Gainer: Jagged Edge Series #6 (Jagged Edge, Alpha-Male, Romance)

by A. L Long

  Pulling on my arm, which I knew was going to leave a mark, the young man led me over to the couch closest to the large desk and ordered me to sit. Taking my place like a good child, I looked over my shoulder where O’Malley was now sitting behind the desk. My patience was beginning to wear thin as I asked rudely, “Tell me what you want?”

  “What I have always wanted, child. Those FUCKING plates.” His eyes were as dark as death as he choked on his words.

  His voice was so loud and evil that I could the floor vibrate beneath my feet. Sitting tall on the couch, I had to let him know that I wasn’t afraid of him. As long as he thought I knew where those plates were, I knew that he wouldn’t kill me. Somehow, I had to convince him that I knew where they were and convince to let me go so I could show him.

  Lying through my teeth, I said, “I will take you to them.”

  “Do you think I am stupid enough to have you show me where they are? You have five minutes to tell me where they are, or you will never see daylight again.”

  His words ran together as he pounded his fist on the hard wood. My heart began to jump as he walked from behind his desk to where I was sitting. Pulling me to my feet, I knew my time was up. “Wait. I’ll tell you.”

  “Good, I’m glad that you have chosen wisely,” he said with a grin.

  I needed to buy myself some time. Instead of giving him the piece of paper I had stuffed in my pocket, I directed him to my locker, which I knew he would not be able to access without me. “I don’t know exactly where your plates are, but there was a clue left in the suite where that man died. It was hidden in the Bible. The Bible is in my locker, and the only way you are going to get it is if I get it for you.”

  “If this is a trick, you will be sorry,” he mocked, lifting my chin to show his authority. “Bring the car around, we are going for a drive.”

  ~****~

  Heading out of the old church, which wasn’t a church, but some sort of home for children, I knew that we were no longer in New York. It was then that I realized that he must have taken me to the old orphanage where Lou and TJ were raised. The children playing in the courtyard were a dead giveaway. I would have yelled to them to run, only I knew that they would never be able to hear me, and if they did, it could be the end of me. Not saying a word, I followed O’Malley to the car and slid in beside him, where I was instantly cuffed to him. I knew that it was at least a twelve-hour drive back to New York, and sooner or later we would need to stop and get gas. It would be the only way that I would be able to get away from them.

  We had been driving for hours and I knew soon we would be needing gas. My stomach was in knots trying to think of a way that I could escape from them. I could only pray that they would be stopping to fuel inside a town or city instead of out in the middle of nowhere, where there wouldn’t be any place to run. Coming upon a small town, the driver turned off the main road and headed down the street where there was a gas station off to the right. When he pulled up to the pump and shut the engine off, I looked over to O’Malley and pleaded, “I really need to go to the bathroom.”

  I could tell by his body language that he was not happy with my request. Pulling a key from his pocket, he unlocked the cuff from our hands. Opening the door, he got out and rounded the back of the car to my side. Grabbing me by the arm and somewhat assisting me out of the car, he whispered in my ear with gritted teeth, “No funny stuff.”

  As we walked to the building, we both spotted the bathrooms, which were on the outside of the building. Walking me to the woman’s bathroom, he turned the knob and looked inside the bathroom. I guess he wanted to make sure no one else was inside. Closing the door, he again whispered, “You’ve got two minutes.”

  Pulling my arm out of his grip, I entered the small room to find that there were two stalls. There, staring at me above the second stall, was a small window. This was my chance to get away. Stepping on the toilet, I undid the latch on the window and slid it open. There was a screen on the window, which I was able to remove by lifting the two tabs that were on the bottom. Almost losing my grip on the screen, I took in a deep breath and maneuvered it inside the bathroom. Placing it carefully on the floor next to the toilet, I stepped upon the back of the toilet and used all of my strength to hoist myself up to the opening. I knew that my two minutes were up, so I ran like crazy down the alley that was in the back of the station.

  Hearing O’Malley’s voice in the distance, I didn’t have enough time to get far away from them. My only hope was to find a good place to hide. Taking a chance, I spotted a large dumpster, climbed inside, and carefully closed the lip. It stunk to high heaven, but I knew I needed to get under the garbage bags, out of sight. Squeezing my body under two bags, I plugged my nose and breathed through my mouth, praying that they wouldn’t find me.

  I hadn’t heard anything for some time and knew that it was getting late. Moving the bags that I hid under, I carefully opened the lid to the dumpster, just enough to see if it was safe. It was almost dark, and as I looked around, there was no one in sight. Climbing out, I kept my body low as I hurried back to the gas station. I knew I had to be careful. If I got caught, it would not be good for me. Pressing up to the building, I took small steps until I got to the corner. Squatting down, I looked around the side to see that the black car was no longer at the pump. Even though I was pretty sure that O’Malley and the young man, whom I was certain was his plaything, were gone, I still wanted to make sure to stay out of sight, and that meant finding another place to call for help.

  Turning in the other direction, I began jogging at a steady pace down the alley in search of another place where I could call for help. Reaching the end of the alley, I looked down the street and noticed a sign for a small café to the left. It was getting dark and I was probably wasting my time, but I had to find out if the diner was open. The minute I got to the door, I knew it was closed by the blue and white sign that was hanging in the door. There was a light on inside, giving me hope that maybe someone was still inside. Banging on the door, I could see some movement in the back. It was a woman. As she got closer, I saw she wasn’t much older than me.

  Waiting as she turned the lock, I moved back a step so she could swing the door open. “Can I help you with something, Miss?” she asked with a sincere smile.

  “I really need to use your phone. I’m kind of in trouble,” I confessed.

  “Does it have to do with those two men who were here earlier? One of them was a priest. I could tell he wasn’t a very nice one either,” she pointed out.

  “Yes, it does. I need to call my friend in New York. Collect, of course.”

  As she moved to the side to let me in, I walked passed her and waited as she locked the door. “This way, Hun,” she indicated.

  As I followed her through the dining area to the back, I took in my surroundings. This was actually a quaint little diner. I bet it was very popular among the older people, with the checkered tablecloths and the silk daisies in the glass vases that were on every table and along the bar. Walking through the steel swinging doors, the young girl pointed to the phone on the wall. As I picked up the receiver, I couldn’t remember Lou’s cell number. The only thing I could do was call the operator to connect me to Jagged Edge Security.

  I was never so happy to hear the most amazing voice ever. “Lou, I need your help.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Gainer

  Emma’s voice was the sweetest sound I had ever heard. The minute she told me where she was and that she needed help, I was in my truck and on my way to her. She was less than eight hours away and all I wanted was to hold her in my arms. I hoped that she took my advice to stay out of sight until I got there. I figured the best place for her to stay was at the nearest motel. As soon as she got there, she was to have the manager give me a call so that I could pay for her room. I wasn’t about to take any chances and come up short again. After I checked her bag that she left at the hotel and found nothing that told me anything, I was about to go crazy with
worry. It was not going to happen.

  As soon as I got out of the city and onto I-90, it was smooth sailing with my speed just under 80 MPH. As much as I wanted to get to Emma, I knew that a speeding ticket would only slow me down. I told her to check in with me as soon as she got settled in her room. When my phone began to vibrate, I knew that it had to be her.

  “Emma, are you okay?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the road.

  “Yes. I’m in my room. I’m so sorry about everything, Lou. I should have told you everything,” she sobbed.

  “It’s okay, baby. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. If I didn’t, all of this may not have happened and you would still be safe in New York, with me.”

  “I have something to tell you, Lou. It’s about those pla…..”

  Before she could finish what she was going to say, the call dropped. I couldn’t believe that this was happening right now. I looked at my phone several times hoping that at least one bar would come up so that I could call her back. I could turn back around and stop until I got my bars back, but I didn’t want to waste any more time. I just needed to wait until the signal came back.

  I was beginning to get impatient. I must have driven at least sixty miles and still nothing. Just when I was about to give up and take the next exit where there were services to make a call from a payphone, my signal came back. Getting to my recent calls, I pressed the little receiver icon and waited for her to pick up. After the fourth ring, I knew she wasn’t going to answer. If I hadn’t been worried before, I was worried now.

  ~****~

  Pulling up to the motel where I knew Emma was, I parked in front of her room and quickly got out of the truck. Banging on the door, I frantically yelled, “Emma. Open the door.”

  When she came into view, with only a towel barely covering her body, I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my lips to hers. The feel of her in my arms was all the comfort I needed to settle my mind. Breaking our kiss, I pulled away and held up her hands to make sure she had all of her fingers. Taking her in my arms again, I said, “I was worried. You didn’t answer when I called you back.”

  “When the call dropped, I figured you must have lost your cell signal. All I wanted to do was take a shower. Do you know how rank garbage is in a dumpster?” Emma replied.

  “No, I guess I don’t,” I answered with a chuckle as she pinched her nose with her fingers while she waved the other back and forth.

  “That’s not funny, Lou. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever had to do, and having to live on the streets, I’ve had to do some pretty disgusting things.”

  “Well, all of that is going to change. You will never have to live that life again,” I declared.

  I knew by the look on her face that she had no idea what I was saying. Picking her up and carrying her into the motel room, I whispered in her ear, “Because you are going to live with me.”

  Her eyes began to water. I brushed a tear from her cheek and placed my mouth over hers. Even though the taste of salt from her tears managed to join our connection, it didn’t matter. All I wanted to do was consume her, tears and all.

  Placing her gently on the bed, I trailed open-mouthed kisses along the length of her neck. Stopping just short of her ample breasts, I hummed with contentment. “God, I’ve missed this,” as my mouth captured her right nipple between my lips, caressing it gently with my tongue until it peaked into a hard pebble. Trailing kisses down the valley between her perfect globes, I worked my way to the other side, giving her other nipple the same attention. Her back curved as it rose from the mattress, giving me the full benefit of her beautiful breasts. Kneeling between her legs, I placed my hands on each calf and flipped her over gently onto her stomach. Sliding my hands up her silky thighs, I smacked her ass, not hard, but enough to cause her to gasp with pleasure. Kissing the small of her back, I pulled away her towel and placed my hands on her hips and guided her firm ass towards me so that she was on her knees.

  Reaching inside my pocket, I pulled out a small packet before pulling my jeans off and discarding them onto the floor. Sheathing my engorged erection, I positioned myself at her entrance and slowly began rocking my hips in easy movements as I pushed inside her tight channel. The warmth of her vagina coated me like a blanket of velvety softness. Emma’s walls began to contract, letting me know that she was close. Reaching around her, I lowered my hand to her clit and showed her what it meant to be fully pleasured as I began moving the tip of my index finger in circular movements around the hard nub.

  Her hips began moving against my thrusts in perfect rhythm as I continued my assault on her clit. The sound of her moans escaped with the sweetest of words, “Lou, don’t ever leave me.”

  Before I could make my promise to her that never again would I leave, her body began to shudder and I could feel her walls tighten around my cock. I drove deeper inside her until I too was met with my ultimate release that sent a stream of pleasure through my body all the way to my soul. Reveling in complete bliss, Emma’s body collapsed to the bed, sending mine to cover hers. I knew my weight was too much so I slowly rolled off of her to rid myself of the condom that was coated with her essence.

  When I returned to the bed, Emma had pulled the covers over her body and was sleeping soundly, like a baby that had just been fed. Climbing in next to her, I pulled her close to my side and kissed her gently on the temple. With an emotional surge, I took in her scent and whispered, “I love you, Emma.”

  It was only when she brought my hand to her lips and kissed it gently with a “Ditto” that I knew she was my freedom.

  ~****~

  The morning couldn’t have come soon enough, as I spent most of the night staring into the darkness. The nightmare of my past somehow crept in and took over my thoughts. I thought for sure that the nightmares that had been a part of my life for so long were finally gone forever. Taking my cell from the bedside table, I brought it to life to see that it was four o’clock in the morning. Just like every other morning, I would escape my torment by running, only this time I couldn’t. There was no way I would leave Emma’s side, so instead, I just laid in the bed and tried to gather my thoughts and think of something else, like how wonderful my life was going to be now that Emma was part of it.

  When it reached 6:00 a.m., I pushed from the bed and tugged my jeans on before heading outside to call Peter. I knew he would be worried sick since I was too preoccupied last night to let him know that Emma was safe. The minute he answered, my assumption was confirmed.

  “So, glad you found the time to let me know that you were FUCKING okay,” he bellowed, none too happy.

  “Sorry, bro. Time got away from me. Got a little preoccupied.” It was the only thing I could say that I was pretty sure he would understand. “Listen, we are going to be heading out shortly. Just wanted you to know that we should be back in Manhattan before nightfall.”

  “Good, and Gainer, next time call first,” Peter joked, letting me know he knew why I was preoccupied and couldn’t call.

  Going back inside, I looked over to the bed to see that Emma was no longer sleeping. Seeing that the bathroom door was closed, I knew that she was inside. Knocking gently, I asked, “You okay, baby?”

  “Yeah. Be out in a sec,” she replied.

  When the door opened and she stepped out already dressed. I knew she was ready to get out of here and back to Manhattan. Straightening her dress, she placed her hands in her pockets only to pull out a piece of paper. As she handed it to me without a word, I unfolded the note and read it out loud. “In the holy Temple of God, St. Peter will guide you to the treasure through your confession.” Looking up from the note, I asked, “What does this mean, baby?”

  “When I went to the hotel to work my shift, Delores assigned me the 46th floor to clean. I decided to check out the suite where that guy was killed. It still hadn’t been cleaned. I wanted to try and find anything that would tie O’Malley to those deaths, but most of all I wanted to help you. I’m not even sure why, but I took out
the Bible from the desk and began fanning through the pages. That was when I saw those words highlighted. The same ones on the note. I think that it is a clue to where those plates are. I think they are at St. Peter’s in one of the confessionals.”

  “You might be on to something. When we get to Manhattan, we will share this with Peter. If they are there, I want to be the one who finds them.”

  I had never kept anything from Peter, but the note that Emma gave me made perfect sense. It would be the perfect place to hide the counterfeit plates. I knew that if I contacted Peter with this information, he would be at the church in a heartbeat, and I wasn’t going to miss out on finding them there. So, the best thing to do was to wait and tell him when we got to the shop, since that was going to be our first stop.

  Heading to the truck, it hit me that I had grabbed Emma’s bag from her locker. Helping her inside, I opened the back door and unzipped her bag, Emma looked at me with concern. “How did you get my bag?”