by Vella Day
“Smart.”
She’d deal with the transformation shortly. Right now the chocolate was calling her name. Jamie bit into her brownie. “Mmm. This is really good.” Perhaps it was so tasty, in part, because some of the mystery had been solved. “If I were a terrorist, and I knew I’d lost this flash drive, I’d be freaking out.”
“Which was exactly what they did. I’m hoping they become bolder and make a mistake.” Max shoved back his chair. “I need to make a call.”
“To Agent Forbes?” Jamie kept her voice low.
“Not to him, yet.”
She thought he’d said he wanted to pass this off to the Feds as soon as possible. Knowing Max, he’d want to check to see that Forbes could be trusted. Max moved over to the front of the café where no one could hear him, kept his back to the customers, and scanned the street. A cold streak raced up her spine. Did Max suspect someone might have followed them? Was it his cop instinct kicking in, or was it his habit to check everything?
The bell above the door jangled and Jamie’s senses shot to high alert. A twenty-something year old man with a shaved head and a neck full of tattoos strode in. Far be it from her to judge a man by his appearance, but given how taut her nerves were of late, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was a terrorist and their location had been discovered.
Her pulse quickened and her mouth turned dry, until she saw that he didn’t even look her way. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t spot her once he placed his order. Jamie shot a glance at Max to see what he thought they should do. Damn. He was still talking on the phone.
A second later, Max walked over to her, but he didn’t seem to have noticed the newcomer. Max stepped next to her, picked up his coffee and brownie, and motioned they sit at a vacant table.
Jamie followed him. “Did you see the man who just walked in?” she whispered, then nodded in the man’s direction.
“Yes.”
“Could he be a person of interest?” Why wasn’t Max rushing her out of the café or questioning the guy? Guess Max couldn’t just stroll up and ask if this man wanted revenge for a wrong our government had perpetuated against some unknown group of people.
“Stay calm. If he is with them, leaving now will only confirm that we have what he wants. I can see our van from here. No one is inside searching it. We’re good.”
Max’s back was to the front, so how could he know that? Jamie didn’t say a word. She trusted he knew what he was doing. “So, now what?”
“We need to print a copy then get back to Marie.”
She looked at him with skepticism. “I’m no computer expert, but once we make a copy, shouldn’t we delete the file, or write over it?”
Max’s shoulders slumped. “We can’t. It’s illegal to tamper with a Federal investigation.”
“Damn.”
The bell above the door rang again, and Jamie twisted back around. The man left with a drink and a to-go bag. The big question was whether he was rushing to his team members to tell them who he’d found, or was he an innocent bystander who’d come in for a snack?
“I’m not cut out to do this.” She wrapped her arms around her chest.
“No one is, honey. Come on, let’s do what we need to do and get out of here.”
Jamie stepped over the computer again, plugged in the drive, and printed the information. She quickly ejected the drive and handed it to Max. She wanted no part of it.
Max waited at the printer. He grabbed the paper, folded it, and stuffed it in his pocket. “How about we take the coffee and food back to the camper where we can figure out our next move?”
She liked that idea of not being so exposed. “Good.”
Once they were in the van, Max turned on the heater. She faced him. “Have you decided if you’re going to call Agent Forbes?” she asked.
Max twisted in his seat. “Before we turn over any sensitive information to the FBI, I want to make sure Forbes is who he said he was. I asked Dan to check. Once he gives me the thumbs up, I will.”
“You didn’t believe him when he said he was with the FBI? He had a badge.”
“You keep asking me if I trust Hank, or if I trust Dan and Trent.”
“Yes.”
“I trust them a lot because I’ve known them a long time. I don’t know Chuck Forbes from Adam. For all I know, he could have bought the identification on line.”
The ramification made her sick. “You think?”
“Probably not, but I’m cautious. Even if he’s legit, I’m not going to discuss anything over the phone. It might be a burn phone, but I can’t be positive it can’t be traced. So that we don’t waste precious time, I asked Trent to meet us at Hank’s. I’ll give him the flash drive, and if agent Forbes checks out, Trent can hand deliver the information to him.”
Max had really thought this through. “I like the part about handing it over. I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to Rock Hard though.” She immediately stuffed half of the brownie in her mouth, chewed, and groaned at the wonderful sweetness. “It’s too bad we can’t videotape you handing off the drive to Trent, and put it up on YouTube. That way these crazy guys will leave us alone.”
Max chuckled. “If you posted something like that, Trent would be the one in danger.”
“Strike that idea, then.”
Max reached out and placed a hand over hers. “Speaking of handing over the evidence, when Trent arrives at Hank’s store, I want you safely out of the way.”
Jamie held up her other palm. “You won’t catch me out in the open.”
“We should head back.” Max started the engine.
He pulled onto the street and was on the two-lane highway in no time. Being in the camper lessened their chances of being spotted. Jamie relaxed as much as was possible given what was about to occur.
“When do you think Trent will get to Marie?” She was curious how long they’d have to wait around for him.
“He was hopping in his car as we spoke.”
“Did Trent say how Jon—I mean—Vic is?”
Max shook his head. “I think he’s leaving your friend’s welfare up to the FBI. They have a lot to lose if anything happens to him.”
“Good.”
When they arrived at Hank’s, there wasn’t anyone in the lot, which made her feel better. In fact, the lights were once more off in the store.
“Hank must be eating dinner,” Max said. He pulled out his phone.
“You don’t need to disturb him just to hand off the disk, do you?”
He stroked her cheek. “You are a very considerate person, but didn’t you say you wanted some hair dye? Besides, Trent won’t get here for another hour or more.”
She cocked a brow. “You’re right. You think the store will have what I want?”
“It might not be some fancy salon brand or one that has highlights and shit, but you’d be surprised what he carries.”
“Sounds good.”
A few minutes after Max dialed his friend, the lights clicked on in the store. Just as Max stepped from the car, his cell rang. He pulled open her door. “Hey, Trent. Yeah, we just pulled up. We’ll be here.” Max ended the call and helped her out. “That was Trent checking in. Go on inside. I want to look around.”
Jamie knew better than to ask what he was looking for. She knew he wanted to check to see if those creeps had tracked them down. She couldn’t be certain someone in the café hadn’t sounded the alarm.
She stepped inside and liked that the bell above the door rang. Hank emerged from the back. “Where’s Max?”
“Looking for bad guys.”
Hank nodded and returned to the back room.
Before Max came back, Jamie decided to look for her dye. Halfway through her search, the front door opened, and she jumped at the sound of the bell. It had to be Max or a customer Max didn’t feel was a threat.
“There you are,” Max said, his nose and cheeks a bit red from the cold.
Her heart skipped a beat when he rounded the corner. “I’m presumi
ng it’s safe out there?”
“So far.”
Way to keep me calm. She picked up a box of hair dye she thought would work. “When do you think these terrorists will know I don’t have the drive anymore?”
“You mean when will it be safe to go home and walk the streets without looking over your shoulder?”
He’d nailed it. “Yes.”
“Hard to say. How would they know you don’t have the information they want? Trent’s not going to take out an ad in the newspaper.”
“Damn.” Jamie held up the box of dye. “What do you think of this one? Color good?” She needed to focus on something other than the terror that was building in her chest again.
Max moved closer. Instead of focusing on what she had in her hand, his gaze remained on her face. “I like it.”
She lowered her find. “You didn’t even look.” Men.
“Don’t have to. I’ll like whatever makes you feel good.” As if to prove his point, he wrapped his arms around her waist, drew her near, and kissed her.
The contact started out soft, but then Max broke the seal. Instead of diving back in, he hovered his lips over hers, their breaths becoming one. His hand roamed down her jacket and over her ass, sending lust straight through her.
He squeezed one butt cheek. “You have too many clothes on.”
Max pressed his hips forward and his hard cock was evident even through his jeans. “Are you kidding? You want to have sex in the store where anyone can come in? You know Trent will be here soon.” Not to mention Hank was rummaging around the back for something.
“Not for a while. We have time. Besides, I locked the front door.”
Holy shit. “Are you crazy?” Or was this the release they both needed?
Max didn’t wait for her to respond. He unzipped her jacket, and then continued to undo her jeans.
“Max,” she whispered. “What about Hank?”
Max extracted a condom from his wallet, shucked off his boots, and stepped out of his jeans. “Don’t worry about him. He’ll hear us making noise and know what we’re doing. He knows better than to interfere.”
Heat raced up her face. Jamie never thought she was that sheltered, but apparently she was. She’d never done anything close to this in her life. Some kind of moral code should be telling her to stop him, but her body wanted this worse than anything. Whether it was because of the stress or the possibility that their lives could end any minute, Jamie had never felt more alive. “What if Trent drives faster than we expected?”
“Hank will stall him.”
Once more, Max seemed to have thought of everything. If he believed it was safe, then she’d go along. She, too, kicked off her shoes, and dragged down her jeans, leaving only her undies—and her jacket and top. Getting totally naked was a step she needed to think about. With his gaze glued to her face, Max back-pedaled her to the end of the aisle and leaned her against a small post.
He slid his hands up her back. “I want you real bad, honey. When I’m around you, I can’t stop.”
She loved his sentiment. “Ditto.”
His lips descended once more. This time, they devoured each other as his fingers unhooked her bra. The second her breasts were freed, he dragged his palms to her front and flicked her nipples. His touch caused a chain reaction of lust to slam into her hard. She reached around his back, cupped his ass, and squeezed.
Footsteps neared, then stopped. “Oh, sorry.” It was Hank. Damn.
As soon as she heard the back door close, Jamie blanked her mind to everything but the amazing sensations coursing through her. Their tongues dipped and swirled, sending sparks of need all over her body.
Max broke away. His golden brown eyes were dreamy and full of desire as his fingers slid to her panties. “Need you to open wide for me. I’m going to impale you. Then you’ll be mine.”
She’d be his? Or was he just saying that? Stop thinking. It didn’t matter. His macho talk turned her on. “Okay.”
That was a dumb thing to say, but no other words came to mind.
He yanked off her undies so quickly, acting as if he couldn’t wait another moment. He then stepped out his briefs. Quicker than she could count to ten, his big dick was sheathed. Damn.
“I want you, honey.”
Max lowered his head and dragged his palm down her belly. With a slowness meant to drive her crazy, he slipped a finger between her pussy lips.
Max smiled. “I see someone’s excited.” Her inner folds had become slick with need.
Before she could respond, he slanted his lips across hers. The moment another finger joined the first, she moaned, unable to keep quiet. When he drove both fingers into her pussy, she rose on her toes in search of more.
He leaned back then dropped to one knee. “Keep your legs open wide and don’t move. Say nothing.”
His command changed something inside her. Heat raced up her body, and he hadn’t even licked her yet. Because she was now hot, Jamie slipped off her jacket and tossed it on the ground. Her fingers then found his scalp. She loved running her hands through his thick hair.
His tongue replaced his fingers and she almost climaxed right there. When he moved his mouth to her clit, she bit down on her lip to keep from coming. “Hurry.”
Max flicked her tiny nub back and forth. With each swipe, he drove her closer to the edge of her climax. As amazing as this was, she needed his cock more. Jamie pressed her fingers against his head.
He abandoned his sexual assault and stood. “Need you.” His voice was harder than gravel, and sexier than ever. Max lifted her up. “Wrap your legs around me and get ready for a ride neither of us will ever forget.”
Her body melted at his words. She did as he asked. He placed her back against the pole for support and she clasped his strong shoulders. Digging her feet into his thighs, she lifted her hips, and Max pressed his big shaft against her opening.
He kissed her with tenderness then clasped her waist. In one smooth move, he thrust his dick upward, impaling her fully. The sensation defied description. Her walls clamped down on his cock and Max hissed. Jamie gurgled something unintelligent as his dick throbbed and pulsed inside her.
A few seconds elapsed before she was able to draw in a full breath. Staying fully sheathed inside her, he lifted off her shirt and bra with one hand while firmly supporting her butt. Max leaned over, and sucked hard on her nipple, electric sparks bursting to life. She thought she’d take off right then.
“Please, Max.” Jamie rarely begged, but she prayed his need was as great as hers.
Max lifted his chin and took her mouth prisoner. He partly withdrew his cock then pistoned into her again. More sparks flew. Jamie squeezed her thighs tight and joined in the thrusting. Nothing mattered but each other. They kissed, rubbed, and fucked hard and furiously, until he drove into her so far she skyrocketed out of control.
“I’m coming,” she yelled. The moment her screaming words registered, Jamie snapped her mouth shut, but failed to stop her orgasm from claiming her.
Max held her tight and pounded into her hard. He buried his face against her neck, and grunted as his hot cum exploded. Her eyes shut, she let him take her to a peaceful place where no sounds entered her brain. She’d been transported to heaven.
Only when he lifted her off his cock, did she remember where they were. Heat rushed up her face and she looked around. Thankfully, the store was as empty as when they’d arrived.
Max grinned as if he could read every expression on her face. “Be right back.” He pulled off the condom then slipped on his briefs with one hand. When he jogged down the aisle, she couldn’t believe he was in plain view of the outside world.
While she waited for him to return, she put on her bra and slipped into her shirt. Had she really made love in the aisle of a store?
Apparently.
Max returned quickly with a towel and wiped her clean. Seconds later they were fully dressed. Other than Hank, no one would ever know what a marvelously mind-altering experience
had occurred in aisle three. In those few minutes, domestic terrorists had ceased to exist. For that, she’d be eternally grateful to Max.
He retrieved a few dollars out of his pocket and handed her the money. “Why don’t you pay for your hair dye while I wait for Trent by the door?” He lifted her chin. “While I believe it’s safe, can you stay inside? Please?”
He acted like she was in the habit of disobeying him. “I said I would.” Besides, it was cold outside.
* * *
Max needed to have his head examined. What had he been thinking having sex when he was expecting Trent to arrive any minute? Thank God, Jamie seemed to enjoy their incredible encounter. If their escapade took the edge off this bad situation, then it was worth it.
He kept reminding himself he needed to keep away from her until this mess was over, but every time a situation presented itself, he’d tossed caution to the wind.
Right before they’d made love, he’d placed his gun on a shelf at the end of the aisle in case he’d needed it. He never would have put Jamie in real danger. It was just his heart that might break when this was all over.
Christ. They’d never spoken of a possible future. He couldn’t even remember if she said she liked him. The fact she trusted him, however, boded well for them.
Max never thought he’d even consider having a permanent relationship again, but with Jamie it seemed right.
Headlights pierced the darkness, cutting off his musings, and a car turned off the main road. It was hard to miss the red Jeep with the rack on top. It was Trent’s vehicle. Max relaxed a bit.
He jammed his hand in his pocket, grabbed the flash drive, and stepped outside. This stupid looking toy had caused so much harm. He’d be glad when the FBI had it. Let them deal with these crazies.
I don’t really believe that.
Max wanted to be part of the capture. Needed to bring down these men, if only to see the defeat in their eyes. They’d caused enough destruction.
Trent pulled in, parked next to Edith, and jumped out. “Where’s Jamie?” He jogged up to Max.
“Inside. I want to keep her safe.” Max handed him the drive. “Take care of this. Enough people have died.”
