by Zoey Parker
“Oh? And what might that be? Some new complication that will require me to blindly hand over even more of my money?”
Well, that didn't sound good, for starters.
Bax frowned, trying to look confused. “I'm not sure why you would say something like that, but no. I heard from the Burmese militia members last night. They've released my father. He's finally coming home.”
“I'm so happy for you,” Benny replied in a steely voice.
Bax slowly allowed his expression to shift from confusion to irritation. “There's a tone in your voice that I'm having some trouble deciphering, Benny. Have I done something to upset you?”
“Several nights ago, my wife saw you sneaking out of Stef's bedroom.”
Shit.
Bax hoped Benny's cell phone would ring soon. He felt like it already should have happened, but he couldn't risk checking the time to be sure.
“Don't try to deny it,” Benny continued. “I should have been suspicious when you insisted on spending a few hours alone with her after your first date, but after the shoot-out with the bikers, I was too turned-around to think anything of it. You seemed like such a gentleman, a man of honor. And now my wife tells me she's heard Stef getting sick in the mornings. You've betrayed me and defiled my daughter, you lousy, filthy Judas.”
Bax's mind raced. It was bad enough that Benny had found out about them. But could Stef really be pregnant?
Of course she could, shithead, his mind answered. You didn't wear a condom, remember? You took Sex Ed in high school. You knew what could happen, and you went charging in anyway.
Please, God, let Benny's cell phone ring. Now. Right now. Please, please, please.
“Don Altamura...you're right,” Bax said, trying to sound humble and contrite. “I won't deny it. I've had an inappropriate relationship with Stefania behind your back, and your anger is entirely justified. But you must believe me when I tell you that this hasn't been some meaningless fling for me. I'm in love with your daughter, sir, and that's the truth. Now that this business with my father is over, I want to marry her. I want it more than I've ever wanted anything in my life. And if she is indeed with child, then I will dedicate my life to making sure that your grandchild is the happiest and most beloved kid in the entire world.”
Bax couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Benny's eyes soften, just a little. Before he could say anything else, Benny's phone chirped. He checked the caller ID, but Bax already knew what it would show him: “UNKNOWN CALLER.”
Benny answered, putting the phone to his ear. “Whoever you are, you're not supposed to have this number.”
He listened for a moment.
Then his eyes bulged in terror, and his jaw went slack.
“Yes,” Benny whispered hoarsely. “Yes, he's with me.” After another moment, he lowered the phone, staring at Bax. “They know you're here. They want me to put them on speakerphone. They...Jesus, they say they've got Stef.”
Bax allowed all the breath to leave his body, adopting the expression of someone who'd been punched in the chest. Inwardly, he celebrated. The call had come at just the right moment.
Benny hit the button on the phone, holding it out in front of him.
“Who is this?” Bax asked.
A high, reedy voice with a clipped Asian accent emanated from the phone. “This is Commander Letrong of the Kokang Independence Army, Mr. Lupo. Surely, you remember me from our discussions regarding your father.”
“What is this?” Bax demanded. “I paid your ransom, and you've released him. Our business is concluded.”
“Perhaps,” the voice admitted, sounding amused. “Perhaps it has. But once we became aware that Mr. Altamura was the one holding the abundant purse strings which secured your father's freedom, we decided that our business with him had just begun. So I have traveled to New Orleans with several of my officers, and now we have Altamura's daughter in our possession.”
“Bullshit,” Bax snapped. “I know how your organization operates, bluffing big and shaking people down with your terrorist tactics. I'm really supposed to believe that you dirty jungle bastards traveled over a thousand miles across the world just to grab some girl for ransom?”
Letrong laughed. “We have managed to fight back against the full force of the Burmese government and their military for over a decade without being captured or killed, Mr. Lupo, despite being dramatically outmanned and outgunned. Do you truly believe that it is beyond our capabilities to purchase a couple of airplane tickets to Louisiana?”
“Fine, then prove it. Put her on the phone.”
“Very well.”
There was a pause, and then Stef's voice came through the phone. She was sniffling and sobbing, and her voice was ragged with panic. “Dad? Leo? Can you hear me?”
Bax tried to look shocked and horrified, noting Benny's expression as he did. Benny's eyes were full of tears, and the muscles in his face sagged. His face was as white as his hair.
“No,” he whined. “Not my baby, please. Not my only child.”
“We're here, Stef.” Bax tried to put a heroic, take-charge edge in his voice. “Can you tell us where you are?”
“They...they have a blindfold on me, and...God, they've hurt me so bad...they keep hitting me, and they broke two of my fingers...they...they say if you don't pay them, they're gonna...do things to me...I'm so scared, I've never been so scared, please, get me out of here...”
Bravura performance, Bax thought. This girl's a natural. Maybe once this is all over, she'll make a good con artist. He felt a sudden burst of newfound pride and affection. She was beautiful, she was smitten with him, she was dynamite in the sack...but best of all, she was smart.
“We'll get you out of there, sweetheart,” Benny insisted. “I promise, whatever it takes, we won't let them hurt you anymore.”
Letrong spoke again. “The price is fifteen million American dollars. You will meet us in Metairie Cemetery tonight at ten o'clock, in the mausoleum marked with the name 'Fournier.' Only you and Mr. Lupo are invited, and you are both to come unarmed. If any of these instructions are not followed, the girl will be made to suffer a series of unspeakable violations before she dies. Do we understand each other?”
“Yes,” Bax said. “We understand. We'll be there.”
“I'd like to hear it from Mr. Altamura too, if you don't mind.”
“Of course.” Benny was weeping openly now. “Anything. Just please don't hurt my little girl.”
There was a click, and the line went dead.
“You're not going in there without me,” Silvio said immediately.
“Look, I know you're a tough guy,” Bax assured him. “No one's disputing that. But you heard what they said. If they see someone else with us, the deal is off. Letrong wasn't fooling around when he said his rebels have been fighting the army in Myanmar for years. These aren't a bunch of goombahs in silk shirts we're dealing with. They're hardened soldiers. They don't value life, not even their own.” He turned to Benny. “Can you get the cash together in time?”
“I suppose I can,” Benny replied in a small voice. “But after the fifteen thousand I've already paid...I'll have to use everything I've got. All my savings, all my businesses, all the money the crews who work for me have brought in, everything I own. My entire operation will be ruined. I'll have nothing left. Nothing.”
“We can't worry about that right now. The only thing that's important is making sure Stef is safe. After that, my family can keep yours afloat until the heroin shipments start coming in. With everything you've done for us, it's the least we can do.”
“I can set up a sniper rifle nearby,” Silvio said. “Fire at them from cover.”
“You're not listening,” said Bax. “These are jungle commandos we're up against, trained in guerrilla tactics from the time they can crawl. Whatever you can think of, believe me, they've already thought of it.” He addressed Benny again. “As long as we do what they say, everything should turn out fine. Just meet me outside the gates of the
Metairie Cemetery a few minutes before ten. Make sure you bring the full amount, because that's the first thing they'll check. I promise you, Benny...we'll get your daughter back.”
The look of pathetic gratitude on Benny's face was almost enough to make Bax feel sorry for him.
Almost.
Chapter 28
Bax
Bax gave the secret knock, and Stef let him into the warehouse, smiling. “How'd I do?”
“You were perfect.” He kissed her, ignoring the dirty looks from the bikers behind her. “Are you sure you never worked a con before? Because seriously, wow. I'm in on it, and you almost convinced me!”
She laughed. “Come in. Everyone's getting ready for the big finale.”
Bax followed her inside. Skull was in his black commando gear again, except the skull mask had been replaced with a balaclava. Bax leaned in to inspect Skull's face and saw that his skin had been painted an olive hue, and his eyes had been given a vague almond shape.
“Nice,” Bax commented. “As long as the mask stays on, it should fool Benny.”
“I wasn't exactly planning on whipping it off in the middle of the deal,” Skull grunted. Clearly, he was still angry. It didn't surprise Bax, but it still stung.
A few feet away, Harry worked on David's makeup. He'd fitted a convincing bald cap and added a long scar to David's face, and he was in the process of applying a short gray Fu Manchu mustache. David wore a camo ensemble.
“Not very subtle, is it?” Bax asked.
“A guy like Benny's probably only seen rebels from Southeast Asia in movies,” Harry pointed out. “We want to make sure he sees exactly what he expects to see.”
Bax addressed the room. “So, is everyone clear on the plan?”
“You and Benny get to the mausoleum at ten,” Skull said. “I frisk you both to make sure Benny's really unarmed, and then I inspect the money.”
“Meanwhile, I get to do the damsel-in-distress bit,” Stef chimed in.
“Then I pull a double-cross and say I won't release her after all.” David looked into a mirror, examining his makeup.
“At which point, I snatch Skull's gun away, take you both out, grab Stef, and tell Benny to make a run for it,” said Bax. “We split up. Ash and Panda fire off some blanks to spook him into running faster, and by the time he figures he's safe and tries to rendezvous with us, we'll be long gone.”
Tommy stood against the wall with his arms folded.
“You seem pretty quiet all of a sudden,” Bax commented. “No yelling about how the plan is fucked, I'm an asshole who can't be trusted, and you can't believe you're still involved?”
“I guess I ran out of things to say.”
Bax raised an eyebrow, then walked over to Harry and spoke to him quietly. “Do you have that other thing I asked about?”
Harry slipped him a pair of cufflinks. “It's the left one. I tested it, and it should work fine.”
“Good. Thanks.” He turned to Stef. “There's an office at the back of the warehouse, near the bathroom. Can I talk to you alone for a sec?”
Stef nodded, and they walked into the office.
Chapter 29
Stef
“You wouldn't happen to be pregnant, by any chance, would you?”
Stef's eyes widened. She'd taken the pregnancy test right after they'd made the call to her father, and it had been positive. In her head, she'd been rehearsing what to say to Bax for almost an hour, imagining every possible reaction from him and trying to decide how she'd respond to each one. For her, the most farfetched outcome seemed to be the one in which he'd react with joy.
But she certainly hadn't expected him to bring it up first, and now that he had, all of her planned discussions had run away from her. She felt like a rabbit in headlights.
“How did you know?”
“Your mother saw you sneak me out of the house. And Benny said they've heard you getting sick in the mornings. He gave me a pretty rough time about it.”
“So that's why they've been looking at me like that,” Stef sighed. “That makes sense. Okay. Is this the part where you tell me you can't deal with having a baby around, and you won't be taking me with you when this is over?”
Bax cradled her face in his hands tenderly. “This is the part where I tell you I'd never leave you behind to deal with the fallout after what we're about to do to Benny. It's the part where I tell you that we belong together, no matter what. And if there's a baby, well, we'll just have to make sure we do a better job raising him than our parents did with us.”
“Or her,” Stef whispered.
Bax grinned. “Or her.”
“I love you, Bax.” She felt warm tears spill down her cheeks.
He kissed her again. “I love you too.”
Stef clung to Bax like ivy embracing a wall, trying to find every nook and crease that would allow her to take root in him so they could become an inseparable whole. He held her tight and she felt strength and comfort in his arms, radiating from him, saturating every cell in her body with the unspoken promise of happiness and safety.
They both sank to the floor as one, their hands exploring each other's bodies eagerly. The carpeting in the office was cheap, ragged, and dusty, but Stef didn't care. She lowered herself onto her back and pulled Bax on top of her, spreading her legs so he could lie between them. He reached up to brush some strands of hair out of her face and then he was kissing her again, sucking on her tongue gently but insistently.
She ran her fingertips through his hair and caressed his neck, enjoying his hunger for her. Even through his trousers, she could feel his cock stiffen against her thigh. She reached down, kneading it slowly and relishing the way Bax's breath caught in his throat at her touch.
Bax hooked his fingers under the hem of Stef's dress, pulling it up over her head and tossing it aside. She arched her back and he reached behind her, unclasping her bra. A vent near the floor exhaled a hot, stale torrent of air, and as she felt it on her bare chest, her nipples hardened.
“Looks like we're both getting hard,” Bax said playfully.
He touched her breasts, and the faint tickle of his fingertips made Stef wet. As he fondled her nipples, she closed her eyes, moaning softly.
“I'm yours, Bax,” she sighed happily. “Every part of me belongs to you.”
“Damn right.”
She felt the tip of his tongue trace a line down her chest, pausing briefly to kiss her breasts before continuing its journey down to her belly. His breath was so warm against her, washing over her skin in gentle waves like a tropical breeze. He nuzzled the damp area of her panties, breathing in deeply, as though he was savoring her primal musk.
Stef opened her eyes again as Bax slid her panties down her legs and threw them over his shoulder. She caught a glimpse of the mischievous twinkle in his eyes, and then his head was between her legs. His tongue found her clitoris easily and she gasped as it flicked against her.
Even though he was just licking the surface of her, she felt it all the way down to the base of her spine, making her tremble and spasm uncontrollably.
“Oh yes,” she murmured. “Yes, Bax, please, just like that.”
Bax took her clit between his teeth tenderly, rubbing it with his tongue. As he did, he slid a finger inside of her, followed by another. They pressed against Stef's G-spot and the room began to spin around her like a carousel. Her hands shook as her nails dug into the carpet at her sides. He moved his fingers in and out, in and out, expertly finding the most sensitive areas inside of her and applying pressure to them.
He was like a brilliant conductor and every nerve ending in her body was an instrument in the orchestra, their individual notes rising in harmony until their chorus reached its apex.
“No one's ever made me feel like this,” Stef whispered, each word carried on its own sharp exhalation like leaves on the wind.
Bax's mouth chuckled against her skin, and the tickle of his breath was more than she could bear.
“Take me...pleas
e...I need you inside of me, I need you now...”
Bax continued to taste her, the movements of his tongue and fingers growing more rapid, but not fast enough to give her what she needed. “Beg me,” he commanded between licks.
At first, Stef couldn't gather her thoughts together into coherent words. What flickered across her mind were scattered colors, feelings, impulses. How could she speak when she couldn't even think?
“Beg me, or I'll stop.”
She mustered all of her strength and focus. “Please...please, take me...please, Bax, please, please, I'll do anything, please...”
Bax withdrew his mouth and fingers from her and moved forward until he was on top of her again. Stef unhooked her fingernails from the carpet and impatiently reached up to seize the front of his shirt, tearing it open. His buttons scattered across the floor.
