by D. L. Raver
I sat there on my ass, trying to catch my breath while I prayed no one heard my fall and came to investigate. They would see the light from the flashlight and find me sneaking around.
“Fuck!” I mumbled, digging around for the flashlight I had no hope of finding without making noise. With the last of my courage, I scrambled to my feet and fled back to the Mustang.
“Irelyn!” I sat up in bed with a start and reached for her. When I found it empty and cold, I knew immediately something was wrong. I jumped out of bed and pulled on my shorts, heading out of the room as fast as my jacked-up leg allowed me to move.
“Brody!” I yelled as I reached the hall. I opened his door, and a sleep-mussed and confused Brody met me.
We both jumped.
“What the hell, Zolt?” he grumped as he rubbed his eyes.
“Irelyn. I think she’s gone.”
“What do you mean, you think? Did you check the rest of the house? Call her on her cell?”
“No. I just know it. I’m telling you something is wrong. Fuck!” I cursed as I went back to our bedroom and found my phone. I called Irelyn and got no answer.
Brody came back in the room a second later. “Her car is gone.”
“Mother fucker! Where is she?”
I dialed T-bone’s number, tapping my foot as I waited for him to answer. When it went to voicemail, I dialed the number again.
“Zolt, this better be an emergency. If you wake my very pregnant—”
“T!” I shouted into the phone, cutting his words off. “Irelyn is gone. She’s not answering her phone, and she didn’t leave a note. Do you still have a GPS locator in her car?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there in fifteen. Shit! What the hell has she done?”
“I don’t know but hurry. I’m going bat-shit crazy here. She’s in trouble; I can feel it.”
I hung up the phone and hurried back to our room, throwing on a T-shirt and my Nikes. For the next several minutes, I paced the entryway in front of the door, waiting for T to arrive.
Brody sat in a chair, lending silent support, and I was thankful for it. Thankful he didn’t try to talk me down, tell me it would be okay, or offer advice on how to handle my wife. He just sat there, silently offering his support.
As soon as T’s Suburban pulled in the drive, I ran out the door and hopped inside the vehicle, barely giving it time to come to a stop.
“Did you find her?” I could hear my voice tremble with fear, but I didn’t care if it made me seem weak.
T gave me a sideways glance as he pulled out of my drive onto the street.
“Well?” I barked.
“Best guess is she’s on the way to her grandpa’s ranch. The car’s still in transit. We can’t be more than a few minutes behind her.”
My mouth fell open and I shook my head, not believing his words. “Why? What the hell is she thinking?”
“Grant and Kirk are on the way. Look, Zolt, we don’t know what we’ll find when we get there. I need you to be cool. Worst-case scenario is that Marcus has her. Best-case, well, best-case is that he doesn’t. You freaking out won’t help me to do my job. Can you get your shit together?”
I nodded and stared ahead, praying we found Irelyn before Marcus did.
Somehow, I made it back to the Mustang in one piece. My heart beat a million miles a minute as I fumbled with the keys. With shaking hands, I tried to start the car, but my butter fingers dropped the keys.
“Shit,” I said as I dug around for the keys.
Two headlights pulled up behind the car and I yelped. This was it, I’d been discovered. I found my keys just as a man jumped out of the black Suburban and rushed to the driver’s side door.
The door opened and Zolt glared down at me. “What the fuck, Irelyn? Give me the keys and move over, now.”
I did as he said and moved to the passenger side. I couldn’t believe he’d found me and had come after me. I said a silent prayer of thanks to God for my husband.
I turned to Zolt to apologize as he started the Mustang. That’s when I saw a row of at least three other cars coming down the dirt road.
Zolt saw them at the same time. He gunned it, spinning the wheels as we left—a cloud of dust rolling in our wake.
“Can we get out this way?” Zolt asked, snap shifting the car into second and flooring the gas, making her roar to life. The back end broke loose, requiring a little finesse to bring it back in line.
“Is that T-bone back there?” I asked.
“Answer the question. How do I get us out of here?”
“Take a left at the road, then another left. That will take us to the highway.”
With expert precision, Zolt handled the Mustang, leaving T-bone and the other cars in our dust.
“Zolt, what about T?” I asked as the ramifications of what I had done started to sink in.
“T can take care of himself. He’ll lead them away from us if we’re lucky.”
I glanced back just as Zolt made the second turn, gasping when I saw we weren’t alone and it wasn’t T following us.
“Zolt,” I said warningly.
“I see them. Mother fucker! Why, Irelyn? Why?” He slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “Hold on!”
I swallowed hard and closed my eyes, gripping the armrest of the door. The Mustang’s power kicked in as Zolt pushed her. I opened my eyes and glanced at the speedometer, watching it climb to one hundred on its way to one-five.
Zolt maneuvered through the dark, middle-of-the-night traffic. His eyes darted to the rearview mirror, and I prayed he’d find a way to lose the car rapidly gaining on us.
“Shit!” Zolt grumbled. “We’ve got to find a way to lose them. I see only one opportunity, and it’s going to be close. Keep quiet; I don’t need you distracting me.”
I nodded and bit the side of my mouth to keep from screaming.
We approached a convoy of semi-trucks to our right, and Zolt slowed considerably. I wanted to ask his plan, but I didn’t, too afraid I’d distract him.
Zolt pushed his way in between the trucks, barely leaving room for the truck behind us to react to our sudden appearance.
The driver blew his horn several times in annoyance.
We were in a semi-truck sandwich. Zolt’s masterful driving had cut us off from our pursuer. He continued to drive the Mustang like a pro, and I had to think Chris would be proud of the man driving his car.
At the very last second, Zolt took the next exit and left the highway. Downshifting, he slowed the car enough for us to take the first left. Then, he circled back and we reentered the highway, going the opposite direction, passing our tail.
I let out a long sigh as my heart rate started to slow.
Zolt’s phone rang and he answered it with a growl. “Talk to me, T. You lost them? Good. We did, too. We’ll be home soon. Yep. See you there.”
He disconnected the phone and dropped it to his lap. When he turned and glowered at me, his neck corded with tension, I knew I was in for it.
I withered in my seat, searching for the right words to say, but I didn’t have any. I had screwed up and put Zolt, T, and my own life in danger.
Zolt took the next off-ramp and turned into a dark, industrial area.
Still too afraid to speak, I kept my mouth shut.
He pulled the car over and got out, stalking over to my side. His anger and rage at me tightened his body.
Tentatively, I opened the door just as he reached me. I barely had time to unfasten my seatbelt before he yanked me out of the car and crushed me to him, his mouth descending on mine in a heated kiss. In it, I felt his fear of losing me, losing us.
“You’re lucky I’m not seriously into BDSM, because right now, I want to turn you over my knee and spank the shit out of you.”
“I’m sorry,” I panted against his lips.
Zolt took hold of my hair and forced my head back. Illumination from the street lights showed me the anguish in his eyes.
“Don’t ever fucking do that to me again.
Ever!” His hand slashed through the air before his mouth came down on my again, his tongue plundering my mouth with desperation.
I gave way to his kiss and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” I repeated as he kissed his way down my neck.
He slammed the door shut and pushed me against it, his hips thrusting hard on mine. I could feel his erection stiff on my belly. I knew then where this was headed and I didn’t refuse him. Instead, I gave myself over, surrendering my body to him so he could once again feel in control of a situation neither of us had control of to begin with.
We both pulled our shorts off and somehow found our way into the backseat of the car. If you’ve ever been in the back of a Mustang, you know there isn’t enough room to sit, let alone fuck. But we made it work anyway, seatbelts and other things stabbing us in the back—adrenaline and the overwhelming need to be with the other pushed us forward.
Zolt bit and tugged at my bottom lip, sending delicious shivers down my spine, culminating between my legs. I was wet and ready for him, but that was nothing new. When he plunged into me, I screamed, lost somewhere between the pain and pleasure of him ruthlessly fucking me. I dug my nails into his ass and pushed him deeper.
In these moments, I let myself go, lost to my husband in every way. Whatever kind of fuck this was, be it a fear-fuck, a sense-fuck, a punishment-fuck—or a combination of all three—I gave in. I needed to let him do this. But more than that, I wanted him to.
Through the desperation of our less-than-gentle coupling, I surrendered, releasing some of my grief as my husband possessed me.
I scraped my nails down his back as he continued to pound into me. As much as I could in our confined space, I lifted my knees, increasing his penetration.
“Fuck, Irelyn.” He let out a sexual, guttural moan as he came inside me, sending me down my own orgasmic spiral.
We lay panting and sweating as we retreated from our high. When I looked into the shadows of his face, I glimpsed the intense fear that started to recede from his darkened expression. My heart clenched as I comprehended what I had done to the man I loved—the pain and terror I had caused him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I don’t know why I did it. I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. I had intended to go for a run and something came over me. The inaction is killing me. What if Marcus has arranged privately to sell Kenna? What if we missed saving her?”
Zolt put two fingers over my lips, silencing me. “Marcus’s ego won’t allow for that; he feeds off the attention. And I get it, baby, I do. I understand how devastating inaction can be. But you can’t be so reckless. You wake me up next time; I’ll work off your angst.”
“I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You tipped our hand, Irelyn, exposed our knowledge of the ranch. In turn, he’ll probably surmise that we know way more than we’ve let on.”
“I know. I screwed up,” I said, my voice full of remorse.
“Do you understand what would have happened if Marcus found you? I would have lost you again, and this time I might not have been able to get you back. I can’t lose you, baby. I can’t.”
He leaned his forehead against mine and sighed. “Never do that to me again. You’re everything to me.”
“I promise. Never again.”
I kissed him sweetly, gently, reassuringly as I stroked his hair.
“Now, drive me home, wife,” he said and sat up, breaking our connection, leaving me feeling empty. “My leg is killing me.”
I arched a brow at his demanding tone then acquiesced. In silence, I drove us home, knowing that when I got there, T-bone would be waiting to rip me a new asshole I so richly deserved.
The next day, Brody, Irelyn, and myself were all gathered around the table eating lunch when T stormed in.
“We’ve got more problems,” he said, grabbing the last sandwich and shoving it in his mouth. “Or, rather, you’ve got more problems.”
“What now?” I wiped off my hands on a napkin and sat back in my chair, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I received a call from my friend in the DA’s office. He said there’s some noise about a woman coming forward to accuse you of rape.”
“What?” My eyes darted to Irelyn in time to watch her shake her head and mouth “no.”
“Who? It’s not true.” I kept my eyes on Irelyn and wasn’t surprised to see the blinders come down and her expression turn impassive.
“I know, Z-man, but that doesn’t change the situation. I think you and Irelyn should leave town while I try to fix this. I’m sure money exchanged hands. I’ll figure out who it is, and we’ll outbid the bastard and make this go away. But the last thing we need is for you to be arrested; there’s no telling how far his influence extends.”
“Perfect. Just perfect!” Irelyn threw her napkin on the table and stormed from the kitchen.
“Irelyn,” I called after her. When I heard a door slam, I knew she’d shut me out.
“Fuck!” I raked my hands through my hair and glanced at Brody. “Are you going to be all right here by yourself? Maybe you should go back to Colorado.”
Brody shrugged. “I’ll be fine, and I’m not leaving until this is done. You need me whether you think so or not.”
“I have a safe house,” T said. “I won’t say where, so if the police come here Brody can say he doesn’t know where you are. I suggest you get your shit together and leave within the hour.”
“Fine.” I pushed my chair from the table. “This isn’t good for Irelyn. She’s at her breaking point. Find the bitch, T. Find her and pay her off. I don’t care how much it costs, just do it.”
“Consider it done. But…” T-bone rubbed his bald head.
“But what?” Brody asked, getting up from the table and clearing the dishes.
“Why now?” T asked. “Is Marcus flexing his muscles, or is he trying to distract us while he plans something worse?”
“Perhaps. That and hurting Irelyn. What better way to do that than to shove my past dalliances in her face? He said it the other day that I’d cheat on her. Why not try to drive a wedge between us? It makes perfect sense.”
“I really hate that bastard,” Brody said, pouring himself a glass of soda.
“We all do. So, what do I tell Irelyn to bring? Can we bring the dogs?” I asked, watching my brother drink the glass in one gulp. You couldn’t drink that much soda without producing a large and boisterous belch.
“Leave the dogs. You don’t want anything keeping you from a quick getaway should you need to.”
“This will be good for Irelyn to be away from here. She needs time to decompress, and we need time alone.”
“I agree,” Brody said and let out a very loud, soda-inspired belch.
The three of us smiled. Not acknowledging a well-executed burp was against the man code.
“Nice one.” T clapped Brody on the back. “Have Irelyn pack layers. The weather varies where you’re going. I better fly. I need to track down your past lover and pay her off. In fact, I’m going to do my own snooping and see how many I can find myself. Open your wallet; this could end up costing you, Z-man.”
“Whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes. “If Marcus is using this as a means of making me go broke, he can’t. My bank account is deep enough to survive anything he throws at me. It’s the emotional toll it’s taking on Irelyn, the loss of her parents, and the fact that she hasn’t let herself grieve yet, that’s what I’m most concerned with. She’s going to break and it won’t be pretty.”
I glanced over at Brody and was surprised to find him grinning at me like a loon. “What?”
He shook his head. “Your emotional growth makes me happy—proud, really. You’ve come a long way, Zolt.”
“So, you’re not angry at Irelyn and me for eloping?”
“Not anymore. Given what’s happened and continues to happen, I see the necessity of forging that bond between the two of you. I can admit I let my emotions get the bette
r of me. I apologize for that.”
“Jesus, you two,” T-bone groaned and smacked his forehead. “Have you grown ovaries? Where’s the testosterone?”
Brody and I both flipped T the bird. I was proud of the relationship I had with my brother and happy he’d come to terms with my marriage. Irelyn and I needed him on board. He was our rock, the level-headed one in our family.
“A car will take you to your destination. I’m sending two guards with you who will drive you there in a different vehicle, since I don’t want you driving yours,” T-bone said as he made his way for the door.
“How far are we going? Do you think he’s tracking us?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s far smarter and devious than I’d ever pegged the slimy bastard.”
“Word. Real quick, any word on Kenna’s auction? Irelyn is worrying herself sick over her.”
“Not yet. Jackson’s due to check in today. I’ll call and let you know. Max emailed Marcus asking if there was anything that might interest him coming up.”
“Shit, T that was stupid. Won’t that tip Marcus off?” I was starting to feel hamstrung and that made crazy-Zolt want out.
“No. Max has been to the club prior to any of this happening. Marcus is familiar with his kinky, freaky-ass, ways and that makes him the perfect person to help us. We’re lucky he owes me big. And, as it so happens, he doesn’t take kindly to Marcus wanting to auction Kenna. He has a history with organized sex traders, so this is personal for him.” T put on his sunglasses and walked to the front door with me trailing behind him.
“Okay, that makes me feel better for all concerned, especially Kenna. Peter Campbell is ready to go there himself and call Marcus out; that’s the worst thing that can happen. With Jacob and Emme’s death, Marcus is feeling invincible. We need to keep him believing he is. And we need time to encourage everyone on Chris’s list to get on board with our plan. Thank God Peter Campbell is in good standing in this town and he didn’t show up on the list.”
