by Asia Marquis
“There’s something I should tell you,” she said.
It was a sentence that he’d always been afraid of, had always made him uncomfortable. Too often people said ‘there’s something you should know’ or ‘there’s something I should tell you’ when they had news he didn’t want to hear. But he tried to steel himself against that reaction, since he knew she couldn’t be telling him he was adopted and she couldn’t be telling him she was pregnant. So he ignored the pit that dropped open in the bottom of his stomach, hardened his resolve, and only then did he answer.
“Yeah?” He made a motion as if to turn, but he didn’t quite look at her. “What’s that, miss Jones?”
He imagined the look on her face. In his imagination she was angry, her nostrils flaring just so at the targeted, if subtle, barb. Instead, she sat down on the soft chair just in front of him, thoughtful. Almost as if she hadn’t heard it. Somehow that was unacceptable to Noah, but he couldn’t figure out a way to do anything about it without seeming petulant. So he let her be, waiting for her to reveal whatever she had decided he had to know.
“You know, you are—never mind.” She sighed, and began again. “I was thinking about what you were saying. Hunting rifle, and so on. I was trying to think if that could be some sort of hint, you know?”
Noah nodded, still not daring to look directly at Jacqui.
“It’s not much to go on, really. Hundreds of thousands of men hunt. Probably ten thousand within twenty miles of you at any given time. It’s not proof of anything.”
“Well, I know that the reason you’re not getting the police involved is that it’s not a coincidence. It’s not some madman who picked my name out of a phone book. So it doesn’t matter how many men in twenty miles of me hunt. It only matters how many I know. Isn’t that right?”
Noah set down the shirt he’d been fussing with. She certainly did have a point. It wouldn’t stand up in any sort of civilian court, but if it gave a clue where to start dealing with the situation it was hardly smart to ignore what she had to offer.
“Let’s say you’re right—”
“I’m right.”
“Saying you are. What does that mean to you?”
“Not much. I’ve never been big on hunting.”
“Thanks, you’ve been a great help.”
Noah started to walk restlessly. There had to be a point to all this discussion, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. She was trying to get to some sort of point, he suspected, but she’d better get to it soon.
“No! I just. I know one guy. It’s stupid though.”
“Well, stupid is better than nothing, Jacqui. So lay it on me.”
“My… brother hunts sometimes. I’m told he’s not bad at it. He smokes, too. I don’t really know the brand, could be these.”
“Your brother.”
Noah couldn’t help but feel a little bit doubtful. Why would someone so aggressively go after their own sister?
“We’re not close, and… I come from money, you know? Well, he’s not in much position to see anything between my sister and I both being older.” Jacqui spoke haltingly; clearly, she found what she was saying as disturbing as Noah did.
“So it’d be easier if there were fewer of you, is that what you’re suggesting?”
“I don’t want to think it, but he’s the only person who comes to mind.”
“Alright, then. What’s his name?”
“Manus.”
“Your parents really didn’t like him, did they?”
Jacqui blinked angrily at that. Noah pulled his phone out and punched the numbers again.
“Hey, Maggie. Can you get some information for me? Of course, of course. The usual rate. Where could I find a… Manus Jones?”
Noah wrote down the address and repeated it back into the phone.
“Yeah, thanks, Maggie. You’re a lifesaver.”
He could see without needing to ask that Jacqui knew where it was, had probably been there before. Perhaps she’d known her brother lived there and the call had been wasted. More likely, though, she thought, or even knew, that he’d moved on from the place. She didn’t make him wait long to find out which.
“Are you sure that’s current, Noah?”
“No. Did you think people were watched twenty-four-seven to make sure their information is accurate?” He regretted it as soon as he said it. It was rude, he knew, but his mind was buzzing, between the stress of the past few days and the last lingering traches of electricity from their dalliance in the bath.
“Well I just…” She trailed off.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, I suppose you shouldn’t have.” Noah could see in Jacqui’s eyes that she was still a bit offended, but she had a handle on it. “Manus isn’t living in that complex any more, not the last time I went there. I asked about a forwarding address, and they gave me an address downtown.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“You called before I had time! It’s not my fault!”
Noah looked at her agape. She was right, of course. He’d just assumed. But why hadn’t it even occurred to him to ask her where her own brother lived? He stood, walked over to a different chair, and dropped unceremoniously into it.
“So did you go there?”
“Of course I did!”
“And?”
“I didn’t see him, but I found the room. He was out, I guess. The owner said he was living there, but out.” Jacqui made a face. “Though, he didn’t use those words exactly.”
“Well, I mean…I can go, but your brother’s seen me. He came to my house, Jacqui, and he’s clearly ready to commit murder. I think he’d just kill me and come looking for you.”
Jacqui’s face was drawn in thought. When she sat back, Noah could see the curve of her breasts through the robe. He turned away, trying with all his might to forget they were there at all.
“And if I come along, what’s to stop him from killing me then and there, I presume. And we can’t have the police involved on such flimsy evidence.”
“You’re seeing the long and short of it. There’s nobody who would go in on such little evidence, and we can’t get more without letting him get another shot at you.”
“So we’re the only people who can really do anything about it, then?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, then, Mister Walker.” Jacqui laid back. She knew, he decided. The way she was laying, the way the cloth fell, the way she didn’t try to cover herself. She was doing it on purpose. “It’s time for bed.”
“I’ll be down the hall.”
Jacqui stuck her chin out a little bit, and Noah had to suppress a grin. If he could frustrate her half as much as she was frustrating him, that would be enough.
“So, let me get this straight.” Noah’s posture didn’t show the stress he was feeling. He formed a shell in his mind, keeping everything out except for the next task at hand. “We know nothing about the situation, except that we’re hoping we don’t get killed. Is that…”
“Well I wouldn’t have put it that way if I had a choice in the matter, but you’ve essentially got the idea.”
Noah nodded. He could see the high-rise already, rising out of the mist and dark of the early morning. Two more miles and they’d be there. Noah sighed, reached across the car.
“Open the glove box,” he waited. “Now give me the gun. You’ve got your talents, but all I’ve got is my good looks and personality.”
“I can see why you need the gun.”
A wry smile crossed Noah’s face. No clever response came to mind, but he opened his mouth just in case. When Jacqui put the gun in his hand he felt the weight of it, even as he focused on the driving, turning into the lot and parking. He checked the magazine, though he knew it would be full simply from the heft. The gun went into his coat pocket.
Hopefully, if all went well, they’d come in on the fellow sleeping, and he’d listen to reason. Having the weapon in his hand me
ant that right away, Manus would be on the defensive. Noah couldn’t tell how many people he’d seen run from the police simply because the cops were chasing. Then things would get violent; backed into a corner, someone would get hurt, when all that truly needed to happen was for a group of adults to sit down and have a conversation.
On the other hand, things could go badly. Then the gun would need to be ready if Noah hoped to get out alive.
The place was empty. Noah had a bad feeling since they left and it flared up worse still now. He briefly considered turning back, telling Jacqui that something wasn’t right and they needed to leave. In the back of his mind, though, a voice whispered that this was it. He may fail here, but things couldn’t stay.
Something had to get straightened out, and it would have to get straightened today. If they ran, they would need to keep running, because this was the first and only time they were on even footing. It was a leap of faith or a slow descent, but the fall, he thought, was inevitable.
“That’s the one.”
Jacqui gestured at a door, and Noah put his hand in his pocket. The gun fit into his hand like it was made for him in particular, and then he nodded. Jacqui touched the door and he heard a soft “click” of the deadbolt sliding open. The doorknob turned in her hand easily, silently. Perhaps, he thought, they’d get out of this easily.
The main room was empty, and they moved in silently. Though he had briefly considered that Manus might be there, ready for them, or that he might have fled, the room seemed undisturbed. It was as if they had come in while their quarry was out of the house getting coffee. He gestured toward the only closed door in the small apartment, at the end of the hall. It had to be the bedroom; the bathroom and kitchen were both open.
They stood outside the door, crouched, waiting for the right moment. Jacqui touched the knob, then turned it slowly, silently. Then she started to open it and all hell broke loose.
Noah woke, a moment later. The room was hot, and he could tell there was fire behind him, though he didn’t turn to look. He needed to get out, to get Jacqui out. That was the only answer. Whatever they needed to do, the first step would be getting out of here alive. But when he touched the knob it didn’t turn.
Noah put his shoulder into it, but it didn’t budge. A second time, and then a third, but to no avail. The door was reinforced, and somehow, someone had locked it. It wasn’t the handle lock or the deadbolt, at least not that he had access to. But try as he might, the door would not open.
He didn’t hear Jacqui come up behind him, but she put her hand on the door. He knew what she was trying to do, and when he saw the expression that crossed her face he knew, even if she didn’t, that it would not work.
“You’re empty, kid.”
Her face screwed up in confusion.
“No, that doesn’t make sense. I don’t remember…”
Noah looked at the scorched remains of what might have once been a bedroom doorway. There was no way that they’d have been blown back from it safely. Jacqui followed his gaze and the look on her face said it all. Perhaps she’d never been that scared after all. Not scared enough to do anything about it, anyways.
She’d shielded them. Noah supposed it had happened reflexively, and she hadn’t even realized it.
“What do we do, Noah?”
The bodyguard looked at her. There weren’t many options. The windows were barred. He could see the pin was welded to the door. She could unlock it, he knew. It wouldn’t be hard. It would be just like the time before, no struggle at all. But she needed power, and there wasn’t an alternative.
Noah grabbed her head and pulled her lips to his. He could see the panic setting in, and he’d have to use that. His arms wrapped around her, holding her tight, and finally she started kissing back. Her body pressed into his, arms entwining around his waist, her feet straining to bring her lips closer to his, to bring her closer.
The air in the room seemed to sense the panic turning to arousal, and it buzzed softly, driving both of them further and further into arousal.
Noah’s hand slipped around the back of Jacqui’s neck, pulling her in as his other pressed against her through her jeans. He had made love to a great many clients, but this was an emergency—this was going to be fucking, plain and simple. The difference played out on his face, as his lips started to tighten against his teeth, his expression lustful, almost angry.
Jacqui pulled away.
“Are you sure?” Her voice said she didn’t want to stop.
“No,” Noah answered.
And then he was pulling her blouse open. He fumbled with the buttons, more than one popping off into the room. Her breasts bounced eagerly out when he pulled her bra up. He sucked a nipple hungrily, tugging at the button of her jeans with one hand. She reached down to help him. She pulled her jeans down over her hips.
Losing her balance, she hopped across the room, bumping into the table.
Noah watched a glass of water start to tip, as if it were in slow-motion. Time, it seems, was slowing down. He followed Jacqui across the room and steadied the glass. He picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as their lips met once more. He laid her down on the couch, kneeling between her thighs and pulling her panties to the side.
He didn’t go for her pussy right away, though. He breathed on it, so close that Jacqui could almost imagine what it would feel like for him to bury his tongue in her folds. And then he kissed her thigh, his lips softly touching her dark ebony skin. His thumb started to rub her lips softly, never quite venturing all the way into them. Jacqui moaned in frustration, tangling her fingers into her bodyguard’s hair.
The energy was moving through both of them, now. Like licking a battery, only through their entire body. She pulled his face into her. She wanted it now, and he would give it to her. His tongue moved, and with it his hands, rubbing and spreading and thrusting. Jacqui squirmed under him. She was so close now. At any second she would cum. And then she did. Moaning, pulling her lover’s hair, she pressed his face into her mound. He pulled her clit between his lips, sucking as she rode out the orgasm.
She wasn’t sure when she closed her eyes, but when she opened them Noah had taken his cock out. He rubbed it against her entrance.
“Ready?”
Jacqui let her eyes shut again, nodding slowly. He pushed against her, sliding in easily. Her pussy stretched to accommodate him, buried deep inside. For a moment, he held himself still here. He drew her breast back into his mouth, grazing the dark nipple with his teeth.
Then the moment was broken, and he thrust into her. He used her hips as a handle, riding as hard and as fast as he could.
“Right there,” Jacqui cried out.
She was close, Noah knew. It would only be another moment for him, as well. After days of wanting, of looking without touching, it was a matter of time. With the situation around them, it was not the time for luxurious, slow lovemaking.
She squeezed around him, and he let go. His cum shot out in ropey strands, hot and thick. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent. He could hear Jacqui gasp when his cock, still half-hard, twitched inside her.
“Noah?” Jacqui’s breath was ragged, and her forehead gleamed with sweat.
“Yes?” He rolled a brown nipple between his fingers, watching it pucker and swell.
“Can we, ah… do that again?” Noah stifled a laugh.
“If you insist. But” He looked pointedly around the room, a grin wide across his face. Still in an awful slow-motion, flames licked the far wall, and they watched as the white wallpaper yellowed and then burnt. “Not now.”
It didn’t occur to Noah that it might not work until he let his breath out, hearing the heavy metal sound of the lock opening. He pulled the gun out of his coat pocket. The time for tactful negotiation had passed.
They walked out of the room, and the sound of everything around him came back forcefully. The heat of the flame behind them washed over him suddenly and he felt a little bit sick. But he had
a job to do, still, and he forced himself to wear the mask of professionalism that he wore with all of his other clients.
The sounds of footsteps echoed through the stair well, from above. Noah knew that the door had to have been locked manually, somehow; someone would be nearby who knew how to get to the bottom of this. Someone was running from the scene of a crime, running away from the only exit. There would only be two types of innocent bystander: The gawkers and the runners. And the runners would be making a beeline for the lobby now. Noah pocketed the pistol again and he ran.
Jacqui’s shoes slapped the cement flooring behind him, and for a moment Noah considered telling her to wait. But at the same time, he thought, there’s not going likely to be a happy ending. She should come, if for no reason other than to say goodbye to her brother.
They rounded the corner shoulder-to-shoulder. For his concerns, Noah noted, she was running as fast as he was, if not faster. She put her shoulder down into the cross-bar on the roof access door, flinging it open. Noah came through nary a second later.
A young man, hardly old enough to drink, stood on the roof. His figure was rail-thin, and if they’d passed on the street Noah might have felt bad for him. He had the face of a man who was down on his luck, creased with agitation and adrenaline.
He held Jacqui in a headlock. His free hand was behind his back. Noah knew he was going for a gun. He made the decision to shoot then. It was just a matter of time. He waited for a clear enough shot that it didn’t risk shooting Jacqui instead.
Then something unexpected happened. Jacqui lifted her knee high and brought her heel down on her brother’s foot hard. A sickly pop rang out and Manus’s grip loosened just enough that she pulled free. The young wiry man screamed out in pain, stumbling across the roof. Seeing that his plan had failed, and without recourse, Manus reached once more for the gun.
Noah waited just a half-second. Long enough to be sure that he wasn’t shooting an unarmed man. Then he pulled the gun from his coat and fired. Jacqui’s breath came in fast, ragged spurts. Noah put his arm around her, pulling her into a comforting embrace.
