by James, Marie
I hear him chuckle on the other end of the line. “Yeah, Shadow told me about the girl.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Why is everyone so chatty about Em?” I’m walking slowly by this point. There’s no sense in keeping up a steady pace when I’m fixing to have to discuss business.
“Em, huh?”
“Emmalyn,” I say in frustration since I just revealed to him my level of comfort with her by using a nickname. “What do you have Blade?”
“Senator’s daughter. Mixed up with the wrong crowd being rebellious.”
“Oh great. Another rich girl who needs to be reminded who her daddy is.” I can’t believe this is what I have to deal with right now.
“It’s a little more complicated than that. FBI is involved because they’re pretty certain she’s been sold.”
“Fuck,” I say. We seem to be getting more and more sex trafficking cases, and each one has been worse than the last.
“Yeah,” he says sadly. “The FBI has utilized all of the resources they have.”
Translation, the only options they have left are ones that either border on or are illegal, and the government agency can’t be linked to them, even though it is the FBI who’s hiring us. We don’t take private jobs; the contracts we get are from government agencies. We help them; they protect us.
“So we’re looking at an extended assignment.” I just got Em to the clubhouse, and now I’m going to be gone from her for weeks. My luck would be she’d be gone before I get back.
“We have some pretty good intel, but it looks like you guys will be headed to South Africa.”
“Fucking World Cup,” I mutter. When the World Cup is held, sex traffickers and thousands of slaves invade the area.
“Exactly,” he replies. “I’m going to email you all the specs. You leave out at midnight so you’ll need to be at the airfield by ten to go over the details.”
“Thanks, Blade. Tell Rachel and the boys I said hi.” I end the call and remind myself that someone’s daughter is missing, and I’ve been tasked with bringing her home; that’s if she’s still alive. My anger over not wanting to leave Emmalyn alone is petty and selfish, and clearly something I need to get over.
The unpleasant thoughts of returning from this mission to find her room empty are bouncing around my aching skull when my phone rings again. Looking at the screen this time though makes me smile.
“Brother,” I say with a smile.
“Hey, man.” Kaleb’s accented voice is much happier than the last time I answered one of his calls.
“How’s Josie?” I hear him laugh.
“She woke up a few hours ago. The doctors are happy with her progress.” He pauses, and concern begins to swim in my gut. “We’re having a baby, man. She’s pregnant.”
I can tell by the tone of his voice that he’s ecstatic over the news. “That’s awesome, Kaleb. Have you told your mom yet?”
I hear him sigh and know the answer before it even makes it past his lips. “I’m heading there now. I asked her to marry me, Diego. We’re getting married!”
I thought just getting her back home to her family was incredible, but now a baby and an engagement; she’s got to be overwhelmed.
“Keep her close, Kaleb. That woman is precious.”
“I know. Hey, I’ll talk to you later; I just pulled up outside of ma’s house.” I can hear the fear in his voice. Angelica Perez is no pushover, but news of a grandbaby and a soon-to-be daughter-in-law will be music to her Puerto Rican ears. My smile is a sad one as I make my way back into the clubhouse. My Uncle Gustavo would’ve spoiled a grandbaby rotten, so this is bittersweet news for all involved.
I sent out a mass text to the guys earlier to let them know they need to gear up to head out this evening and Kid, unsurprisingly, is waiting for me by the pool table with his arms crossed over his chest. I knew the adrenaline junkie wouldn’t be happy with being left out of this one.
“Don’t give me that look, Kid. I need you here.” I head to the fridge for a cold bottle of water; he follows me like I’ll change my mind if he annoys me enough.
“You know how much I like the international jobs, Kincaid.”
“Yes, I’m well aware of your ‘fuck a woman in every country’ plan.” I smile at him before tilting the water to my mouth.
“I’ve never been to South Africa, Kincaid,” he says it as if the news will have me changing my plans.
“I’m well aware you haven’t been to South Africa. You’ll have to wait until the next time to mark it off your list.” He huffs and grabs a beer out of the fridge, a show of defiance since he’s being forced to stay behind. I grin at his passive-aggressiveness.
“Do I even have to guess why I’m being left here?” He gives me a knowing look, but I feel the need to tell him anyway.
“Emmalyn,” I say. “I need you here. She’s more important than this mission, and I’m trusting you with her.”
He straightens, his chest filling with pride at what I just told him. “Not Shadow?”
He’s fishing for more compliments, and I have to smile even bigger. “I don’t trust Shadow not to try to fuck her while I’m gone.” I raise my eyebrows up at him, and he understands my warning immediately.
He nods and leaves me standing in the kitchen alone, leaning against the counter, and drinking another bottle of water. Summers in New Mexico are no joke, and I regret running out in the heat of the day.
A few minutes later I see Kid walk by with a few shopping bags in his hands followed by a laughing Emmalyn. Maybe leaving him here isn’t such a good idea after all.
Rose comes into the kitchen as I’m thinking of ways to take Em on our mission, which is completely illogical, but my desire not to let her leave my sight has me thinking many crazy things the last couple of days.
“How did shopping go?” I throw both of my empty water bottles in the trash and go back to leaning against the counter. “Didn’t look like she had much.”
“I almost had her convinced to buy everything, but she backed out.” She smiles at my frown. “She’s nothing like one of these club whores. She’s not thrilled about the idea of owing you.”
“She doesn’t owe me shit.”
“I know that.” She nods toward the hall to the bedrooms. “You can’t convince her of that, though. She has every intention of paying you back.” She holds her hand up to silence me before I can even respond. “She’s a keeper, Diego.”
Her use of my first name tells me how serious she is. “I know that,” I admit and walk out of the room.
I narrow my eyes at Kid as he comes out of Emmalyn’s room with a huge grin on his face; it fades the second he sees me coming toward her. I block his path in the narrow hall. “Did I make the wrong choice?”
He knows exactly what I’m referring to. “No, Kincaid. I’ll protect her with my life.”
“And?”
“And my dick stays in my pants.” I step aside and let him continue down the hall. I smile when I hear a relieved whoosh of air leave his lips.
Emmalyn’s door is open, so I stick my head around the corner and lean on the door frame. She’s pulling tags off a few clothing items and folding them.
“I’d hoped you would get more.”
She must’ve heard me walk up because she doesn’t startle when I speak. Worst yet, she doesn’t raise her eyes to me.
I stand in the doorway, refusing to leave until she acknowledges me.
“Rose said there is a laundry room. I’ll make this work.” Finally, her beautiful eyes rise to mine and my heart beat increases. “I’ll pay you back. I have the receipts.” She points to a small stack of printed register tape.
“I don’t expect you to pay me back.” She turns to put the clothes on the dresser. Her sudden indifference bothers me.
“I’ll pay you back,” she says with finality.
“How long do you plan to stay pissed at me?” I walk into the room but take a seat on the chair I spent too many hours alone in last night.
It says I’m pissed, but I won’t give you the satisfaction of admitting it.
“I’m not mad.” She shrugs her shoulders and carries the last of the clothes to the dresser. A pair of panties falls from the bottom of the pile. She was obviously trying to hide them from me. I notice two things at once, the tiny triangles of pink lace and her fabulous ass as she bends over to scoop them up off the floor.
I grunt my approval to both and she turns back to me and narrows her eyes.
“Don’t,” she says. I raise an eyebrow at her. “Don’t come in here and try to be all sexy. Not with that shit in the kitchen this morning.”
She’s prodding, and I know she wants an explanation from me. Either she wants the backstory on Bunny or reassurance that there’s nothing going on. It makes me mad for some reason, and when I see her reach down and start to absently twirl that fucking wedding ring around her finger I become damn near enraged.
I stand from the chair and walk toward the door. “You don’t get to be pissed about shit in my past, Em. Just like I don’t get to be mad about shit in your past. What I should be mad about is you thinking about me when you came on a finger that have another man’s ring on it.”
I hear her gasp toward my back as I walk out of the room.
Chapter 13
I’m pretty sure I stand in the same spot, with my mouth hanging open for years.
Not only did he point out what I already knew about him being awake this morning and watching me, but he also didn’t tell me anything about the girl from this morning. I close my eyes and take deep breaths. He doesn’t owe me anything, and as far as I’m concerned I owe him for the clothes and the hotel room from the other night, and that’s it.
Begrudgingly, I head to the kitchen and pray Diego is nowhere to be seen. Rose asked me to help out with making dinner tonight, and I agreed. I’m not going to stay hidden away in this room just because I don’t want to run into certain people who are here.
Thankfully, Rose is the only one in the kitchen as I head to the sink to wash my hands before we get started. She already has a ton of ingredients on the counter.
“What happened to that smile you had ten minutes ago?”
I give her a fake half smile.
“I’m sure it has something to do with the same sour ass look Kincaid had on his face a few minutes ago.” She chuckles and hands me a dish towel to dry my hands on.
“Thanks,” I tell her. “How can I help?” I want to steer clear of any conversation of Diego for as long as possible.
A redhead named Snapper and a short brunette named Gypsy join us in the kitchen and begin to help with dinner. We’re all laughing and working together to get a menu of comfort food together when Bunny comes in. The mood in the room suddenly changes, and I can tell immediately that I’m not the only one who doesn’t like her.
“Nice of you to join us,” Gypsy says as she washes lettuce for the salad.
“I was busy,” she says wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
My eyes widen when I realize what she’s implying.
Snapper steps in front of her and points at the sink before Bunny can reach into the bowl and grab a cucumber from the top.
“Wash your fucking hands before you come in here and start touching shit other people are going to eat,” Snapper spits at her.
I see Bunny’s grin spread as she looks at me as if she just realized that I’m in the room. “Don’t worry Snap,” she says in my direction. “I caught it all in my mouth.”
I look over at Rose when Bunny turns her back to me at the sink and begins to wash her hands. She shakes her head and mouths “ignore her.”
Yeah, easier said than done since now I have it in my head that she just sucked Diego off.
I seriously need to find a job and soon. The quicker I can get him paid back and enough money to find my own place to stay the better. I can’t even decide what is more detrimental: the abuse from Bobby or the emotional distress from the last twelve hours.
***
Dinner was just as stressful as I imagined it would be. I was already settled at a table with Rose on one side and Kid on the other when Diego made his way into the room. I saw his jaw clench when he looked at me, but he didn’t say anything. He made a plate and sat down at a table where Shadow, Wrench, and another guy I didn’t recognize joined him.
Everyone carried on their own conversations and although there were other chairs at the table Diego was at no one sat with them. It was as if there was some unspoken rule about who was allowed there. Bunny didn’t even try to sit with them, which was saying something. The four guys kept their voices down and carried on what looked like a very serious conversation while they ate.
Rose, Doc, and Kid tried to draw me into the conversation several times, but I really wasn’t in a socializing mood. I nodded and responded when appropriate, but I didn’t really add anything important to the discussion. As soon as I felt like it was socially acceptable, I excused myself from the table and headed back to my room. The last thing I wanted was to be involved in the “pussy fest” as Rose described it earlier. My understanding is that’s what the evenings at the clubhouse always turn into.
I wasn’t in the room long when a gentle tap on the door interrupted my thoughts, thoughts that were once again about Diego and wondering why I’m even here. I was wondering why he even bothered to help me and then I came to realization once again that he just did what most men would do when they saw a woman being hurt by another man. He helped her.
He helped me, and I clung to him like a fungus and came here with him. We hadn’t discussed anything other than him helping me get away from Bobby and him telling me he would protect me. He didn’t say anything about him being mine or wanting me to be his. Whatever feelings or interest I thought I saw in his eyes and actions were either something I cooked up or something he did with every female.
The knock comes again. I groan and climb off the bed to unlock the door. I hate that there isn’t a peephole in the door, and I stand near it without unlocking it. The last thing I need is Wrench on the other side.
“Em.” Diego’s raspy voice is a relief, and a frustration rolled into one.
I unlock the door and pull it open a few inches. I’ve changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top in preparation for bed seeing as I had no plans to leave my room or see anyone else for the rest of the night. My nipples harden without provocation at the sight of him in my doorway, and I immediately hate that I’m not wearing a bra.
“Hey.” I do my best to act like he doesn’t affect me and fail miserably.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful.” It comes unprovoked and from the slight widening of his eyes, I can tell he didn’t mean to say it out loud.
I feel the resolve I’d spent all day rebuilding against him begin to diminish, and looking in his mesmerizing brown eyes causes me to swallow roughly. I see him shift his weight marginally, but I keep my eyes on his face; the last thing I need is him seeing me staring at his crotch again.
We stand in the doorway for several long minutes, in silence, just peering at each other. His eyes trace every feature on my face until they settle on my mouth, which causes me to shift, mimicking his movements from earlier.
“Can I come in?” His husky voice nearly causes me to melt into a puddle on the floor.
I pull the door further open and step to the side so he can enter. My heart hammers in my chest when he gently closes the door behind him.
“I wanted to give you this before I left.” I look down for the first time and see a cell phone in his hand.
“You’re leaving?” I can’t hide the disappointment I didn’t know I felt until the words were spoken.
“I’ve been called out on a job, Em.” He holds the phone out further for me to take. “Take it, please. I want to be able to talk to you.”
Chills run up my arm when my fingers graze his, and from his hiss, I’m certain he felt it
too.
“How long will you be gone?” I sound desperate and at this moment, I can’t even be bothered to care. I lower my head to try to gain some composure.
He reaches out and tilts my head back, so I’m looking in his eyes. “I’m not sure. A couple weeks probably.” His eyes are once again on my lips, and the attention has them parting slightly, small panting breaths escaping.
“That’s a long time,” I tell his mouth, unable to pull my gaze from his lips.
“I’ll be back before you can even miss me.”
His hand moves from under my chin to cup my cheek. I groan slightly when his thick thumb traces my lower lip and his tongue snakes out and licks his own; a harsh shiver runs up my spine because it feels like his tongue is on my own lip.
He moves closer, and I close my eyes as his mouth nears mine. I feel his warm breath ghost across my already tingling skin. Even though I part my lips slightly, readying them for his kiss, I feel his mouth kiss my cheek with just the faintest edge touching the corner of my mouth.
I’m molten lava, and my body is on fire when he pulls back and clears his throat. I raise my eyes to his, and I can see the lust and desire as clear as day. I’m sure he can see the confusion and pain from his rejection in my eyes. He sweeps his thumb over my lip again before pulling his hand back.
“If I kiss you now, Em, I’ll never stop.” He takes another step back, and it takes all of my power to not reach out to him. “Answer the phone when it rings,” he says and turns and leaves the room.
Chapter 14
I told her the truth. I knew if I tasted her lips I’d never leave. The feel of her beautiful face under my rough hand was almost too much to walk away from as it was. I shake my head to clear it as I pack my duffle bag for the trip. I need to get my head on the right things before the beginning of this mission. Not being in the right head space can get you killed, and I’ll be damned if I die before I know her taste on my tongue.
I stride out of my room without even a sideways glance at her door, resisting the unseen tug she has on me. Making my way to the front of the clubhouse, I hear Wrench and Kid bickering.
