Runner

by A. J. Summer

  “What did Daniel want?” Mike asks, coming over to me. “He wants me to go to the Apple now,” I answer. Mike checks the time on his phone then starts toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” I ask him.

  “To the Apple. You just said Daniel wants you there. So let’s go and get this done,” Mike answers, looking at me like I’m annoying him.

  “He said to bring Talon,” I say, looking at her. She has a why-me look on her face, but she still agrees to go. “Okay,” is all she says. She grabs her bag and stands next to Mike.

  “Come on then,” she says, waving me forward impatiently.

  I feel like a shit for doing this, but I don’t think Daniel wanted Talon to go in her jeans and sneakers. I clear my throat, searching for the right words, and when I look at her she has an eyebrow cocked at me. I’m going to get a shoe up my ass for this.

  “Just spit it out, Runner. Are we going to die or something?”

  Are we? Possibly. It’s always an option nowadays. I don’t have the answer, but I don’t think Daniel is planning on killing me tonight. I have to do whatever he wants me there for first. Talon, on the other hand, might want to kill me after I tell her to change.

  “No, it’s not that. You can’t go like that,” I say, shaking my head. Talon looks at her clothes then back at me.

  “We are going to the Apple, aren’t we? I’ve seen people without shoes in that place.” She pinches her lips up shrewdly. I wonder what Talon was doing at the Apple.

  “It sounded like we are meeting an important client; he said to make sure you wear something nice. The client likes well-dressed women.” I’m such a dick. I deserve a shoe up my ass for that.

  Talon scoffs then starts toward her room.

  “You’re not dressed. And I hope your bag boy packed something decent,” she says, before slamming her door.

  “He didn’t say anything about me,” I mutter under my breath. Mike laughs and goes back to the couch to watch their movie.

  “Hey, where did all the Call Mandy cards come from? Are the staff putting those in the rooms?” I call over to Mike, remembering that I wanted to ask him earlier. Mike looks thoughtful for a moment, like he has also been wondering where they came from. Ana and Mary burst into fits of giggles, and Jonah eyes her wearily. “Mary…” Jonah starts to ask her, but my attention drifts to the door opening at Talon’s room.

  Talon steps out of her room wearing a jump-start-my-dick-with-a-defibrillator red dress. I mean, this thing doesn’t even have a back, and her breasts are barely contained. But what really gets me are the frickin’ red heels she has on. I’ve definitely changed my mind about the shoe-up-the-ass part. I’ll stay very far away from those bad boys. I mean, you could lose an eye just by looking at them. She gives me a stuff-you smile and walks over to the mini bar. She pulls three miniature bottles of vodka from the fridge and immediately pops the first one. A trace of red lipstick stays behind on the vodka bottle, and my bottom lip starts to tingle.

  “I’ll be right back,” I say to her as I walk to my room. Thank fuck I had a decent pair of slacks brought over this afternoon. You never know when you might need them. I take the gun out of the back of my jeans and strip as fast as I can. I put on the plain, white button-down and black slacks and ruffle my hair. Shoes, fuck, I don’t have any shoes. I look at my old chucks and my lip curls. At least they are black. I strip off the black slacks and put my jeans back on with the chucks. At least I changed my T-shirt. I pop the gun back into the back of my jeans and open the door.

  Talon is sitting at the table, drumming her fingers on the top, the three miniature vodka bottles empty and tipped over on the table.

  “Ready?” I ask when I get close to her. “Sure. You changed your shirt. Nice.” She swings her bag over her shoulder, and her ponytail smacks me in the face, leaving me with a teary eye. I hurry forward to open the door for her. This time I get a real smile, not like the one of earlier when I insulted her clothes. I really like that Talon appreciates me doing gentlemanly stuff for her. I’m so going to regret breaking my own rules, but manners are manners, and I’ll make my mother proud, no matter how messed up my life is.

  “So what am I suppose to do?” Talon asks me when we park in front of the Apple. “I have no idea. But stay by my side,” I answer honestly.

  Talon’s eyes roam over my face, and I can feel how much she trusts me even before she gives me a small nod. She moves to open her door, and I open mine and rush around to her side to help her out. Apple doesn’t have the best of parking lots around, and I don’t want her to step into one of the huge-ass craters all over the place. She puts her arm around my waist and leans in close to whisper in my ear. “By your side,” she says, giving me a squeeze. I chuckle and drape my arm around her shoulders. This is all pretend, I remind myself.

  As soon as we step through the doors of the Apple, all eyes focus on Talon. I can’t blame them, she looks lethal tonight. I scan the crowd and notice a few familiar faces, old customers of the loan house, some of the casino. I lead us over to the bar. The music is loud, and I have to lean in close and speak into her ear so she can hear me. The bare skin of her neck catches my eye, and I almost run my tongue over her smooth skin, just to taste if she’s as good as she looks. When I bring my head up to her ear, my nose runs along her skin and she shivers. Damn, that is sexy.

  “What are you having?”

  “Vodka,” she says, looking around the bar.

  “I don’t think you should have any more of those,” I say, still leaning close. She takes a step back and pushes me further away from her. She’s about to say something to me when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I take it out to see a text message. The number I recognize as Daniel’s.

  The man you are looking for is in the back room playing poker. I want you to get his cell phone and drop it at the security at Indigo. His name is Antonio LaVaas.

  “Shit!” I mutter. How the fuck am I suppose to get his phone. I put my hand on the small of Talon’s back, and she glares at me, but then she sees my phone and she relaxes. She holds her hand out for the phone, but instead I thread my fingers through hers and lead her to the back room. If LaVaas’s brother recognizes me, this whole night is a bust. I know Daniel knows I’ve done business with the LaVaas brothers. His men must’ve tipped him off about the meeting we had with Benedict. Perhaps that’s why he said to bring Talon. Mindful of those killer heels she’s wearing, I navigate Talon through the four tables in the back room all occupied by four players and a dealer each. But she keeps up easily, moving with feline grace.

  I immediately spot Antonio at the table furthest away from us. He is surrounded by women, all vying for a second of his attention. I give Talon’s hand a gentle squeeze and tip my head in the direction of Antonio. When I’m sure she’s seen him, I lead her back to the bar.

  TALON

  Runner gives me his phone, and I read the text Daniel sent. I know he wants me to get the phone, but I’ve got no idea how to get it. Runner finally gets me my vodka, but mixes it with Coke. I take the tall glass and eye it suspiciously. It’s going to taste like shit, such a waste of a good drink. I start walking toward the back room but stop to light a cigarette. I look back at Runner and shoot him a wink. I love the hunger in his eyes as his gaze devours me. But he owes me for this, and I know just how he can repay me.

  It helps that Antonio LaVaas is a looker. I don’t think I’d be able to let him fondle my ass like this if he wasn’t. I’m straddling his lap right here at the poker table, the other hoochies and his game long forgotten. When Talon Blake wants something, she gets it. Or at least most of the time. Lately I seem to just drift along, maybe that’s because I’m not sure what I want anymore. I take another vodka shooter and empty it into my mouth. I let it trickle from my lips into his mouth slowly. This is about the fourth time I’ve done this tonight, and I’ve managed to avoid his tongue getting close to mine every time. I can feel his hard erection pressing into my ass, and when I turn around to put
the empty shooter glass back onto the table, he yanks me back and the glass shatters on the floor. Antonio growls low in his throat and pulls my head down to his. I close my eyes and run my hands down his chest, down his side, searching for that damn phone. I finally find it in his right inside jacket pocket. And I let him kiss me while I figure out a way to get the phone out from his pocket.

  Antonio grinds himself into my ass and pants loudly into my ear. “You are such a naughty minx for teasing me like this. I’m going to give you a good hard spank, right here. For everyone to see,” Antonio slurs. He starts lifting the hem of my dress. His palm is rough and hard as he strokes my naked butt cheek. But I can do this, for Runner I’ll do this. A favor for a favor. That’s how they do business around here, right? Shouting comes from the bar, and I pull my head away from Antonio’s hungry lips. Two of his men come barging into the room, and it’s only then that I notice people are running for the exit. I scramble off his lap when he tries to stand up, but it’s obvious Antonio La Vaas is wasted. I grab my bag off the back of his chair and slip his phone inside.

  “Wait,” he slurs when I start to move out with the last of the people. “I want your number,” he says, patting his pockets down for his phone.

  “Oh spurt sticks,” I mumble. And I push through the crowd faster, not caring that people are giving me nasty looks. I find Runner standing calmly right where I left him. There’s smoke coming from the left side of the bar at the horrid jukebox that’s been poisoning my ears all night.

  “You started a fire?” I ask when I get close enough to him. He grins at me and then takes the hand I’m holding out to him. “We have to hurry. Antonio asked for my number, and he couldn’t find his phone,” I say softly. I pull us forward in a half jog. I manage to miss all the major potholes, and when Runner opens my door, I wish we were gone already. I can hear the distant sound of fire engines and police sirens. Just as Runner starts the car, I see Antonio’s men and they see me. They point towards us. “Runner?” I say, and when he sees them, he spins the car around with a screech of tires and a spray of pebbles. The cars in front of us are all blocking the way, but somehow he seems to get us through the traffic jam. When we finally turn down a quiet street, I heave a sigh of relief and slump in my seat.

  “It’s not over yet.”

  When I turn around to see what he is talking about, I see the black SUV turn down the same road. “Is that them?” I ask, panic rising in my chest. Runner just nods his head and steps on the gas. “Turn right in front, towards the river. There’s an old make-out spot down there. There should be a few people parked out. We might get lost in the crowd,” I say quickly as the turn comes up fast. We take another turn, and for a moment I can’t see the car behind us, but I know they’ll be back.

  When we pull into the old caravan park, Runner gives me a quick look before turning back to the cars in front of us. There’s at least thirty cars parked along the bank. All with steamy windows and some rocking from side to side. Runner manages to squeeze us in right in the middle between an old Beetle and a fancy BMW. The other car occupants might not be able to open their door on my side, but why would they want to get out. They came here to get down and dirty. If the car’s a rockin’ don’t come knockin’. Runner turns off the ignition and kills the lights. I turn around in my seat and look back the way we came. “Do you think we are okay now?” I ask, turning back to face him. He is watching the rearview mirror. “I don’t think so. If they check the cars, we are busted,” he says, not looking away from the mirror.

  I risk a quick backward glance and see the SUV parked at the entrance. The two guys get out and start checking cars from the furthest end.

  “What do we do now?” I ask in a hushed voice. Runner laughs then looks at me.

  “Why are you whispering?” he whispers back to me.

  I smack his arm and he turns serious. “We could run downriver, but I doubt you’ll make it in those heels,” he says pointing at my shoes.

  “Or we could make out,” I say, pointing at the girl’s head pressed against the back window of the car next to us. It sounds a lot less risky than running downriver. I have bad experiences with rivers. I don’t wait for his reply and climb over to straddle him in his seat.

  “Wait, Talon, what are you doing? Even if we pretend to make out like the rest of these people, there’s no way these guys are going to miss you in that red dress. Everyone in the bar saw you in this dress,” he says, picking at my dress.

  “Then we lose the dress,” I say, slipping the zip down and tugging it over my head. I lean over and stuff it into the glove box making sure no pieces are sticking out on the sides.

  I watch Runner as I settle back on his lap. I didn’t wear a bra with the dress, and I can tell he is trying hard not to look at my breasts. “Come on, Runner, you’re stiff as a board. You are into girls, right? Or is just me?” I whisper as I trail kisses down his jaw.

  I know very well that Runner is into girls but I’m trying really hard not to get killed here. I’m not thinking clearly. Just being here, like this, is a death all on its own. Runner grabs my hips and lets me feel just how stiff he is. He grabs my chin and brings my lips to his. And then he kisses me, like really kisses me. Like that night so many months ago in his driveway. He licks my lips like they are his favorite kind of ice cream. He tastes my tongue like he’s an addict and I’m his next fix. He devours me like he has wanted to do this for a while. When the soft tap on the window comes neither of us turn away or break the kiss. I fist my hands in his hair and moan into his mouth. Runner pulls me closer, hiding my bare breasts between us. Whoever is outside this window isn’t seeing much.

  The tap sounds again, a little louder this time, and he pulls his mouth away from mine. I nestled my face into his neck and tease the skin with my teeth. I’m not ready for this moment to be over just yet. My heart is thumping loudly, and my skin burns with the need to be touched. Runner squeezes my hip trying to get me to stop so he can deal with the guy at the window, but I giggle and suck a mouthful of flesh into my mouth before releasing it with a loud pop. I know we were supposed to just be pretending, but how could I not get carried away when he kissed me like that.

  Runner takes a deep breath and wraps his arm around me tighter, squeezing the air from my lungs. I get the warning loud and clear. Fun’s over. Runner rolls down his tinted window, slowly, like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “Yes?” he asks.

  “We’re looking for some people. You see anyone suspicious around here?” The guy asks and light fills the car as he shines the flashlight into the small space. The light shimmies over us, and Runner straightens to wrap another arm around me. The guy leaves his light on us, and Runner growls low in his throat.

  “Besides you? Nope,” I answer on a giggle, hoping to diffuse some of his tension.

  “Talon,” he hisses under his breath. “If you’re done checking out my girl, you can leave now,” he says, slow and murderous. My heart gives a little jump at the way he says it with so much anger that I almost believe him. Runner rolls up his window before the guy can answer him. He runs his hands down my back, caressing my skin slowly. And then he removes his arms around me.

  “They are gone.”

  I lift my head from his neck and come face to face with that guy. That guy—the one who fucked me on the hood of his car and walked away while I wrestled my skirt down over my thighs. I fucking hate that guy.

  RUNNER

  I drop the phone with the security guard on duty at the Indigo. It’s an old-ish guy, and he’s worked here as long as I have, maybe even longer. He looks at me with pure confusion on his face. Another man walks up to him and takes the phone from him.

  “You’re late,” he shouts over his shoulder as he disappears through the turnstiles.

  The hotel room is dark and quiet when I finally open the door for Talon. She doesn’t look at me when she slips past. I’m being a shit, and she hasn’t said a word since she climbed off my lap in the car. I just don’t know if I
want to get close to Talon. Obviously I want to get close to her. I’d like to explore her delicious body some more, but close-close like are-we-an-item close? No way. I’m not ready for that shit. And I’ve made my rules. Now I should just stick to the damn things. Why is it so difficult then?

  It’s 5 a.m. and Talon is taking off her heels while she has a smoke at the window. I watch her dress ride up the back of her thighs as she leans down to take her other shoe off. She catches me staring and takes another drag of her cigarette. There’s hurt in her eyes, warring dangerously with her anger, and I know I put it there, and I also want to take it all away. I stuff my hands into my jean pockets so I don’t do anything stupid, and then I scream at my dick to just let me go to my room.

  I mumble a goodnight that I don’t even think she hears. I doubt I’ll get any sleep, but I need to do something before I leave for work in a couple of hours. I’m standing at my room door, looking in, when I hear Talon’s soft footsteps coming down the passage. Her room is right next to mine. I turn around, and she jumps when she sees me in the entryway. I grab hold of her waist and pull her into my room. She squeaks but then immediately starts fighting in my arms. I kick the room closed and push her up against it. “No. I’ll make it better,” I say. Her fists fall limply to her sides, and I know I’ve got her. I think I’ve finally lost my mind.

  DAY SIX

  *

  RUNNER

  “Runner!” Ana shouts frantically as my bedroom door crashes against the wall. I start to sit up, but Talon’s sleeping head on my chest stops me. “Oh,” Ana says, looking at me. “There she is. I thought she was gone. Did you guys…”