by Laura Marie
When he saw her glossy eyes and a look on her face he could only describe as sadness, he did the first thing that came to mind. He lifted her up and hugged her to him as he walked her out of the kitchen.
Gustavo headed toward the living room and a large L-shaped sofa with a wide ottoman in the middle. It could easily accommodate two people. He sat down, keeping her on his lap as he got comfortable.
“Talk to me. What is it that you remembered back there?”
“I can’t,” she whispered.
Gustavo didn’t want to push the issue, but obviously she was upset over something. Perhaps talking about it would ease her mind.
“You can’t or you won’t?” he challenged her.
Elloisa sat up and stared at him.
“I feel ashamed.”
He watched her and waited a moment as her statement sunk in.
“Ashamed of what?”
“Of allowing him to do the things he did to me and for choosing to live instead of fighting his actions and dying for the good.”
He squeezed her tighter and widened his eyes.
“Don’t say that. Don’t ever regret choosing life over death.”
She turned away from him and he pulled her onto his lap. She straddled his waist as he made her look at him.
“What did you remember?”
“I remembered the men who were there that night and how they discussed this big deal. Armando had made me stay there and sit on his lap.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Gustavo caressed her arms and comforted her.
“What did he do?”
“He was being Armando. He was showing his power and his control. He especially enjoyed showing me off.”
“You were remembering that particular time and the information you gave to your brothers?”
“What did he do to you?” Gustavo asked, and he could tell she was getting tense. He began grinding his teeth.
“There’s no need to get into it. There were so many times he did things to me that I regret allowing.”
Gustavo held her hips firmly, and she placed her hands on her thighs.
“Did he touch you in front of them?” Gustavo asked.
She swallowed hard. “It doesn’t matter,” she began to say and tried to pull from his lap, but Gus held her firmly, giving her hips a squeeze.
“Did he?’ He pushed for an answer, and she nodded.
Gustavo released an annoyed sigh.
“It wasn’t your fault. He’s a powerful man, and dominant.”
“There was a time when I loved those things about him.”
“How did you get involved with him?”
Elloisa explained about meeting him at a party and then dating him for a few months. She spoke about him meeting the family and dining with them.”
“My God, that’s crazy.”
“He baited me and I hadn’t a clue. He set my father and brothers up to look like criminals. He had everything covered. He staged the whole thing and let me see it in action. I fell for it all. I was in love with him, and when it seemed that my family members were the criminals, I turned to him.” She felt the tears roll down her cheeks.
“I’m ashamed of that.”
Gustavo caressed her cheeks.
“No. Do not be ashamed. He tricked you and he used you. You eventually figured it out.”
“I did. I couldn’t take it any longer. I began to hate him and everything he stood for. I wanted to leave, but I was scared, not only of his capabilities, but also that I had no family of friends left here in the States. He said he killed them all.”
“He really did cover his bases. Did seeing what happened to Rosalie make you begin your training?”
“Yes. I knew that if I were to escape that I would have to do it on my own. I was prepared for it in a matter of two months.”
“I was really impressed at how far you made it on your own.”
“I wouldn’t have made it out of the convent if it weren’t for you.”
“I think you would have.”
She smiled then added in honesty, “I can’t believe how much I disliked you.”
He chuckled then pulled her closer against his chest. He rubbed his hands over her back then across her backside.
“I gave you little choice.”
“You were annoyed with me from the start.”
“You destroyed my whole operation. How was I supposed to react to you?”
She released a sigh. Then she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“But you like me now,” she whispered, sounding breathless.
“A whole lot.” Gus pulled her closer and kissed her.
Elloisa loved the feel of his hands caressing her back and her rear as he deepened the kiss. She never thought she would feel safe again, never mind in a man’s arms. But Gustavo was not just an ordinary man. He was a trained killer. A secret agent aware of the intensity and brutality she had experienced. No one else could possibly comprehend her emotions, her fears, her inability to trust, and her fear of continuing life while looking over her shoulder like Gustavo could.
She felt his hands move under her shirt, over her spine to her ribs then cup her breast. She moaned against his mouth and savored his attention to her body. Caress after caress, he broke down her defenses and captured her heart. Her savior, her man, her soldado.
* * * *
Gustavo had never desired anything more in his life than he did this woman in his arms. The taste of her lips, the feel of her chocolate locks between his fingers caused a great hunger to burn inside of him. He wanted her in every way. His body tingled and tightened with need to be inside her, making love to her and washing away any remnants of her past. She was a kind woman, young and brilliant, and she hadn’t deserved to be the victim of the crimes she experienced against her.
He lifted her shirt higher, needing better access to her luscious body. The curves of her hips, the roundness of her ass drove his need further. He felt like a hungry lion. No food, no other could satisfy the hunger within him except Elloisa.
She was so responsive to his touch, which provoked his next move. There were no plans, just impulse and natural reaction to his woman. He released her lips and panted for air as his mouth collided with her breast. She was his woman, and she would never be abused or neglected again.
He removed her shirt then took in the sight of her straddling his hips. Red, parted lips, moist and seductive called to him. She had toned arms, a flat belly, and a voluptuous figure accented by a white lace bra. It was a great contrast to her tan skin that had been kissed by the Mexican sun she would never see or feel again. There would be other places she could tan, and he thought about vacations in Hawaii, Bermuda, or even the Virgin Islands. He wanted a future with Elloisa. He was ready for change now that he found her.
“What are you thinking?” she asked in a raspy voice that made the bulge in his pants grow harder. He lifted his hips, indicating his desire. She shyly smiled before the look of passion covered her expression.
The feel of her feminine hands pushing under his T-shirt then against his skin made him tighten and clench his teeth. He could lose himself right now, just from the feel of her hands against his pectoral muscles.
He thrust his hips upward.
“I want to be inside you now, Elloisa. I can’t hold back.”
She pulled his shirt from his body then pressed her forehead gently against his.
“Then don’t. I need you, too.”
She kissed his mouth and ravished it with such need and emotion he became frantic. So did she as they quickly removed the remainder of their clothing. She lifted her rear and took him inside her with no preamble. She was ready for him.
They made love slowly, and with each thrust, they seemed to pull closer and closer together, fastening their hearts tighter together. Up and down with every thrust, Gustavo felt Elloisa gave more of herself to him. He would hold this moment in his heart forever.
He loved
the feel of her skin, the smell of her hair, and the erotic little moans that escaped her mouth with every thrust. It became impossible to hold out, and his hunger grew.
He scooted lower onto the couch then rolled her to her back. They continued to make love as Gustavo sought his release, determined to satisfy that increasing hunger.
Elloisa’s responsiveness cheered him on. She kissed his neck, ran her fingernails over his shoulders to his back and then under his arms to his rear. He pressed deeper into her, in this position, then felt her insides tighten. A few more thrusts and as she nibbled his neck, he lost the battle to love her any longer as they exploded together as one.
* * * *
Elloisa held Gustavo so tightly against her. She wanted to stay like this for as long as they could. Nothing ever felt like this. It felt as if life had just begun for them. The look in his eyes and the way he possessed her body made her love this man in her arms. No matter what the future brought, she would always remember her true love Gustavo.
Chapter 16
Elloisa was tired. She let the hot water caress her body and the slight aches she felt after her long afternoon in training. She chuckled at that. Gustavo was amazing. He had initiated an emergency plan of escape in case they were ambushed. He tried to prepare her for just about every scenario he could think of. She had tried telling him that Ramos had come from generations of military operatives. He was ruthless and thought nothing of taking lives. Gustavo indicated that he knew that, and she got the impression that he witnessed it firsthand. That gave her the chills. Gustavo had been so deep undercover that he had to witness murders and remain silent to save his own life. Then again, maybe that was why she felt so safe with him. He understood exactly the life she had been forced to live. The only difference was that she had to face the murders, abuse, and conduct of her captor and his associates on a daily basis.
She began to wash the shampoo out of her hair while she thought about what Gustavo had said to her today when she was feeling tired and frustrated from repeating the steps to escape with him.
“You cannot plan for everything, Gus.”
“Well, I try to at least be in the state of improvisation when needed.”
“I’ve seen you in action, remember?”
He gave her the once-over, and it heated her body from the outside in.
“I hadn’t planned on you when I became part of Sintorez’s gang.”
“Yeah, well, I appreciate the change of mission. I needed your help to get across the border and away from the border pirates.”
He had reached for her and laid his hand against her neck as his thumb caressed her chin.
“I never planned on falling in love with you. But the moment I laid eyes on you, I felt as compelled to be your protector as I did to possess your love.”
She had felt the tears sting her eyes, but she remained silent as she swallowed hard.
She knew that this situation was far from over. They couldn’t allow their attraction, their sexual desires, to rule their minds and actions.
“We can’t let our guard down, Gus. My family is not safe, and we are forced into hiding because of Armando’s capabilities. Let’s not lose focus.”
He had released his hold and immediately went back into soldier mode. He had remained distant and distracted for the reminder of the time in the woods. She now felt guilty for doing that to him, but she was scared. What if they never get a chance to pursue their love or this relationship? It seemed impossible until Armando, Ramos, and their crew of killers were dead.
* * * *
Armando leaned back in his seat at his desk and spoke to Miguel. Demacio Cruz wanted to get things moving on the new meth lab they had established in Queens. He also had some information on the Givani family. Demacio had a location of the whereabouts of the parents and one brother. He also said that the two older brothers were working cases surrounding Armando’s operation. But he didn’t have concrete information on how close the Givani brothers were getting. Armando acknowledged the information and thought it through. He would make a decision on the next step soon.
Then his phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.
“They’re difficult to find and weed out. No one is talking and our leads are bringing up nothing,” Ramos stated through the cell phone. He was outside of the border and about to enter the United States with a crew of men.
“Then we must smoke them out like the cockroaches they are. Call Avalar and have him initiate the plan I discussed,” Armando stated.
“What would you like me to do?”
“Get to New York. I set up the private jet and the helicopters. There shouldn’t be any problems. This is costing me a lot, and if anyone fails, they will be killed.”
“Okay, Armando. We are getting ready to cross now. I will touch base later today.”
“Good luck, my friend.”
Armando hung up the phone and smiled.
“Let’s see how you handle this, my little princess.” He leaned back in his chair and waited patiently.
* * * *
“Repeat that, John?” Gustavo asked as he felt his gut clench and his heart ache.
“There’s a bounty on Salvatore and Jack’s heads. It was initiated an hour ago through the Rojo gang and word has spread through the city.”
“Fuck!”
“I don’t know what to do. Jack and Salvatore are aware of this and refuse to go into protective custody. They have been working around the clock putting together all the information Elloisa gave them. They found the multiple locations of meth labs we’ve been searching for years for. And it seems that our big shots are gathering together for some kind of secret meeting this Friday night.”
“Friday night? That’s only three days away.”
“Exactly. That’s why Jack and Salvatore are staying on this. I’ve got multiple forces in motion here, Gus. This is huge, and if we can pull it off, Armando Sintorez and his gangs can kiss his whole operation good-bye.”
“I can’t tell Elloisa about this. I won’t be able to keep her here.”
“You have no choice. I don’t care if you have to handcuff her to make her stay put. She leaves that location and she’s as good as dead.”
“I don’t know if I can do that,” Gus whispered as he looked behind him to make sure that Elloisa wasn’t there.
John was silent a moment before he spoke.
“Why, because you’ve fallen for her?”
Gus was silent. He had known John for years. He had personally taken Gus under his wing as a newbie agent. He could be honest with him. John was one of the few people he trusted with his life.
“She has a way of getting under your skin.”
John chuckled then added, “Well, if you don’t want her six feet under, you keep her there, no matter what. There’s no future for the two of you if we don’t eliminate Sintorez.”
“I understand. I will do my best.”
“I know you will. Keep me posted.”
“Yes, sir, and please do the same.”
* * * *
“You both are to get your asses into protective custody now!” Jerry Givani yelled into the phone.
Jack pulled the phone away from his ear as his father carried on. He was demanding that they hand the operation over to other people not so connected to the case. A bounty was not something to minimize or ignore.
“I understand how upset you and Mom are, Dad, but we’ll handle this. Where are you calling from anyway?”
“My cell phone. If your sister and Gustavo find out about this, she’ll leave the hideout and be back down here in the city in no time.”
“I understand, Dad, but we’ve got a lot to do. We’re taking precautions.”
“Not good enough, Jack.”
“It has to be good enough because all of our lives depend upon this.”
Jack hung up the phone and sighed.
“Hey, what was that all about?” Investigator Higgins asked as he leaned against the doorframe in the small off
ice Jack was working in.
“Our dad wants us to go into protective custody.”
“He found out about the bounty?”
“Yup.”
“Maybe you and Salvatore should rethink your strategy?”
“No. Elloisa gave up more than a year of her life for us. We’re not stopping until Armando Sintorez is dead or captured.”
“We’ve seen how resourceful he is. You are both easy targets in the city. Maybe you should go to where the agent and your sister are. Then there would be three trained men protecting her.
Jack was silent as he contemplated that.
“I’ll run it by Salvatore, but he’s not exactly fond of the woods.”
Higgins laughed quietly. “He’ll get over it, and you two can work from there. The wonders of technology.”
Jack chuckled then Higgins left the room.
He thought about what Higgins had said. That might not be such a bad idea. They were both concerned over Elloisa and the way Gustavo seemed to watch her so closely. If the agent hadn’t already made a move, they could prevent any further ones. It might be kind of fun.
He smiled then called his brother.
* * * *
DEA Headquarters, Manhattan, New York
John Falco was speaking with Agent Zack Miller over the phone.
“I think it would be wise to move them farther out of New Jersey. We had two attempts this morning alone. One dressed as security, another as a doctor. Both gained access to the floor that we’re on. The Givani family needs to move.”
“I understand, Zach, and I respect your judgment. Let me work on a better location and see when we can move Teressa,” John replied.
Just then John’s other phone began to ring. “Let me grab that call, and I’ll work on a separate location for the family. I also want to try and convince the other brothers to go along as well.”
“Good luck with that,” Zach stated sarcastically then hung up the phone.
John shook his head then answered the next call.
