I need answers on why he killed his mother and her boyfriend. Most of all I need to know he loves me and I need to hear it in words. I don’t know if I’ll be happy with two out of three. I want it all.
“Are you sneaking in the window or taking her up to her room now?” Gomez asks Austin, and my face flames even more.
I screech in an unladylike manner when Austin scoops me up, cradling me in his arms, and heads to the stairs without answering Gomez. What the hell has come over this man? He strides to the room after I tell him which one it is. There was an extra door—a linen closet that threw him off, and we almost had sex in a closet. I don’t think either of us would mind. After we reach the actual bedroom, he lifts me higher in his arms, slowly releases my legs, and I slide down the front of his body. The hot burn in his eyes makes me catch my breath.
“Strip,” he says and steps back.
I watch him as I unbutton the blouse I’m wearing, my fingers fumbling in anticipation. The soft pink bra is all that remains on my top half less than a minute later. I slowly slide the zipper down my skirt and let it fall to the Spanish tile floor. Austin’s eyes go darker than I ever remember seeing them.
“All of it,” he breathes harshly. He’s amazingly sexy with his hands clenched at his side and an expression that melts me into the floor.
I unsnap my bra and let it drop while watching his face the entire time. I shimmy out of the thin scrap of matching material Cori referred to as panties.
“Turn around. I need to see how you’ve healed.”
My ink. I’m actually proud of it. I turn slowly and display my back. He steps closer and I feel the heat coming off his body. His finger slowly trails down the design and goosebumps break out across my skin. “You painted my life,” I whisper.
“Only the parts that make you strong,” he says huskily in my ear. He leans over and kisses between my shoulder blades, placing his hands on my waist. He pulls me back against his chest and rubs his jeans-clad cock against my ass.
His hand snakes under my arm and covers my breast positioned over the skeletal arm and hand. “Mine,” he whispers in my ear as his other hand finds my ass and covers the ink there as well.
I am his. I don’t know why or how it happened but the longer I’ve been away from him, the more I’ve needed him and the more I knew he was perfect for me.
“Please fuck me,” I whisper back.
He turns me around suddenly and lifts me again. I’m tossed on the bed a second later and I giggle. That is until he slowly removes his belt from the loops of his jeans and my heartrate increases. “Not now or here,” he says with a wicked smile and removes his clothes.
The temperature in the room rises. “Not ever,” I reply half-heartedly because the thought of the belt actually excites me. I’m seriously screwed up but that makes two of us.
“We’ll see,” he laughs huskily. “Lean back and open your legs.” His lips form a hard line as he waits for me to comply. I finally do as he asks even though it makes me uncomfortable to be open this way. He jerks my legs forward so they hang over the bed and uses his legs to spread them wider. “Grab the pillow at the top of the bed if you need to scream.” The fire flares to life in his eyes again and I’m burning in their flame.
I’m so damn wet I’m surprised there isn’t a puddle beneath me. His fingers move under my ass and he abruptly lifts me higher. Looking into my eyes, the tip of his cock slides an inch inside me. Slow, so fucking slow. He glides out and I moan until he slides back in. A minute later, I know his game. He’s giving me just a bit of his cock and driving me crazy. “Fuck me,” I beg and he only laughs.
“When I’m ready.” His eyes hold promise and determination to drive me wild first.
I inhale deeply and try to relax enough to enjoy what he’s doing. The muscles of his ja
w clench tight when he pulls out. His arms flex when he pulls my pussy closer. I could watch him all day and never grow tired of this sight. On the other hand, I might die of unfulfilled gratification if he takes any longer. He moves one hand from my ass and grabs his cock. He slides his hard, hot length up and down my folds, increasing my need. I’m on fire and want him buried deep inside. His finger moves low and rubs my asshole. My eyes open wide and I almost object. The look he gives stops me.
“Someday, but not tonight,” he groans roughly and I know any thought that terrifies me, excites him. This is how it will always be with us. “I promise it will hurt when we do it.” He’s figured me out. Why does the thought of pain turn me on so fucking much? I want him to hurt me. I crave it. “You ready?” he asks with new light in his eyes.
“Yes,” I breathe, unable to say more.
His cock rams deep inside and I cry out while trying to grab the pillow. Austin laughs, withdraws, and then drives back in. I have no choice but to cover my face and bite into the pillow’s softness. He lifts my right leg so my foot plants on his upper chest and moves my ass a little farther off the bed to gain leverage. He’s so fucking deep I can’t control the orgasm that rips through me sooner than I want.
“It’s not over, Melina, hold on.” He continues ramming inside me and the need builds again. It’s almost painful and also the most incredible exhilaration I’ve experienced. Need centers where our bodies join and tentacles of fire find a path to my nipples. I ache everywhere and pure animal desire consumes me.
There’s no way he’s leaving me here in Arizona after this. I need a daily dose of Austin. Hell, hourly would work. My groin tightens and the steady contracting of muscles begins again as I’m thrown into another orgasm, this one wilder than the last.
“Fuck,” he yells when he comes. Every inch of my body burns. Every nerve ending is on heightened alert at his touch. He collapses on top of me for a few seconds before rolling off and pulling me tightly into his arms. His rough fingers glide across my skin while our breathing slows.
Combust (A Hotter Than Hell Novel Book 6) Page 16
