“But if we eliminate them, the branches; why wouldn’t we waits for the Spiders to come to us?” Enrique wrinkled his nose in confusion.
“Cause, ol’ Rico an’ Ruben won’ send ‘em after us,” she sneered in a southern drawl. “They’re going to be scared shitless. Plus, there won’t be any reps to give the orders. If they’re able to contact the group, they’ll call them in, for added protection, in case we’re able to get to them.”
“But if we do that, they won’t take a girl from the bar…” Eli’s voice trailed away, “We don’t need them to take anyone. We already know where they are.”
“Exactly,” she thumped the map, “And we’re going to take them apart, one piece at a time. Michael, I need you to be in charge of the plane. You secure the pilots and file the flight plans, one leg at a time, and only at the last possible minute, in case anyone is watching us. The longest leg of the flight is LA to New York, but only about six hours. I think we’ll be ok with that.”
“Damn right we will be,” Mason agreed wholeheartedly. “This sounds very doable. Eddie Farrell taught you well, baby girl.”
“Yeah, well, you know,” she countered with a grin, “I always was Eddie’s girl.”
My Side of the Law
Tori felt oddly euphoric entering their room. She had ordered everyone to get some sleep, and was looking forward to the time alone with her mate. They would break camp in the morning, making the day’s journey to Denver directly, and they would have less time to themselves. Stripping off her clothes, she pondered if this would be their last chance to lie together as husband and wife.
“You know, this has the potential to get ugly,” Michael warned, not moving to join her. Tori turned, standing in her bra and panties to glare at him, feeling deflated by his tone as he went on, “And I don’t just mean for them. Some of us could be hurt… or killed. And if we’re successful, we more than likely will do time for this.”
Tori stopped moving, feeling a surge of anger, unable to control it. “Do time for this?” she scoffed. “I’ve been flirting with prison my whole life, and I haven’t landed there yet. Besides, this is what Godfry wants. I’m sure if we make it, he’ll cover it for us, like he already has.”
“Maybe,” her mate confessed, moving close enough to rake a few fingers across her bare flesh, “But we have so much at stake here.”
“You’re not going to chicken out on me are you?” she demanded crossly. “What happened to, ‘I’m not the nice guy you think I am’? You made it sound like you’re a badass, but you’re coming across as a wimp,” she sputtered.
“I’m not a wimp,” he tossed back at her, his voice elevated. “But I do have lots to consider, you for one. I don’t want anything to happen to you…” he paused, taking in her tall frame with a low glare, “Or anyone else.”
“Well, don’t worry about me… or anyone else,” she snapped. “This is my side of the law. The ugly dark side, where people get hurt, and end up dead. You wanted to be here, and I’m fine with that, but you can’t let your emotions get in the way. You have to be ready to act and do whatever it takes to get the job done. You got it?”
“Yeah, I got it,” he exhaled loudly. “You know, you’re awfully moody lately. I think those pills of yours are effecting you. Maybe you should quit taking them.”
“Quit taking them?” she cried in horror. “Are you crazy? I could get pregnant if I don’t. You want that to happen?”
He chuckled, “Not right this minute, no. But I think you need to be a little more level headed. Where’re the pills? I want to see them.”
Tori stared at him, mouth hanging open wide, “The pills are my business, Michael.”
“Wrong,” he corrected her firmly, “You’re my wife, and that makes them my business, too.” Spinning around, he grabbed her bag and began to rummage through it while she reached out, flailing her arms and trying to stop him. Locating the case, he pulled it out and stared at the nearly empty package.
Seeing that there was only one partial row of pills left, twenty-one pink ones, he quickly calculated that she had enough left to take her just beyond her visit with the doctor, if she made it to see him. That and there was one green one. She missed her period; he gripped the package tighter. I knew it.
Crinkling it, he stuffed it into his pocket. “I’m keeping these. You don’t need the rest,” he commanded stiffly.
“Give those back!” Tori demanded, slapping him on the arm. “I’m supposed to be taking those!”
“Not anymore,” he breathed. “And don’t worry about getting pregnant… I’m not going to touch you.” His voice was barely above a whisper, feeling as if he might be sick himself.
Her jaw dropped, “Oh, that’s great, Michael! What the hell are you doing and why are you doing it now?!?”
“Because I have to,” he held his feelings in check. “Get some sleep, love. I’m going to go outside, so you can rest.” He dropped her pack, backing towards the door.
Her brow furrowed, eyes instantly full of tears, “You mean you’re not even going to stay in here with me?”
“Do you want me to stay?”
“Yes, I want you to stay! You’re my husband, remember? Love of my life, and all that shit,” she tossed at him, catching the tear as it streaked down her cheek with a trembling palm.
“Alright, I’ll stay,” he chuckled, moving forward to catch her in an embrace. “Don’t cry, love. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.” Clutching his jacket, she buried her face in the leather and breathed deeply, lost in the scent.
“I’m sorry I’m so emotional,” she huffed into his neck. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should stop taking them. They could be the reason I’ve been sick, too.”
“Yeah, maybe they are,” he agreed quietly, his fingers tracing the line of her back. “Let’s go to bed,” he pressed his lips into her hair. “We’ve got a big couple of days coming up, and we’re going to need the sleep.” Stepping back, she allowed him to remove his clothes while she covered herself with a cotton tee and slid beneath the covers.
Switching off the light, Michael took his place beside her, pulling her against his bare chest. Catching her fingers as they sifted lightly through the hairs, he sighed against the top of her head. “Good night, baby girl.”
“I think we should make love,” she countered softly.
“Make love?” he whispered back. “Now?”
“Yes, now,” she stated firmly, pushing herself up onto an elbow, “After tonight… we may not get another chance.”
He could see the outline of her against the light of the window behind her. Grasping a few hairs, he soothed, “You have to believe we’re going to make it through this.”
“But what if we don’t,” her dreams haunted her. “What if this is the last chance we have to hold each other?” Her voice shook slightly, her feelings still raw and oozing out of her. Pushing her over, he sat up, climbing above her and sliding her shirt up and out of the way.
Her nipples were dark against her creamy flesh; a soft glow cast on them by the moonlight. His nose nuzzled her rose briefly before his lips and tongue found the hardened tip, teasing it lightly. His hands caressed her curves as his mouth moistened a trail down to her navel, and across the delicate skin that led to her womanhood below.
His hand on her inner thigh, he guided her legs apart, digits raking across the hairs and folds, slithering their way inside her. His teeth bit at her gently, causing her to breathe sporadically. He had always had a way with her, and this night was no exception, driving her along, her fingers worming their way through his curls and pressing against his scalp. Moments later, she trembled violently, pulling at his sandy locks until she was no longer able.
Snaking his way back up her body, he pulled his briefs aside and plunged himself into her warm wetness. Kissing her jaw, he found her mouth, and she parted her lips so their tongues could mingle while he drove into her in harder strokes. Looping his fingers with hers, he lifted her hands over her head, p
inning her playfully, continuing to taste and bite while he moved against her to completion.
His own grip growing lax, he panted into the pillow next to her head, the weight of him pressing down on her completely. “I love you, Tori,” he swallowed visibly. “If this was the last time I will ever have you, I want you to know, there will never be another.” Her hands released; she pushed them into his curls once more.
“Oh, Michael,” she breathed, her voice choked with emotion. Blinking rapidly, her fingers found his face. She caressed the line of his jaw and the stubble that he roughed against her nether regions only moments before. She couldn’t bring herself to say more, as much as she wished she could tell him that he was her one and only.
There was a time in her past that she might have, and not given the words a second thought, as she had when she played Eddie to be her fool. But at that moment, she could feel the presence of another man, lurking in the shadows of her heart, and she was riddled with guilt that she could not say that she was his and his alone. Sufficing herself to cling to him, she hoped that he would understand.
Stand or Fold
The following morning, the group awoke early. Putting on his jeans, Michael left his wife to shower and get ready, taking her container of pills and closing the door behind him. In the kitchen area, the rest of the guys were milling around, making coffee and cooking breakfast. Taking out a plastic cup, he filled it half full of water and began dropping the pills into it, one by one.
Turning from his position at the stove, Enrique watched his hands for a moment, before he asked, “Why are you doing that? Are those what I thinks they are?”
“Yeah, they’re what you think they are,” Michael cut his eyes up at the other man calmly. “And she doesn’t need them anymore, so I’m getting rid of them.”
“She told you that? That she’s…” he hesitated, looking around to see who else was listening.
“No, she doesn’t know,” he swirled the glass for a few seconds, then dumped it down the sink, running the water behind it.
“Doesn’t know what?” Geek joined the conversation, “That she’s pregnant? How can she not know?”
“Shhh,” Michael held his hand up, “Keep your voice down. She just doesn’t. She thinks she’s sick, and I want it to stay that way. Finding out will only complicate things; make this whole mess harder for her to get through.”
“Wow, that’s pretty means, don’ ya think?” Enrique challenged.
“No, it isn’t. She needs a clear head right now, and worrying about the future isn’t conducive to that.” He cast a glance around the group, rocking his jaw side to side. “I do have a favor to ask, though.”
Enrique went back to stirring his eggs, “What kinda favor?” He didn’t bother to look at the other man. They were only friends for her sake, and it was too early in the day to pretend otherwise.
“I want you to take care of her,” Michael waited, nodding his sandy curls when the man’s dark eyes swung back to him. “Yeah, if I don’t make it through this, I need to know someone is going to look after her.”
“Why me?” Enrique demanded, not sure if this was some kind of trick, “Are you offering me your wife?”
Michael pursed his lips, aware that everyone in the room was listening, the silence deafening. Hearing his bride coughing through the thin paneling on the wall, he nodded. “I guess that I am. She has a thing for you. I don’t know how deep it goes, but I know that she would let you, you know… take care of her.”
He shrugged as he spoke, nervous after he had been so bold, at what it might mean in the end. “I need to know that if I don’t make it back that she’ll be ok.”
“She’ll be fine,” Eli cut in, “You know, you two aren’t the only ones that care about her. She’s got a whole room full of men here who would love to look after her.”
Enrique and Michael shifted their gaze to the shorter man, breaking into grins and then exchanging a look as if they knew a secret they weren’t about to share. “Alright,” the dark-haired man agreed, “If anything happens to you, consider it done. And if I don’t make it,” he snickered, “Then you gets a turn,” he waved his spatula at Eli.
“You guys’re weird, ya know that?” Brett burst into the conversation, “We’re all gonna make it, and everything’s gonna be fine. So get your shit together so we can get th’ hell outta here.”
Exiting the bathroom and joining them a short time later, Tori had applied the makeup to cover her scar; an effort to lift her spirits by ‘feeling’ pretty. Almost immediately, a plate heaping with scrambled eggs and bacon was placed in front of her, which she waved at profusely, “Oh, no, please get that outta my face. I’ll take a piece of toast.”
The laughter and chatter died away at her request; her food was exchanged for browned bread, and the group ate quietly. Noticing the silence, she tried to fill the void, “From here we need to head to Denver. That’s the one vault that you guys didn’t have access to, because it belonged to Henry. And, I’ve already cleaned out the funds that were in it.”
“There’s still a stash in Chicago,” Brett offered, “We could swing by there an’ pull the cash before we roll out.”
“Yes,” she nodded, “That does sound like a good idea.”
Finishing their meal, they cleaned up and packed away their gear. “I’ll turn in the key,” Mason offered. “You guys go hit the storage, and we can meet up at that little diner where we ate.”
Outside, Geek opted to ride in the car with Eli, as opposed to riding behind the girl. Arriving at the diner first, they made their way inside, she and Michael right behind them. Choosing a booth alone, she pulled out the folded map to inspect while they waited.
Sliding onto the bench next to her, Michael made small talk, deciding to use their German, “I called and had the plane moved to Denver. It should be there and ready to go when we’re ready to leave. How soon do you want me to book us for LA?”
“If the plane is ready to go, there’s no need to do it until we attack the rep’s hangout. I’ve never been inside this one. Actually, I’ve ever only been inside one, and that’s Miami.” She was studying the map as she spoke, not wanting to look at him after their night together, and the words she couldn’t bring herself to say.
Michael studied her profile for a full minute, before he finally asked, “Are you sure you’re ok?”
The air catching in her lungs, she could feel the tears forming in her eyes. You’re such a crybaby; she chastised herself, not wanting to wipe at them. “I should have told you that I love you,” she paused, drawing a ragged breath. “It could have been our last night together, and I couldn’t even bring myself to say it.”
“You don’t have to say it,” he offered calmly, “I know that you do. I know that I don’t help, teasing you when you do say it.”
Lifting her chin, she looked at him, the tear spilling over as she did so; “Really?”
“Yeah, really,” he laughed softly, catching the tiny droplet for her and swiping it away. “I want you to stop worrying about this. About us, and about small towns and rock stars, and… everything. I want you to focus on what we have to do. Like you said last night; this is the time where we stand or fold, because this is going to get ugly. We’ll worry about all that other stuff when we’re done, and you can tell me then.”
His smile made her giggle, and she pressed her lips to his without thinking. “I do love you, Michael Anderson,” she whispered.
Catching the back of her head with his hand, he only grinned. “Let’s lay out the route, shall we?” Nodding, she opened up the map so they both could see, content to work with him side by side while they waited for the others to join them.
Less than an hour later, they had done so, and the group gathered around the couple for instruction. “We’re going straight into Denver from here. Let’s head that way, see how far we make it. I have a feeling we will be spending the night in Omaha, which is about half way.”
Michael nodded, “I think that’s a
good plan. You’re a good rider, but you’re more accustomed to being the passenger. Especially under these harsher conditions.”
“Should I ride with you, and leave my bike here?” she queried, “I mean, we have the extra protective gear, since the temperature is dropping.”
“That’s up to you,” he shrugged, “When it gets down to it, we have no idea what’s really going to happen. We can make our plan, but in the end having the extra set of wheels may come in handy, good weather or bad.”
“You’re right,” she managed a small grin. “I’ll take it, and if we decide later that we don’t need it, we can always leave it behind.”
Standing, she followed him outside, and the group climbed onto their bikes, Geek still opting to ride in the car with the smallest man of the group. “I never really did like riding on a motorcycle,” he joked as they strapped into the front seats. “Besides, it’s a hell of a lot warmer in here.”
“You were with the Scorpions, and Tori let you go,” Eli shared what he knew with the younger man.
“Yeah,” Geek nodded. “I joined them, thinking it would be cool, but they only used me. Then they wouldn’t let me leave.”
“You’re lucky they didn’t dump your body somewhere,” the federal agent chided him.
“Yeah, no kidding,” he agreed, twisting his head around to stretch his neck. “Thank God she came along and got me out of there. I would never have guessed she was compassionate, but,” he paused, turning to stare out the window, “She’s pretty amazing.”
“Yes, she is,” Eli agreed, focused on following the group on two wheels in front of him.
Outside the vehicle, the bikes formed a line in pairs, Tori and Michael in the front, followed by Brett and Enrique, with Mason bringing up the rear. The air was crisp, whipping in their faces, even wearing their masks and hand coverings, and she could tell the two in the middle were more than a little displeased about it. Stopping at a quick mart, only one-hundred miles down the road, Tori made her way to the bathroom, then met up with the others, who were inspecting and refueling.
A New Life Series - Finisher Set Page 58
