by Lauren Bach
He pulled back, withdrawing. Then pushed back in. Deeper.
She groaned as each press of his body rubbed her clitoris, the back and forth motion tormenting her. Seeking release, she drew her leg up further, to his waist and pressed wholly against him. The pressure increased, the sensation sharpened.
Adam threw his head back, flexing fully into her. He'd tried to go slow and easy, but now he couldn't hold back. He had fantasized a hundred times about making love to her. But nothing came close to this. Being inside her.
He thrust deep and paused, savoring the luscious clutch of her sheath. "I can't take much more."
"Then don't." She raised and took his flat nipple into her mouth, kissing, sucking.
Adam hissed control lost. Pumping his hips, he moved in and out of her, his strokes long and sure, gathering momentum. He watched as the first wave of her orgasm hit. Her eyes widened, her breath coming in rapid-fire pants. She cried out, a wild, satisfying keening.
It was over. Adam felt his testicles tighten. He stiffened as his own climax peaked and released hot sperm exploding. He roared, plunging furiously into her as the fire washed over him, taking him crashing over the edge.
While she slept, Adam got up. As much as he wanted to stay in bed, he needed to contact his brother and make arrangements to get Renata out.
With the room's heavy drapes, it was difficult to tell that it was barely ten in the morning. He wondered briefly what Lyle was doing. Peeking out the window, he eyed the pay phone. It was close to the office but he had to risk it.
Shrugging into clothes, he whispered to Renata that he'd be right back. The bright sunlight nearly blinded him as he slipped outside.
Zach answered on the first ring.
"This isn't a good time." On the off chance the phone was bugged, Adam had to be careful what he said. "Where are you?"
"Colorado. Just across the Utah border, within a few miles of Flaming Gorge."
"Stay put. I've been delayed, but I'll get there."
"Problems?"
Adam gave him a condensed version of the car accident. "I'll see about getting new wheels—"
The blinds at the office parted. Someone watched. The door opened and a man hurried toward him, a hastily thrown-on shirt left unbuttoned.
"Gotta go. I'll call back soon." Adam hung up just as the man reached him.
"If you need a phone, use the one inside the office," the man said. "Best you keep out of sight."
Adam nodded toward Lyle's room. "Has he been up yet?"
The man shook his head. "My niece, Wanda, left about an hour ago and said Lyle was pretty much passed out. She'll be back after work. She said you'd driven all night so I didn't figure I'd see either of you till later this afternoon."
"Actually, I'm supposed to run an important errand for them. Any idea when another car will arrive?"
"I was told to expect you here at least two nights, possibly three, so I wouldn't expect anything till tomorrow. Maybe the next day." The man scratched his chest. "Want me to see if I can scare up something temporary?"
"I'd be obliged."
Adam hurried back to the room. Two more nights? It shouldn't surprise him, given his dealings with the McEdwins thus far. Who knew how much longer Willy would keep up this cat and mouse game? Two days could stretch into another week.
But at least Renata would be gone. In fact, if the man didn't get Adam transportation by this afternoon, he'd see if he could borrow Wanda's car.
Back in the room, he undressed. Renata was awake.
"Anything new?" she asked.
"Not yet." He told her about his call to Zach.
"Eager to get rid of me?" She tried to joke.
"Yeah." He climbed in bed, drew her close. "Go back to sleep."
She snuggled into him. Her hand dipped low, her fingers stroking the swollen ridge of his penis. A soft sound escaped her throat as she grasped him fully. "I don't think I can. Sleep that is."
"Me neither." He grabbed for a condom. Maybe this time, they'd take it slowly.
Slowly never happened. The morning passed in a blur fueled by sleep deprivation. Not the tortuous type of denial, but rather the sweet, delicious muddle born of waking every hour to make love, fast and furious.
Renata felt suspended in another sphere, her sense of time and place discombobulated. With the heavy curtains drawn tight, the room remained dark, shadowy. Yet it was the middle of the day. Which added to her disorientation.
The dramatic change of circumstances with Adam hadn't helped. She'd gone from captive to lover, in the flick of a bed sheet.
What was odd was that she felt no guilt. She'd spent the entire morning in bed—was sore from too much sex. Not enough. Where was the regret? The recriminations?
God, what had come over her?
She opened her eyes, not ready to face her thoughts, and found Adam looming over her, his beautiful brow lined with concern.
She closed her eyes, not ready to face him either.
"Look at me, Renata." He ran his finger across her cheek. "I wish our first time had been under different circumstances. But it wasn't. Which doesn't make it any less special. And if—"
A noise caught his attention. A low squeak followed by a scrape. He tucked her behind him and grabbed his gun just seconds before the door burst open. Two men entered.
"Don't move!" Adam shouted.
He recognized the men from pictures he'd seen in the FBI's files: Burt and Tristin McEdwin. The family resemblance was strong. It was like looking at photographs of their father from thirty years ago.
But they didn't know he knew, so Adam kept his gun leveled straight ahead. "Who the hell are you?"
"Jesus Christ!"
"Wrong answer." Adam raised the gun's barrel.
"Don't shoot. I'm Lyle's brother, Burt," one of the men said. "Lyle's pretty sick. Nevin sent us to get the doctor."
"Nevin's next door?"
Burt nodded.
Adam gripped the nine-millimeter tighter. He had two of the McEdwin brothers right in front of him with the other two in the next room. Was it enough? Could he end it right here?
Capturing all four brothers was a hellacious feat. Adam could take them in and leave Willy for another day. Without his sons, the old man would be easier to track down. And if the rumors were true that Willy was retiring and turning the reins over to his sons, then the four brothers were the more dangerous of the bunch.
Except Willy had at least a hundred pounds of plastic explosive, enough to do a lot of damage in retaliation.
Adam was also out-gunned and out-manned. In addition to the McEdwin brothers—and their goddamn pact to not be taken alive—there was at least one of Willy's sympathizers in the motel's office. Maybe more. Those were rotten odds. Especially with Renata to protect.
He lowered his weapon. "What's wrong with Lyle?"
"He's running a fever." Burt stepped forward, angling for a better view of Renata. "And he's puking his guts out."
Acutely aware she was nude beneath the sheet, Adam bared his teeth and leaned up slightly. He felt her hand tighten at his waist. He reached around to draw her even closer behind him, shielding her completely from view. Then he raised his gun again, leveled it at Burt. "Back off."
The other man held up his hands and eased away. "Sorry."
Adam waited a few seconds before lowering his weapon. "How long has Lyle been sick? And why didn't he wake me instead of calling you?"
Tristin grunted. "Lyle didn't call. Nevin found him passed out in the bathroom."
The news about Lyle worried Adam. "We'll meet you over there in a minute."
When they were alone, he pulled Renata into his arms. Holding her tightly against his chest, he pressed his mouth to her ear. "Get dressed."
"What happens now?"
"I'm not sure." Until he knew what the McEdwins' intentions were, he couldn't make alternate plans. Nevin's unannounced return piqued his curiosity.
"Our lives depend on how well we play this game,
so remember to play the captive and let me take the lead. Don't take anything I do or say to heart." He kissed her gently, soundly, before releasing her. "I swear I'll get you out of this."
But she stopped him before he moved away. "Swear you'll get us both out."
Chapter Eighteen
Lyle's room reeked of vomit.
His three older brothers gathered around the bed whispering. Adam moved closer, stopping when he glimpsed Lyle. The younger man was as pale as the sheet, his breathing shallow.
Renata tried to move forward. "Let me see him."
That fast, Nevin pointed his gun at her.
"What the hell happened? Did you do something to make him sicker? He was a lot better last time I saw him."
She didn't move, her eyes glued to the gun.
"I knew it," Nevin swore. "I should have killed you sooner."
"Stop." Adam stepped in front of Renata. "Whatever's wrong, he did to himself. Did he tell you what happened in Colorado?"
Nevin snorted. "He's so fucked up on painkillers I can't get a straight answer out of him."
"He drove the car into a ravine." Adam filled him in on what had happened the night before. "We lost all our supplies, the cell phones, and had to steal a truck. Lyle said he banged up his knee, said his girlfriend would take care of it. Obviously, his injury was worse than he let on."
The McEdwin brothers exchanged glances.
"Well, that explains a lot. The cops are all over the place. Which means all those clues we planted on the East Coast just went up in smoke." Nevin looked at Lyle and shook his head. "Shit. I wish he was better so I could beat his ass."
Lyle groaned, muttering unintelligibly.
"Let her examine him while we talk." Adam pushed her closer to the bed.
Renata drew back the sheets. Lyle was nude. A haphazardly taped, bloodstained bandage covered his wound. Moving quickly, she peeled the gauze back, wrinkling her nose at the putrid smell.
The wound had torn open again. It was also packed with dirt, probably from climbing out of the ravine. She wondered if any attempt had been made to clean it... or had Lyle just instructed his girlfriend to "throw a bandage on it."
The skin all around was red, swollen, and oozing with pus. She pressed lightly, knew by his reaction that it was tender to the touch.
She glanced at Adam. "I need supplies from next door."
Nevin moved up and glanced over her shoulder, scowling when he saw the condition of Lyle's wound. "Tell Tristin what you need. Burt, we'll be right back. Watch her every move."
Adam followed Nevin outside. "I was told we weren't meeting up until day after tomorrow."
"We got word the Feds are headed this way," Nevin said. "Four agents are on a flight landing in Salt Lake at 8:08 p.m. And I've got a list a mile long of others they're meeting. ATF, Marshals—Christ, they're all involved."
That the McEdwins had access to that level of detailed information exasperated Adam. It also meant the leaks were even more extensive than he'd been told which made Adam's position trickier.
"So what's the plan?"
Nevin shook his head. "My first priority is to get Lyle out of here. Fast. Pa's got more antibiotics and other medical supplies on standby. And if that doctor needs anything else, we can get it on short notice."
"Wait... we're taking her with us?" Adam tried to think of a legitimate excuse to leave her without jeopardizing her welfare. If he couldn't deliver her to a safe spot personally, then leaving her here, at the motel with one of the McEdwins' cronies, was out of the question. They'd kill her.
"We don't have a choice with Lyle this sick again. We'll worry about getting rid of her later."
"Fine. As long as we're straight on one thing: We don't get rid of her until I say so. Got it?" Adam met the other man's eye. "She's a nice diversion. Or at least I think she'll be nice, when we're not getting interrupted. I've had to put up with a lot of her bullshit, so she owes me, big time. So does Lyle."
"Fair enough. But we leave in five minutes."
"Five minutes? I'm supposed to meet my partner today."
Nevin handed him a cell phone. "Call and postpone. Tell him I'll arrange to have him picked up later."
Picked up? Adam tried to think of other options. "If I blow him off again—"
"Tell him whatever you need to, just assure him we're still very interested. Right now, I've got my hands full with Lyle sick and the cops swarming like locusts. Trust me—you're not the only one having to change plans."
It was obvious by Nevin's tone that some of his plans had been foiled as well. Adam wondered if it hadto do with the explosives the McEdwins had already acquired.
After all the delays and setbacks, the news that they were finally joining Willy should have pleased Adam. It didn't.
Taking Renata along had never been part of the plan. Neither had getting his brother involved. He needed someone he could trust to pose as his partner, Daniel Montague, and his brother was his only choice. The only good thing about Nevin's suggestion that Adam's partner remain close by was that it could work to his advantage in freeing Renata.
He took the cell phone from Nevin. "How far are we going? Another car trip could kill Lyle."
"Not far. Not far, at all."
Tension encased the motel room like thick coils of rope, heavy and restrictive, as five minutes turned into an hour. It was nearly 3 p.m. Burt and Tristin took turns watching at the window, weapons drawn at all times. Habit? Or did they expect more trouble?
Nevin made two calls, but Adam was unable to determine much beyond the fact that they were waiting on transportation. He had contacted Zach while outside, but with Nevin listening, he'd kept the conversation brief.
Zach played along. Of course, if he'd been reading all the files on Stan's computer, he probably knew as much about the case as Adam. Maybe more.
A vehicle pulled up outside, brakes squeaking. Tristin peeked out, then nodded at Nevin. At the single knock, he opened the door. Adam recognized the man from the motel office.
The man yanked a baseball cap off and wiped sweatfrom his brow. "Bad news. Sheriff's deputy found that forest service truck about sixty miles south of here."
Nevin shot to his feet. "How in the hell did that happen?"
"Bunch of damn kids stole it from Pruett's Garage and went joyriding." The man replaced his cap. "Police and FBI are setting up roadblocks at the state line."
"Let's move." Nevin made a terse phone call, then tilted his head toward Renata. "She needs to be bound and blindfolded."
While Adam had expected it, Renata had not. He moved toward her, grasped her wrists. When she resisted, he snatched her close and shook her, aware that they were being observed.
"Cooperate, and this will be easier for both of us. Otherwise, you're likely to be hurt."
The look of terror and betrayal in her eyes was genuine. Working quickly, Adam bound her hands, then blindfolded her and tied a gag over her mouth.
Following the others, he led her out the door and lifted her into the rear of a brown van. He sat beside her on the floor, leaving the back seat for Lyle to lie on.
No one spoke as they pulled out of the lot. Once inside the van, Burt and Tristin holstered their handguns, and took up assault rifles. Crouching near the middle windows, they watched the road. Nevin sat slouched in the passenger seat, his rifle close as he scanned the horizon with high-powered binoculars. They expected trouble and were prepared.
So was Adam. The nine-millimeter in his hand had a full clip. In the event of a showdown, he'd take Burt, Tristin, and Nevin out, rapid fire, with head shots. Two seconds, max.
While the driver hadn't brandished a weapon, Adam suspected the man was armed. He hoped he would surrender rather than take a bullet.
They traveled for less than fifteen minutes. Lyle groaned as the van lurched to a stop. They were at a makeshift airstrip.
Adam heard the whoosh-whoosh of an approaching helicopter. He turned Renata away, sheltering her from the sand and grit t
he dark chopper kicked up as it landed a short distance away.
As soon as Burt carried Lyle to the aircraft, the van pulled away. Inside the chopper, Lyle was propped up long enough to take the painkillers he'd been moaning for.
Adam frowned. "Is anyone keeping track of how frequently he's popping pills?"
Nevin shrugged. "Keeping him sedated is easier for now."
"Yeah, if it doesn't kill him."
Nevin narrowed his eyes, but checked his watch. "That should last him till we're home."
Home. Growing up, that word had meant the equivalent of hell to Adam. How fitting to think of Willy McEdwin, at home waiting for his sons.
They were in the air for several hours. He'd guess the chopper, stripped down to maximize fuel economy, was one bought as surplus from the National Guard. It probably belonged to one of the militia groups sympathetic to Willy's cause.
The pilot used visual flight rules and a handheld GPS to navigate. They flew low, about three hundred feet above ground level, Adam estimated. By keeping under seven hundred feet—and avoiding major airports—they stayed in Class G airspace. Basically uncontrolled and off the radar.
When they landed at yet another small airstrip,
Adam glanced around and spotted a small sign: grassyfield, idaho—private airstrip. He took Renata into the small bathroom. He loosened her bonds briefly, but had to bind her hands and blindfold her again when she finished.
"If you're gagging me to keep me from crying out, I won't," she whispered.
"Remind me, later, to tell you how much you amaze me." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before opening the door.
They shifted to another van. Adam checked Lyle. He looked terrible. For the first time since the initial shooting, Adam worried the kid wouldn't survive. Once Willy McEdwin saw the shape his youngest son was in, he'd have to recognize Lyle needed a hospital.
This time Nevin drove, heading directly into the mountains. Tristin passed around a sack containing candy bars. "Grab a couple."
As before, they sat on the floor, but this time Renata sat on Adam's lap. He fed her a chocolate bar, breaking off small squares and holding them up to her mouth.
