Khloe stared at me, dumbfounded and shocked with her mouth gaping open. She was still naked on the bed, her knees tucked up to her chest. She looked beautiful. I still wanted to devour her, but I couldn’t. Not yet. We weren’t safe.
"Ace?" Her tone was defiant and breathy, a mixture of arousal and annoyance.
I swallowed hard, ignoring her. If I stared at her, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from jumping her bones.
“Ace?” She pressed again, in a spicier tone this time. “What is going on? I deserve an answer.”
I turned around. She looked scared, but her eyes weren't dazed over anymore. Nothing could kill a buzz quicker than fear. I hated that we couldn't enjoy the last remaining moments of this night without problems.
She got up from the bed and placed her hands on her hips demandingly.
"That's true. You do deserve an answer," I murmured. "Just get your things together and I will explain everything.”
“I don’t have any things with me,” she hissed with a mixture of condescension and vulnerability. She yanked her shorts back up her hips. It killed me to see her getting dressed. I wanted her to be naked in front of me forever. “All I’ve got is a handbag and a change of clothes. You kidnapped me, remember?”
That one was like a knife in the back. I stopped flustering for a moment. “I’m sorry.” I caught her gaze. I didn’t know how to console her. I cupped my hands gently over her petite ones. “We have to leave. We’re out in the open. It isn’t safe here anymore.”
"Fine," she stated through clenched teeth.
I couldn’t tell whether her cheeks were flushed in the afterglow of provocation and ecstasy or if it was shifting to heated anger at this point. I didn't have time to find out. We needed to get out of this hotel room now and fast.
I finally began to admit the current threat. And all of this was happening along with my promise to Khloe.
She reluctantly followed me to the elevator, then down into the lobby where I instructed her to walk casually as if nothing were out of the ordinary. She grumbled in agreement, still whispering in my ear a demand to know what was going on.
“Come on,” I said, taking her hand and pulling her toward the back of the parking lot where I spotted an easy target. “I’ll have to ditch my bike for now. Since I ditched the scene, they might be looking for it…for me.” I found a long piece of metal by the dumpsters, pushed it down between the door panel to rig the controls, popped the lock, and opened the door.
My heart was bleeding in my chest as I helped her get in on the passenger’s side. I hated that she was in danger. I was so tormented with guilt for the situation. I didn’t know how to take away her fear. She knew what it was like to be encompassed in a crime family. Her own grandfather had sold her. And like the criminal I was, I bought her. All I could do was try my best to chisel away at her barriers and promise her that she could put that life behind her once all of these clouds breezed past us.
We had been making such astounding progress. She was willing to put everything on the line for me and pay the debt. I didn’t even consider her indebted to me anymore. All I wanted was her. But how deep did her feelings run for me? Did she only want to sleep with me as a way of solidifying the transaction?
Or did her heart skip a beat when I entered a room, just like mine did for her? There were too many unanswered questions, but we didn’t have time to untwine our feelings and emotions. Goal number one was to find the cabin and pray that nobody was on our tails, following us.
I knew what to look for. I knew the signs because I’ve had to follow people and go on hunts before. It was the only thing keeping me going, knowing that I would soon have Khloe safely locked behind the cabin walls where no one could hurt her until they went through me first.
We were on the freeway within minutes. Once I realized the old beater didn't have a working air conditioner, I rolled down my windows a bit. She did the same, causing the escaped hair strands from her intricate braid to flow through the breeze. She was beautiful and she was mine. I would keep her safe.
“I’m sorry about what happened back there,” I told her.
“What’s going on, Ace?” She quizzed for what seemed like the millionth time.
“Someone in my crew just tipped me off that the guy who ordered the hit on your landlord is looking for the female owner of the dress shop. He knows you were there the night the shooting went down,” I explained regretfully. Anger was like a lead balloon in my stomach, weighing me down. I couldn’t wait to find out who on my team had let that info slip. We had done the job we were sent to do. Why couldn’t they have left it at that? The place had been cleaned. No incriminating evidence had been left behind. Our faces had been concealed and Khloe didn’t run to the cops. Who had felt the need to mention that a woman was there when Slash shot that sleazeball? Protocol, I know, but I was still fucking angry as fuck. I gripped the steering wheel hard.
“He knows I was there,” she said in almost a whisper. “What does that mean?”
“I’m so sorry.” I shook my head and squared my jaw. I was supposed to be keeping her safe, not sending her further into the tailspin of danger.
“For what?” she exclaimed.
“There’s a bounty out for you.” There. I said it. It was out in the open now. I couldn’t take it back, but she deserved to know the truth of the situation and how grave it was. The threat was real and staring us in the face, even if my tires flew across the pavement and raced to get to the finish line of safety. I cringed at being so blunt and wished I could turn back the clock and erase that statement to sound less domineering.
“Are you serious?” Khloe shrieked with fear.
“You witnessed a murder,” I reminded her gently.
“They don’t know who I am, though,” she retorted.
“Yes, they do. He found out your name, where you live by the shop, everything about you including the fact that you were using that shop to make dresses.”
“Oh my God,” Khloe breathed with horror and dread. “Do you think they will go after my clients too?”
I held my breath. It was an unlikely possibility, but not entirely impossible either. "No," I said somberly. "No one was planning on there being a witness."
“I have to tell you something,” she said under her breath.
"Yes?" I took my eye off the road to look at her, afraid that she'd reveal some horrible news.
"I was using a fake name while I lived there. I even signed my lease using the alias I created for myself. Well, not entirely fake. My grandpa used to do it all the time to protect himself, so that’s what I did. When I signed the lease with Martin, and whenever I introduced myself to clients, I was using my mother's first name, Becca, and my grandmother's maiden name, Turner."
I frowned. “Becca?”
She nodded, exhaled sharply, and ran her fingers through her hair, further loosening some of her strands from the braid.
He exhaled. “No, that’s good. That’s really good. You did what you had to.”
“Yes. I kind of figured it was needed if I was going under the radar for a bit. When my grandfather died, I was scared. I had no choice. I thought if I used anything but my real name that people would leave me alone. My grandfather made a whole lot of people mad before he died.”
“Yes, he did, but now his debts are paid. It’s been years. No one’s after him now. Even if they were, he’s a dead man now. And no one’s going to touch you.”
“No one knows who I really am.”
“That’s why I couldn’t find you. I asked my mom to look you up once while I was in prison and send you a letter. She came back with nothing,” he said.
“I didn’t know what else to do. I burned everything before leaving. They can’t track me using an alias. So, are we okay?” she asked.
I shook my head. “It’s likely they won’t know you used an alias, anyway, but your face has been seen. Even if your papers and docs are fake, there’s gotta be a photo of your face somewhere in your ap
artment.”
“Crap,” she grumbled. “There is…I left my purse in my shop with my ID card. It’s all fake, but my picture is real.”
I clapped my palm against my forehead, feeling bad for almost thinking that someone in my crew would rat her out. “Maybe my gang didn’t rat you out after all. That’s probably how that guy who ordered Flemming’s hit figured you were there. You left your purse.”
“Right. And what woman leaves her purse behind?” She chuckled nervously.
“You were smart about the alias and about keeping a low profile, but you’ve got to be careful. You’re not a criminal, Khloe, so I don’t expect you to think like one either.”
“Not as smart as you, then?”
“I guarantee you’re a lot smarter than me. You’re talking directly to a high school dropout. I finished my GED in prison, but it’s just not the same. Trust me,” I told her.
“Given your circumstances, that wasn’t all your fault. It’s a matter of street smarts versus book smarts. I’m pretty sure we know who’s better prepared in situations like these,” she noted.
“You’d be surprised, actually. We’re going to get through this. We’ll find a way out.”
I wasn’t sure if my testament would repulse her or make her feel relief, but it was all I had to go on for now.
“Okay,” she whimpered meekly behind me, almost inaudible over the rush of the wind.
Based on the terrifying silence of Khloe for the next few moments, I knew that her mind would naturally be plotting the worst case scenario. I wished that I could pull over and comfort her, stroke her hair and make her forget the terrible things. I hoped she still wanted me after all of this blew over.
There was one golden rule of my crew, one rarely ever broken. No one in my crew, including myself, would ever kill a woman. A witness to murder was a witness period, woman or not. The endangerment had to be stifled in the eyes of my crew. They had to protect themselves. They were territorial. In their viewpoint, it was just part of running the business. But to me, it was so much more. I cared about Khloe, and I would die before I'd see her get harmed in any way. But I didn't know the guy who ordered the hit. There was no telling what he'd do or what he was capable of.
I heaved a heavy sigh, the burden of the world teetering on the edge of my shoulders, threatening to crumble and cave around me.
At a stoplight, Khloe placed her hand on my thigh to get my attention. “I was just thinking of something.”
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t see anything. The only face I saw that night was yours." Her voice was high and squeaky as if she suddenly had a revelation that could crack a code in this case.
I nodded my head remorsefully. “Yeah, I know.”
“You know?” Khloe sounded surprised.
“I talked to my crew after you went to sleep one night,” I reluctantly admitted.
“You did?” She sounded surprised.
I pulled off the road and licked my lips, glancing up into the moonlight. “I just wanted to find out what they knew.”
“Did you tell them where we were?” She pressed.
“No!” I exclaimed. “In fact, I even used a burner phone when I called them. After I had you, I couldn’t trust anyone.”
“Oh. I guess I’m just unlucky then.” Khloe's voice was flat as she stared at the road ahead.
"I just…I had to know what they were going to do. I only talked to them for a couple of minutes at most, if even that long. They knew you didn’t pose a threat. They even told me the shit was all over the news claiming it was a robbery.”
“Just like how your crew planned it,” she mentioned.
I nodded. “We’re careful. The only thing that slipped through the cracks that night was you, and that was because of me.”
“Well, if it was someone else, another woman, would you have shot them dead too?”
“No. My gang doesn’t get involved in the slaying of women. Plain and simple. We’re careful. That’s why our faces were concealed. If you had been anyone else, we would’ve left you there tied up. That’s probably what my gang thought I was doing that night when I took you through the back of the shop but I didn’t tie you up back there. I fled the scene with you. Things go awry when there are witnesses to crimes like this. I’ve seen witnesses go missing or shot up in their homes after the fact when someone thinks they pose a threat to their operation. I wasn’t risking it. That’s why I took you.”
“Oh.”
“I’m glad I acted quickly and took you out of there. I have a strange hunch that the guy who ordered the hit is mysteriously connected to law enforcement. Somehow, he found out that your purse and ID had been left behind. Someone had to have leaked that information. When they found out you were using a fake alias, they couldn’t track you. This guy knows that a bounty hunter can and will.”
“Maybe this guy is a crooked cop himself,” she suggested.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Could be. Or maybe he just has a crooked cop on his payroll.” I turned to look at her. “Khloe, when someone from my gang asks me to help with a thing, I rarely ask questions. I get my cash up front. That’s just the way it is now. I go in and do what I agreed to do, which is usually cleaning up, and I get out of there.”
“Okay.” Khloe bowed her head. She was quiet. Probably thinking about how much of a monster and criminal I was.
“When I got the call back at the casino, Paco said it was true that nobody saw how you got away. I told him I didn’t know either. All they know is that you were gone when it was time to dip out of there. They didn’t have much time. Cops were headed that way, and they had to make it look like a robbery with your boss being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyone else who was there that night has washed their hands of it because they know you didn’t see their faces. But Paco’s a smart guy, and he had a hunch about something, so that’s why he called me. He flat out told me that if I had anything to do with your escape that I rectify the situation before both of us gets knocked off.”
“Do we have to run?” Khloe's panicked eyes searched mine. Her pain was brutal to endure. Just looking at her pelted me with a surge of angst.
I paused a moment before stating the next part. "For now. It seems the guy doesn't want a single witness to be left behind on this."
"What are we going to do now?"
I inhaled a deep breath of the crisp, wide open air. “It’s going to be okay,” I managed, trying to stay convincing. “The whole point of going to the cabin is to hide you until I can figure out how to fix this mess. That was the plan from the beginning. Nothing’s changed. We just have to get there quicker and with caution.” Then I turned to her and gave her a genuine and honest smile. “I’m so sorry that you got caught in the middle of all this. If I knew that was your shop…if I knew you were there none of this would've happened. Not that way."
She looked down at her hands.
I pressed forward as we rode on in silence, listening as the breeze whipped through the car. After a while, I decided to keep the communication open with her.
“Once we get to the cabin, I may have to leave you while I sort out the mess,” I confessed.
“You’re going to leave me there…alone?” Khloe sounded utterly horrified.
“I won’t let anyone take you,” I assured her.
Khloe sighed heavily. She was skeptical, but she had every reason to be.
The scent of her perfume wafted through my nose through the delicate breeze. She smelled like roses. I never wanted anything terrible to happen to her. I’d make sure none of the demons of my past, living or dead, would be able to come anywhere close to her.
“You’ll understand soon enough,” I added. “If a bounty hunter spots you out in the open, they are most likely to react and ask questions later. It’s nothing personal. It’s about the money for them. That’s what they are both trained and paid to do.” I left out the part that most of the underground bounty hunters were soulless assholes looking for a tar
get to stamp out their natural aggression. “You’ll need to stay off the radar. Just for a bit.”
She didn’t say anything. The tension between us was thicker now than ever before. I could tell she was upset and scared. I couldn’t live with myself if she hated me now. She hated running—I could see the indifference in her eyes. So did I. I yearned for a life where I could settle down and live without fear. I wanted something stable. A home. A woman. A life worth living. I wanted that with Khloe.
“I’ll agree to do whatever it takes, as long as you promise that nothing will happen to you either,” she said, firmly.
I reached across the center console and grabbed her hand, squeezing lightly. “I promise.”
It was a genuine oath. It dawned on me that in the end, I might just have to make a choice. Keeping her safe was one thing. Keeping her safe from me was another. Even still, keeping myself out of trouble was going to be a challenge in and of itself. The fine line separating these choices were fleetingly disappearing, and it was tumbling out of my control faster than I could catch up.
Chapter Thirteen
Khloe
I didn’t know what happened, but suddenly something jolted me awake. It kind of felt like a jerk in the car right before someone ran off the road.
“What…how long have I been asleep?” I lifted my head and yawned groggily to find Ace hunched over the wheel staring intently through the windshield.
I realized that he had rolled up the windows, which was probably why I was suddenly sweating.
“Not long,” he said, his eyes darting back and forth between the side and rear view mirrors.
"Do you want me to drive so you can catch a nap? I wanted to offer before, but I can't really drive a motorcycle," I said.
Claimed by the Ex-Con: An Ex-Con Second Chance Contemporary Romance Novel Page 7
