The Class of '93 Trilogy: Deadly Briefs

by Felicia Forella

  Some time after they'd made love for a second—less frantic—time, they'd crawled under the covers and fallen asleep holding each other. He glanced down at Erika, curled on her side, so peaceful in her sleep.

  He'd tried to see her once after the botched proposal, but she'd refused to have anything to do with him unless he was willing to allow her to join the AFSA. He'd refused to change his mind.

  So they'd graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and gone their separate ways. Never—he'd never stopped thinking about her. He thought about her as he'd held Natalie's dying body, afraid Erika would suffer the same fate. His conviction that married women didn't belong in dangerous positions was strengthened by Natalie's fate. It would be hard enough for Natalie's family. But for any children left behind ... he didn't want to imagine the grief. He'd thought about her as he proposed to Nancy, which should have been his first clue that all was not as it should have been with the woman he planned to marry, one whose beliefs meshed with his.

  He'd thought about her at the most inopportune times.

  Now, she shared a bed with him. Temporarily anyway.

  In his heart and mind, he understood temporary was all it would ever be. They both harbored different views on life and marriage, trod different paths. Even if they could manage to make those paths come together, his track record still prevented him from committing to another woman again. He'd be damned if he'd hurt Erika a second time.

  The red neon glow of the bedside alarm clock broadcast the early morning time. At six o'clock, it was an hour past his usual rising time. On a normal Wednesday, he'd be at the office by seven, preparing for the weekly partners’ meeting. This was anything but a typical hump day.

  Trying hard not to shake the mattress and wake Erika, he rolled from the bed and crossed to the window without bothering to step into any clothes. Shifting the lined curtains a fraction of an inch, he stared out at the gray predawn landscape, the nearly full moon casting long shadows on the Biltmore Estate in the distance. The turrets and towers rose to the sky against the backdrop of the mountains.

  He should wake Erika. If they got on the road by seven, they'd be in Goldsboro before lunch. Maybe he could even persuade her to push on to Washington, D.C. It shouldn't be more than five or six hours to Bolling, not counting afternoon traffic. He couldn't help himself, he was anxious to get to the base and meet the man in charge. He was even more anxious to do something other than run from Sonny.

  If all that put an end to whatever was going on with Erika, so be it. It had to end sooner or later. Better sooner, before he had the opportunity to hurt her, emotionally or physically.

  Turning from the window, his attention fell on the bed where she slept, sprawled flat on her back, the light from the bathroom casting just enough illumination for him to make her out. The sheet clung to the rounded mounds of her breasts, accentuating the soft peaks of her nipples. His mouth watered at the thought of sucking the pink flesh, tugging at first one and then the other with his teeth until they stood proud and begged for his attention. Sort of like his cock at the slightest hint of sex with Erika.

  One thought flashed through his mind with startling clarity. The real danger in all this excitement might not be coming from Miguel “Sonny” Ramos.

  Chapter 9

  "Hableme.” Sonny Ramos flipped open his cell phone. He still didn't trust the portable devices since one had led to his discovery by the US-headed forces and his subsequent time in exile. He'd been reassured that the signal from this phone bounced around more than a soccer ball during a high scoring game, making it virtually impossible to trace back to his location.

  "Hola, Señor."

  "It is about time you checked in, amigo.” Had his American military pig of an informant not been indispensable, Sonny would have tossed him to the fishes, as the Italian-American Mafioso said. Sonny grew tired of waiting for answers.

  "I have a job to do to maintain my cover here, Señor. I will be no good to you if I lose my position."

  Sonny hated that the younger man had him by the balls. The man had far more strategic value than just his information, no matter how important the knowledge.

  "Sí, sí, yo sé. It is just that I am anxious to find Señor Greene and pay my respects. Do you know where he is?” Sonny stared out the window of the luxury penthouse overlooking the sparkling Miami Beach skyline and the crystal blue Atlantic Ocean. Getting into America had been ridiculously easy. So much for the security improvements in the wake of the World Trade Center bombings.

  "No, I don't. But I have a strong hunch where he will turn up sooner or later. I volunteered for some training that will put me there for the next two weeks. I am positive our paths will cross."

  "They had better, amigo. I am fast losing my patience."

  "Have I ever failed you, Sonny?"

  "I will trust your instincts for now. You'd better deliver."

  The line went dead, the crackling silence filling his ear. He dropped his phone in his pants pocket. Arrogant little puppy. Sonny got the distinct impression the man didn't fear him. Yet another thing Greene stole from him.

  Before he was forced to go on the run like some coward, he had been the most powerful man in Cancuen. No, not only in Cancuen, but in all of South America. Men quivered when he glared and shit themselves when he yelled. He killed those who disappointed him and tortured those who betrayed him. He and he alone dictated policy to the leaders of many nations.

  "Now look at me,” he raged to the empty room.

  He'd return to his beloved country soon enough. Even as he hopped around the world evading capture and a return to jail, forces sympathetic to him in the military plotted to overthrow the American puppet of a president and replace him with a leader more vulnerable to Sonny's manipulation.

  The conceited fly boy was necessary for that, as well. Once he delivered the goods, both Greene and the military weaponry, Sonny would take great pleasure in watching him die.

  The framed photos on the marble mantle caught his attention, distracting him from the visions of torture. Pacing to stand in front of the eye-level ledge, just the images of his wife—ex-wife—soothed his frayed emotions.

  His oldest, his only hijo, would turn twenty-one this year. Sonny had planned to groom Antonio to take over the vast empire. That was before his arrest. Now his son took his studies in los Estados Unidos. Sonny spat into the fireplace to relieve himself of the bad taste in his mouth at the thought. No son of his would ever embrace the fucking imperialistic pigs who'd thrown him in jail and threatened his domain. Once Sonny reclaimed his power, he'd see to it that his son followed in his footsteps.

  Pausing, he traced a finger over the images of his daughters and his wife relaxing on a beach in Rio. The ache in his heart nearly overwhelmed him until he allowed it to be filled with the hate and anger that kept him going. If it hadn't been for those dual emotions, the grief of losing his family might have crippled him.

  No. Miguel Ramos was a strong and powerful man. It took more than one insignificant gringo to destroy him. Soon, he'd have his empire and his family back exactly where they belonged. In the meantime, he'd make sure Aiden Greene got exactly what he deserved.

  Snatching his phone from his pocket, Sonny placed a call to his best investigator to see if he'd had any luck picking up the trail. If Aiden did not turn up soon, Sonny knew how to flush him out.

  * * * *

  "I think we need to press on.” Aiden took a bite out of his sandwich and waited for the explosion. The trip across North Carolina from Asheville to Goldsboro had been uneventful, their arrival at the safe house in a development next to the base smooth.

  "Oh you do, do you?"

  He watched as she set her half-eaten lunch back on her plate, sparks flashing in her deep green eyes. Oh, crap, they had to find Sonny and go their separate ways. Even her annoyed glare set off twinges in his damn cock. “Yes, I do. We can head to Bolling and get started searching for Sonny instead of running from God knows what."
<
br />   "You have a point. I don't like being in the dark, afraid to do anything that might leave a trail."

  Hot damn! Score one for him.

  "You know as well as I do that we weren't followed.” She'd driven the entire leg of the trip, but he'd kept his eyes behind them. Sections of the interstate linking the mountain end of North Carolina to the coastal one were flat and straight, making it impossible for anyone on their tail to avoid detection at some point. “So let's keep going. It's barely noon. We can be in northern Virginia before dinner time."

  "I am anxious to learn what they've managed to find out about Sonny and get started. You won't be safe until he's back in jail and whoever is working with him is found."

  "I agree with you one hundred percent.” Which was why he had his rationale for taking part in this investigation all lined up, a closing argument ready for the judge and jury of Erika's mysterious colonel.

  Suspicion flared in her eyes. Damn. He had to keep a low profile until he'd convinced her CO. Arguing with her now would be a waste of breath he'd need once she learned they were going to be working together. She was going to be spectacularly pissed.

  His mind raced forward to thoughts of how to channel all that intense emotion into steamy sex. He still had a few things to teach her and a fantasy or two to fulfill before they parted ways. His eyes went straight to her luscious breasts, showcased in the shirt she'd bought back at the hotel, and his fingers itched to feel the heavy weight in his hand. Back at the Academy, he'd longed to grease up his cock and slide it between her pressed mounds. He dreamed of shooting his load on her chest and neck while her darting tongue tried to catch stray drops. She'd never consented and he couldn't help but wonder if he could persuade her now.

  Damn, if he didn't stop thinking about sex, his hard cock was going to start banging on the underside of the table, it wanted so desperately out of his pants.

  "You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?"

  Busted.

  "Sorry, no.” He knew better than to lie to her. She'd nail his horny ass to the wall.

  "Maybe if you paid more attention to me and less to my breasts, you'd have been able to follow the conversation."

  "They're just too beautiful to ignore."

  She snorted at him.

  "If I may backtrack?"

  He gestured, doing his best bow with a flourish while sitting. “By all means."

  "I was suggesting that we finish lunch and get on the road. Except that instead of heading straight to Bolling, we detour at Langley first. Just overnight. While varying our schedule helps to keep us safe, you'll ultimately be safest once I get you to Bolling."

  He'd accept this compromise; it moved them one stop closer to his ultimate goal. But, oh, he had a knockdown, drag-out battle looming on the horizon.

  He couldn't wait.

  * * * *

  The strong April sun warmed the interior of the car to the point that Erika kicked on the air conditioner. While the highway would have been a better choice, given the fact they were going to be heading into rush hour traffic, she directed Aiden on smaller roads as they headed north through Virginia. She'd let him drive until they got close, then she'd have to take over. The Air Force Security Agency maintained a suite of rooms at the Visiting Officers’ Quarters at Langley Air Force Base, so her ID card was necessary to get them on the secured facility.

  With the afternoon sun beating down on her, a country music station on the radio, and the seat tipped back, she could almost pretend she and Aiden were getting away for the weekend. Just driving and exploring during the day, making love all night. She could almost pretend the differences that drove them apart didn't exist.

  Except for the fact Aiden still believed women belonged barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. She'd seen the proof with her own eyes in the dossier the AFSA developed on him. His ex-wife had quit working when they got married and got pregnant almost immediately. Nancy had been the wife Erika never could have been. So why was Aiden divorced?

  None of his caveman mentality mattered when he looked at her the way he had when he'd stripped her naked with only his eyes across the table hours earlier. At first she'd wanted to slap him into next week for gawking at her breasts. What was it with men and breasts, anyway? The damn things were a pain in the neck, literally sometimes, and turned men into blithering idiots, when all they did was get in the way. Men had no idea how difficult the damn things made being taken seriously. Or how much of an inconvenience they were when it came to qualifying on the shooting range or belly crawling through an obstacle course. To think, some women tried to draw men's attention to them. All she'd ever done was try to hide them.

  When Aiden focused that intense gaze on them, though, all she'd wanted to do was rip off her bra and let him feast on them. She'd wanted to pin him to the table and mount him, allowing her breasts to swing free in his face.

  She attributed the sudden surge in heat to a malfunctioning air conditioner.

  Her thoughts spun forward to the night ahead of them—their last opportunity to make love. By tomorrow evening, they'd be in Washington, D.C., and it would all be over. She'd be hard at work, being briefed on Sonny Ramos and developing a plan of attack, and he'd be ... safe. Their paths would diverge once again. Only this time, instead of “what ifs” and “what might have beens,” she'd have glorious memories of their lovemaking.

  "There's a gas station up ahead, on the right. We can fill up there and I'll take over. We're only about half an hour away."

  She watched as his dark eyebrows furrowed, causing creases between them and piquing her curiosity. Wasn't he anxious to get to Langley? He'd been the one to press forward. She'd figured he was ready to put this whole ordeal behind him. Once she'd recaptured Sonny, he'd be able to return to Ohio and his life. Children and a career were waiting for him there. Contact with his family was strictly prohibited right now because they couldn't risk Sonny or anyone connected to him using them to get to Aiden. He should be chomping at the bit to get all of this wrapped up so he could be reunited with them. So why the frown?

  The only way to find out was to ask. “Is something wrong?"

  "Why do you ask?” She heard the defensiveness in his voice. What the hell is going on?

  "Those bushy eyebrows of yours are knitting together to form one big ass caterpillar above your eyes."

  Pulling into the combination convenience store and gas station, he parked the car and turned to face her. The effect of having his full attention rattled her at the same time it sent sparks of arousal shooting through her system. Folding his arms across his chest and quirking an eyebrow at her, he waited for her to continue.

  Instinct prodded her to reach across to him, her thumb soothing the lines above his nose. Her hand rested on his cheek instead of pulling away. He'd grown impossibly more handsome since graduation, age giving character to the angles of his face and adding layers of thick muscle to his frame. He tilted his face to press a kiss to her palm, resulting in a new shower of sparks.

  "I haven't set foot on an Air Force base since I got out. Forgive me if some old memories I thought I'd buried rise to the surface."

  It sounded reasonable enough. Something in his eyes and his expression gave her cause to wonder if there wasn't more to his explanation. Searching his face, she found nothing. She chalked it up to years of reading looks and scrutinizing body language for lies. It tended to make trust a difficult commodity to come by.

  "I need to run to the bathroom. If you fill up, we can get back on the road. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can set your ghosts at ease.” She pressed a brief kiss to his lips and hopped out of the car.

  By the time she returned, Aiden had gassed up the car and cleaned the front windshield. Taking her place behind the wheel, she navigated her way through rush hour traffic to the main gate at Langley Air Force Base.

  She watched him surreptitiously out of the corner of her eye for any signs of the discomfort he'd indicated he felt at returning to a military
installation. His fingers tapped on his thigh or on the edge of the door as he rested his arm against the base of the window. With his gaze focused out the side of the car, she wasn't able to read his expression. She had no reason to doubt him, but for some reason, her radar had gone on full alert. It was probably just anxiousness now that they were so close to the end of this portion of the mission.

  Guiding the car into a parking space in front of a three-story brick building that looked like so many others on so many other bases, she turned off the ignition and slipped the keys into her pocket. “If you'll wait here, I'll head over to the Lodging Office and see what's available."

  "I thought you said that AFSA has a suite of rooms in the Visiting Officers’ Quarters."

  "They do, but I still have to see which ones are open and get keys."

  He at least had the decency to look contrite for questioning her. “I'll just stand here beside the car while you're gone and stretch."

  She returned a few minutes later with cards to adjoining rooms and the information that three other operatives were staying on base. Given the close proximity of all the rooms in the section of the VOQ, she was sure she'd run into the officers at some point tonight or tomorrow morning before she and Aiden embarked on the final leg of their journey.

  Right now, all she wanted was to make the most of this last evening with him.

  As they gathered their meager belongs from the backseat of the car, a familiar rumble reached Erika's ears. Muttering a colorful string of expletives under her breath—or not so under her breath judging by the way Aiden's lips twitched with a not-so-suppressed grin—she slammed the door shut and looked up to find Chad Monroe's precious Corvette pulling into the parking lot behind them. The coincidence rattled her already on edge nerves. She was lucky if the course of her work brought her in contact with Chad once or twice every six months. Now, she'd crossed paths with him twice in less than six days.