Valentina held her gaze. “All went well? You’re okay?”
She nodded her head. “Better than okay. It was perfect.”
“You jump into the shower. I’ll get the kids ready and make a pot of coffee. Then we’ll talk,” Valentina said and Lois giggled before she headed to check on Kenny, who was still sleeping. She went into her room and got the shower started. As she undressed, she looked into the mirror. She had lots of little love bites all along her body. Her pussy ached a little and other parts that had never been used before felt just fine. She smiled to herself. Everything had gone perfectly and she couldn’t wait to see them again. She got into the shower and quickly finished up then dried her hair.
When she came out of the bathroom, the kids were getting dressed for school and Kenny was at the table eating cereal.
“Hi, Mommy,” he said and she went right over to him and gave him a kiss and a hug. As Tye and Lena came in, she helped fix their outfits for school then kissed them each good morning. She walked past Valentina, who gave her a wink, and then they gathered the kids up and fixed their lunches like they did every morning and helped them get ready for school. Twenty minutes later they walked them to school and then walked back with Grace in her stroller and hot cups of coffee in their hands.
“So, details?” Valentina asked and chuckled.
“I don’t think so. You didn’t give me a lot of details about your men.”
“I told you a fair share of information that, if they knew I’d shared it, they might not be too happy with me about.”
Lois nibbled her bottom lip. “I guess it’s genetics and runs in the family, then.”
Valentina opened her mouth wide and then laughed. So did Lois.
“Oh, in that case, take it from me and take a long, hot bath with Epsom salts. It will help with the soreness.”
Lois nodded her head and they continued to talk about the night, Lois giving some small details about how it all happened.
“Well, I’m happy for you. I know they really care about you and Kenny. When are you going to see them again?”
“Later on. I wanted to see if you could go shopping with me.”
“Shopping?”
“Yes, I need some things.”
“Oh, you mean like sexy underwear and bras?”
“No, they won’t stay on long, I’m certain. I need a bathing suit.”
“You’re going swimming with them?”
“They want to take Kenny and me for a picnic and swimming down by the water hole on Friday, and it’s supposed to be like ninety degrees. I don’t think I’ll be able to wear a sundress all day and not swim.”
“No, you won’t. There’s no need to hide so much of you and feel so exposed. Not with your men around to protect you.”
“I hope not. Will you go with me? I need a bathing suit for Kenny and maybe those arm-floaty things.”
“I thought Evan said he was going to teach Kenny to swim?”
“They all did, but I’m still nervous.”
“He’ll be fine and I bet he’ll be swimming in no time. He used to go to that pool at the Y in the city.”
“That was two years ago. I don’t think he’ll remember how to.”
“Well I’m in. I’ll just let the guys know.”
“Okay, great,” she said, and when they got to the top of the road and the driveway, Jace pulled up with Ghost in his truck.
“Good morning, ladies,” Jace said and Ghost winked at Lois. She smiled.
“Good morning,” they both replied to them.
“Hey, Valentina, I need your advice on something in the house. Could you spare some time this morning for me?” he asked and Valentina looked at him sideways and gave him a sassy look.
“With what?”
“Oh, something real important.”
Lois chuckled. “Go ahead. We’ll head out by eleven so we’re back in time for the kids later,” Lois told her and then took the stroller from her and began to walk with Grace.
“I’ll keep you company,” Ghost said and got out of the truck. He held the door open for Valentina and then gave her a hand getting into the truck. Jace sped up the road and the driveway to the house and Lois locked gazes with Ghost.
“Must be real important,” she said to him. Ghost looked her body over and gave her a wink. “I think I know what he means. Morning, baby,” he said and pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss.
After he released her lips he placed his arm around her waist and helped her walk the stroller and Baby Grace back up to the house.
“Where are you ladies going later on?” he asked.
“Shopping?”
“For clothes?”
“For a bathing suit.”
He looked her over and gave a smile. “Well, when you get back, come by the house and give us a little fashion show.”
“I don’t think so,” she said and pulled her little sweater tight.
He gave her ass a tap.
“Don’t even think of being shy after what we shared last night and early this morning.”
“Ghost,” she reprimanded him and gave him a little shove. He laughed and then she eased right back into the crook of his arm as they made their way to the backyard of the cottage.
She could get used to this really quickly.
Chapter 8
Cornero stared out at the pool, watching the party his friends were throwing him. It was no time to celebrate. He was now on the run from the cops and the feds. One Detective Stacklin was about to destroy any chance Cornero had of getting away with murder and the illegal guns and drug business. He’d already lost contact with his inside guys in the military bases who’d gotten him the guns. The Feds were doing raids left and right after that botched deal in New York by the docks.
Fuck.
He felt desperate and antsy. He could only hang out here for so long before someone gave up his location. Where the fuck were Spitz and Ganor? Did they find Lois yet, and did it even matter if she knew where the drugs and guns were?
He clenched his teeth. If he could get his hands on those guns and drugs, it would mean a few hundred thousand in his pocket as he hit the border and disappeared into Mexico. If that was where he wanted to go. Getting out of the country at this point would be nearly impossible, even with fake ID and a disguise. Those would cost him, too.
He was fuming mad, the more he thought about the money he’d lost. The feds had seized all his accounts before he’d had a chance to transfer the money. They’d found the accounts overseas, as well. It was useless to try and get anything back. This is what the government did—they slowly strangled anything and everything they could get out of people. They did the same thing while he’d served in the military. They had sent him on missions, stating that if he got caught, then he was on his own and they didn’t know anything about why he was there killing, destroying, and infiltrating the enemies.
It was one of the reasons why he’d started dealing guns and importing hard-core drugs into the United States. He’d made connections overseas. He was feared, and so were his men. Fucking Caden and his own brother Dom screwed up big time fucking with Lois.
Cornero remembered when Caden met her and fell head over heels for her. She had been barely nineteen but was sexy as damn hell. The lucky bastard. Cornero had to admit he’d found her very attractive and sweet. She was sexy but didn’t know it. Quiet and trainable yet had a little fight in her. Maybe that’s where the shit went wrong between him and Caden. He let his desire be known to have a taste of her, to possibly take her from Caden, and that had really pissed the soldier off.
How could one fucking twenty-four-year-old woman fuck up an entire operation? He was pissed off and angry. Where the fuck were Ganor and Spitz? They were the last men he had left and there was one more job to do in Texas. What the fuck?
“Cornero?”
He looked up and saw Mercury, an oil man and jack-of-all-trades who owned the estate Cornero was staying at.
“You got yourself a hell of a fuck
ing situation.”
“What do you mean?” he asked as Mercury sat down with a cigar in one hand and a brandy in another.
“Got some news from Dallas. Your two buddies just got busted during the deal you were counting on. Feds were all over the fucking place.”
“His eyes widened and he sat forward in his seat. He felt his forehead begin to perspire and that nervous twitch he had been fighting for years was getting stronger every day. He was going to lose his fucking mind. After all of this. After fighting for a real life, to not live on the fucking streets like others he knew from the service, he was going to wind up exactly where he’d started—needing drugs and living on the edge of his suicidal tendencies.
“I’d like to help you out, but I got my own deals that could be in jeopardy by my association with you.”
He shot him an angry look.
“Don’t be pissed. It’s fucking business, man, and that’s it.” He looked around them and then back at Cornero.
“Here.” He passed him a piece of paper with one phone number on it and one address.
“That’s the location of the woman you’re looking for. She’s here in Texas, in a town called Salvation.”
His eyes widened. “How the fuck did you find her so quickly?”
“I got my resources, which also informed me of that bust and your buddies going down. These detectives and feds want your ass badly. You need to take the money you have, plus the fifty thousand I’m loaning you until you’re back on your feet again, and go get her. Take the last thing you wanted from the men that fucked you over. That number will connect you to a guy who does transports.”
“Transports?”
“He gets people out of the country under the radar.”
“She won’t cooperate.”
“She doesn’t need to be conscious,” he stated very seriously, like a man who had used these services himself.
He nodded his head.
“There’s an SUV all gassed up with the directions to her location in the navigation system. After you grab her, leave that SUV at the location that guy gives you to meet him. I’ll get rid of the vehicle,” Mercury told him.
Cornero didn’t want to be thankful to Mercury or owe him, but he had no choice. He was handing him not only his freedom from spending the rest of his life behind bars but also the opportunity to be happy. Maybe when he got his hands on Lois she would know where the drugs and money were, and they could get someone to sell them and get him that money once he was in a safe location with her? He shook Mercury’s hand and stood up. As he walked away and headed to grab his shit and go to the SUV, he wondered if he would get away with this. As he packed his clothes and all his stuff he saw his hands shaking and he couldn’t stop them. “No. Not fucking now. Not when I need my shit together.”
He looked through his bag and took out the small case. He laid the items on the dresser, set it all up, and then held one nostril and inhaled the white powder up his nose. He shivered from the tingling sensation and shock to his system.
“Just a little fucking bit to take off the edge. Just a little,” he said aloud and then packaged the rest up for later if he needed it. He was going to be free no matter what, or die trying.
* * * *
“He wasn’t with them, but our sources say he is somewhere in Texas,” Investigator Yorkin told Danny. Danny ran his fingers through his hair. He had been at this long enough to follow his gut. Why had Spitz and Ganor been in Dallas doing this deal? Who else was involved with these guys and their operation?
“Every time we turn around and do a fucking raid on these guys, we end up with more questions and a list of more suspects who are involved. They’re all fucking retired from the service, too, which really fucking pisses me off,” Detective Ben Corbotta said to them.
“Now we got the locals involved with this shit. Let’s see if they can find Cornero, if he is really even in Texas,” another detective said.
Just then another local detective came over. Danny had called up a few friends when this shit went down here in Dallas. Sandman Sandstone and his brothers were resourceful men who did special jobs for the government as well as private investigating. They had a lot of friends throughout towns in Texas and across the United States. He trusted them, so when this call came in to a local detective, Danny knew it was legit.
“Danny, I just got off the phone with Sandman. He knows the woman Lois who was Caden’s ex. He said she lives in Salvation now.”
“Get us a location. I assume Sandman has a contact of someone he trusts in law enforcement there?” Danny asked.
“The local sheriff, Ford Brazos.”
“Get me in touch with him. Let me know when you have him on the line.”
“This friend of yours, Sandman, has some serious connections,” the investigator said.
“Contrary to the shit that is going on with these men we’re investigating, the majority of soldiers are good men who retire and just want to live a somewhat normal life. These bad apples ruin it all for those men. Make people feel like soldiers can’t be trusted or are borderline psychos about to pop.”
“Save that thought, Danny. Word is, Cornero may be using in addition to dealing,” the other detective told him.
“Fuck,” Danny said and then ran his hand along his jaw. This situation was about to get worse, sooner rather than later.
“I’ll call Sandstone myself. We need to take precautions and figure out where Cornero is and why Texas.”
* * * *
They were all sitting by the lake enjoying the beautiful summer day. Kenny was already swimming pretty well with the men’s support and lessons. He had one floaty on his arm and was raring to get rid of it, but Evan told him he needed a little more time. She had yet to go into the water or take off her cover-up and it was getting really hot, even under the umbrella. She didn’t know why she felt so nervous about wearing the bikini. Valentina said she looked fantastic in the blue two-piece, but it was kind of skimpy. She should feel confident and well protected around her men. She needed to get rid of these sensations of feeling scared and vulnerable. Nothing bad was going to happen to her. No one was out to get her or hurt her. Caden was dead and Salvation was her future—a future of love and happiness with her four Green Berets and her son Kenny.
With a renewed confidence and the desire to be normal, to feel sexy and beautiful, she stood up and took off her sun hat and sunglasses and then slowly lifted the cover-up. When she looked up, all four of her men were watching her.
“Mommy, you’re coming swimming, too?” Kenny yelled out, causing Evan to smile.
“Just a quick dip to cool off,’ she said as she made her way slowly into the lake.
“That’s what you think,” Ford said and lifted her up into his arms and brought her into the water, dunking her. She screamed and they all laughed while she tried to get out of Ford’s arms. It was no use, as he held her tightly, and she leaned back against his chest.
“You look pretty, Mommy,” Kenny said, swimming over to her. Ford released her and she opened her arms to embrace Kenny. He wrapped his legs around her waist and hugged her tight. Over his shoulder, she locked gazes with Evan, Laverty, and Ghost. They looked so delicious and sexy. She wished she could touch them and explore their bodies. Then she felt Kenny getting a little heavier and, sure enough, he was closing his eyes and falling asleep on her shoulder.
“I think someone is exhausted,” she whispered and started to move toward the shoreline. She carried Kenny to the blanket under the umbrella and laid him down. Evan removed the floaty on his arm and Lois dried him off with a towel and then laid another dry one over him. She smiled, and when she looked up, her men were watching her. She eased herself up off the blanket only for Laverty to pull her into his arms and kiss her deeply. She felt his hand move over her ass and the other cupped her breast. She wanted him inside of her so badly she ached. When he released her lips, he touched his forehead to hers as he lowered down. “God, you’re so sexy and beautiful. I
don’t want you wearing any bikinis unless one of us is with you. Got it?” he scolded and she nodded her head and he gave her a wink.
“How about a drink?” Evan asked and reached into the cooler to pull out some beers and a wine cooler for Lois. She stepped away from Laverty and Evan took her hand and licked his lips as he looked her body over. “You get more and more beautiful every day.” He leaned closer and kissed her. When she held on to his arm, she ran her palm along his muscles, loving the feel of his body. The need to have them all got stronger and stronger.
“I think we should have these drinks and then head up to the house. Maybe Valentina could keep an eye on Kenny for a couple of hours?” Ghost asked, holding her gaze and taking a sip from his beer.
“She said she can watch him tonight so we can spend some time together,” she told Ghost.
“Good,” Ford stated and she walked over to her cover-up, but Evan pulled it away. “No. Stay just like that so we can enjoy looking at your perfect body and thinking of all the ways we’re going to explore it tonight.”
She pushed a strand of wet hair behind her ear and lowered her eyes. “Evan,” she whispered, letting him know she was embarrassed, but then Ghost stood up and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t be shy with us, beauty. We adore your body. We’re possessive of what belongs to us, so you better get used to it.”
She held his gaze and looked at the muscles on his chest and that dark, mysterious look in his brown eyes that was all Ghost. She ran her palms up his chest and held his gaze.
“I can be possessive of what’s mine, too.” She stood up on her tiptoes but still wasn’t tall enough to reach Ghost’s lips. He raised one of his eyebrows at her, as if surprised by her statement, but then lowered so she could kiss him. He slid his hand under her bikini to her ass cheek, shocking her as he kissed her and wouldn’t let her move. She knew Kenny was out cold, but still, they were outside by the lake where anyone could see. His finger stroked between the crack of her ass and she parted her legs and he chuckled against her mouth. “Oh, you are really naughty, baby. You want to get filled with cock, don’t you?” he asked against her lips. She nodded her head.
The American Soldier Collection 17: Love a Woman Right (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 13
