by N. Alleman
“What did you have to do?”
He looks deep into my eyes, as if he’s searching for an answer there. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is it’s a done deal now. You’re safe.”
He pauses for a second. “We’re all safe,” he says, almost as an afterthought.
“But what…?” I try asking again, but he’s already walking away.
“Shall we go?” he asks Karen and Lucas. They nod, and all three of them walk toward the door, leaving me confused.
Why the hell is he being so secretive?
I’ll have to find out later. I’ll make him tell me, and I won’t let it rest until he does.
e race along on the back of Jake’s bike with my sister and Lucas following in their car. We’re heading back to their place for the night. They have a spare room, and after the crazy last few days I’ve had, a decent rest with the knowledge that my sister is alive sounds like heaven.
As we fly around the corner toward the blocks of apartments, I spot the police car.
“Holy shit,” I mutter. “They’re not here for us, are they?”
Did Ryder rat us out? Would he do that? Maybe that’s why Jake wouldn’t tell me anything. But then again, this is a shady part of the city.
They could be here for anyone.
So why am I so sure that things are about to go to hell?
“Are you okay?” Jake shouts over the rumble of the engine. It’s then that I realize I’m shaking like a leaf. Terrified, I cling to him tighter. I can’t lose him. Not now.
“Don’t panic,” he shouts louder, but even through the wind whipping around us, he doesn’t sound as confident as I would like.
He pulls over and parks a short distance away, as if he’s deciding what to do. I don’t move off the bike. I want to stay with him if he’s going to run. I don’t want to get left behind.
Wherever he goes, I go too.
“Let’s just wait for your sister,” he finally says. “We can’t get in without her anyway.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“No,” he says, far too sharply to be the truth.
“Do you think Ryder would…?”
“No.”
I fall into silence, praying that Karen is going to have all the answers.
“Act natural, they’re coming over,” Jake suddenly says. This gives us no choice but to dismount the bike and pull off our helmets. We’d look too strange just sitting there.
“Mr. Malone?” one of the officers asks.
I take in his appearance, the man who’s about to strip my life of Jake. The one who’s about to take away the only safety blanket I have.
He has sharp, beady eyes and the pudgy stomach of a man who loves junk food and hates exercise. I want to despise him, but I’m far too numb inside.
“Yes,” Jake replies, resignation on his tongue.
“I’m Officer Scout, and this is Officer Alexander.”
They shake hands, and I wonder what the hell is going on. Shouldn’t they be pinning him to the ground and handcuffing him, or pointing a gun our way?
The officer continues, “We heard that you might be staying here. Is it all right to come inside? We have a few things we’d like to discuss with you.”
This doesn’t seem like the arrest I was expecting at all.
It doesn’t seem like standard police procedure.
Where are the handcuffs, the police dogs, the ‘you have the right to remain silent’?
Surely that doesn’t only happen on TV?
“Of course,” Jake replies, seemingly unfazed. “But the home belongs to Daisy’s sister, so we’ll have to wait for them to return. They shouldn’t be too long.”
“Right.” Officer Scout seems awkward now. “Well, we’ll just wait for them to get here, I suppose.”
They walk back to their squad car and when they’re finally out of earshot, I seethe, biting the words between clenched teeth, “What the hell is going on? Are they arresting you or not?”
“Nope,” Jake replies. “Or I’d be in the back of that car by now.”
“Well, what then?” I tug on his arm, desperate to have his full attention.
“We’ll have to just find out, I guess,” he replies, much to my frustration.
Luckily, my sister and Lucas make their appearance a few seconds later.
At the sight of the cop car, Karen stares pointedly at me, but I can only shrug helplessly. I don’t know enough about what’s happening to communicate verbally, let alone telepathically.
“Let’s get this show on the road.” Jake tugs on my arm, and I follow him.
As soon as we are all sitting in the small front room, awkwardly holding cups of tea and coffee, Officer Scout begins.
“First off, I’d like to apologize on behalf of the city’s police department. You were our primary suspect because you were the last person seen with the victim, engaged in a physical altercation. We have an eyewitness to that.”
Ugh. He’s trying to defend their error. What kind of bullshit apology is this?
Jake has been on the run for months, and all he’s getting is ‘oh, sorry, we thought we were right about you’.
“Some new evidence has come to light that Mr. Manny Wheeler’s death was nothing more than a tragic accident.”
We all wait for him to elaborate, but he says nothing further.
He can’t even make eye contact with anyone. The whole thing is too weird for words.
“What do you mean, an accident?”
“I’m afraid I can’t divulge the details,” he replies sharply, then stumbles on to the next topic. “Now, as for you, Mr. Malone, we will issue a statement to the media, declaring your innocence. I hope this resolves the matter for you.”
“Wait…” I start to speak, but Jake grips my thigh and talks over me.
“Thank you, Officer.”
Thank you? Why the hell is he thanking this guy? He should be angry.
He should be demanding they explain to him how they could have fucked up so badly. He’ll still be demonized by people who believe that there’s no smoke without fire.
I suddenly realize something, and I force myself to seal my lips tightly shut.
This is all part of Ryder’s plan…
22
Jake
Okay, it’s official. I’ve made a deal with the Devil. The fact that I’m now walking away scot-free proves what a powerful man Ryder really is.
And now I’m going to be forced to give him exactly what he wants…
“Let’s get down to business.”
That’s how the conversation began. I just knew those words were going to mean trouble for me, and I was right.
“So what is it you want?” I replied. I wouldn’t let him have Daisy, not for anything in the world. I hoped he could see that.
“Let’s start with what I’m going to do for you, shall we?”
I didn’t respond to that. He was just fucking with me again.
“I’ll get the police off your back,” he continued. “I’ll also ensure that Daisy, Karen, and Lucas are protected too, and I’ll let the authorities know that Manny’s death had absolutely nothing to do with any of you.”
He wanted me to ask how he was going to do that, what he was going to say, but I didn’t. No way I was gonna give that fucker the satisfaction.
“Then, in return, I want you to work for me. The job won’t be here. The work will be part of my side business.”
I assumed he was referring to his criminal activities. Otherwise, he would have just come out and said what it was. I had more than enough experience in that type of work.
“Doing what?”
I had to ask. I didn’t want to blindly agree to anything.
He waved his hand evasively. “This and that.”
“Right. Okay.”
“Well, before you agree, there’s more.”
More? Seriously? This guy was nothing more than a pretentious douchebag. Did he want me to sell him my fucking soul or some
thing? Give him my firstborn son?
“I need you to leave, Daisy.”
“Leave?” I asked. He was making no sense. Leave her where?
“I need you to leave her behind and commit fully to me. What I’m going to ask of you is dangerous. There’s no need for her to be mixed up in any of it.”
“Absolutely not,” I said. I’d only just found Daisy, and I didn’t intend to leave her right now.
Or ever.
What the hell would I even tell her?
“Look, punish me. For fuck’s sake, but don’t drag her into this.”
Even though I knew I shouldn’t wind him up, I couldn’t help myself. He was really fucking pissing me off.
“That’s what I’m sayin’. Let’s leave her outta this. I need someone like you on my team, but I’m also doing you a favor. You know the police won’t stop unless I intervene, and the reason I want you to leave Daisy is to keep her out of it. She’s a sweet, innocent girl who’s obviously been through enough. She doesn’t need to get mixed up in something dangerous.”
“Then I won’t do it.” I shook my head stubbornly. There was no way in hell.
“All right.” Ryder grinned smugly. “It’s just … this mess with Manny isn’t all of it, is it? Even if the police discover your innocence in this case, it won’t be long before they find out about your past. It isn’t that hard to uncover.”
My face paled, and my heart dropped into my stomach. Was he really talking about the guy from my past? The one I actually killed?
Fuck.
“Yes, I’ve done my research on you,” he continued.
He had me by the fucking balls, and he knew it. There was no way I was getting out of this.
“How?” I didn’t want to ask the question, but somehow it burst free anyway.
“I know people.” He crossed the room and stuck out his hand for me to shake. “Do we have a deal?”
My mind raced, trying to find any goddamned way out of this, but I came up with nothing.
“Yeah.” I nodded. Shell shocked, I extended my hand.
We shook, and that was it.
I’d sold my soul. It was done.
And so was my relationship with Daisy.
23
Jake
Karen went to bed as soon as the officers left. I guess being pregnant wears a woman out much quicker than usual. In this case, it’s a good thing, because if this is going to be the last time I see Daisy, I want to spend as much alone time with her as possible.
I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing that I can’t tell her about my impending desertion. I know it’ll be awful when Daisy wakes up alone, but I have no idea how I would even begin that conversation.
Plus, I really don’t think I’d be strong enough to go if she begged me to stay, and I won’t last very long if I cross a guy as powerful as Ryder.
I have no choice. I have to walk away and leave her in my rearview.
“Are you okay?” Daisy asks sleepily. “You seem a little distracted.”
I realize that I’m staring at her like an idiot, so I smile, moving in for a kiss. I suck on her lip, causing an involuntary moan to escape her mouth.
All of a sudden, I’m hard as a rock.
How can this girl make me horny all the fucking time? Even though we’ve already fucked twice today, and I’m right in the middle of heartbreak and despair, I want her.
“Jake?” she asks between my kisses.
“Hmm?” I can’t manage a full reply.
“What was the meeting about with Ryder?”
Ryder. The last person I want to think about right now.
“Not now. Let’s talk about it later.”
I won’t tell her later.
I won’t even be here for her to ask.
It’s true, I’m acting like a coward, but I’d rather spend our last few hours kissing than crying.
She runs her hands under my shirt and rakes her nails down my back. All I want to do right now is explore every inch of her. Discover every curve, every sweet spot. Commit every inch of her to memory so that I can remember her on the many lonely nights will come.
I trail a line of kisses down her throat, and Daisy throws her head back, encouraging me. Her skin is so soft and sweet, and she smells like honeysuckle and fresh rain.
There will never be another girl like her.
That I know.
I want to take her where I can look her in the eye as I do.
I want to watch her beautiful face as the ecstasy consumes her.
The moment will be bittersweet, and I don’t want to miss a second of it.
We strip free of our clothes quickly, the desire to take her claws at my chest.
Her eyes are half-closed, and she gazes at me with desire that drives me wild. I tease her entrance with the tip of my cock.
She squirms and tries to pull me deeper but I refuse to give it to her, even as she bucks desperately beneath me.
“Not yet,” I taunt her.
No, there’s something else I need to do before I leave her for god knows how long. Something I have yet done, but am dying to do.
I need to taste her.
I slide down her body as she lays panting on the bed. At first, she seems confused about my fluttering kisses on her stomach, but then she soon realizes where this is heading, and she gasps excitedly. Her hands find their way into my hair, and she tangles and tugs with pleasure.
I dip my head between her legs and nudge her legs open wider with my nose, and she happily lets me. I take a second to look at her perfect pink petals before glancing up and watching her face as she squirms with anticipation. This is another amazing side of her that I’ll miss. My dirty girl. The one who wants to be naughty just for me.
Before I get emotional, I take action, quickly flicking my tongue along her clit, feeling it swell with her excitement.
“Oh fuck!” She squirms beneath me. She’s trying to stay quiet, but she can’t control her reactions.
Good.
I hold down her legs, fixing her in place. I want her to experience every second of this.
Then I plunge my tongue deep into her. She tastes better than I ever could have imagined—sweet and tangy all at once. I move around, gauging her reaction with every single movement. I want to know her inside and out, better than she knows herself. I want to anticipate what she wants, better than anyone else could. I want to be the one no one else can ever compare to, however selfish that makes me.
It doesn’t take long for her legs to tremble as she closes in on her climax. She breaks free of my clutches and moves against me.
“Fuck, Jake. I need you. I need you inside of me right now.” She’s so loud that I wouldn’t be surprised if she wakes up her sister and Lucas. But if she doesn’t care, neither do I.
I reposition myself so I can give her everything she wants.
My dick is desperate for her too, and I don’t know how much longer I could have held off for anyway. She’s so wet by the time I slip inside of her that I almost explode right there and then.
This is all for me. I’ve made her feel like this.
Before I can get settled into a rhythm, she flips over so that she’s on top, angling us so that we’re both sitting. Then she rocks back and forth, riding me with wild abandon.
Her blonde hair spills down my back as we kiss, every strand sending shocks of desire through my skin. She has her arms wrapped tightly around my neck so that we can stare deeply into each other’s eyes, and I never want to look at anyone or anything else.
I couldn’t call this fucking.
In fact, this is the closest that I’ve ever come to making love.
I always thought that fast and furious was the only way that worked for me, but this slow, sensual pace is bringing me just as much pleasure, if not more.
Daisy, you really are full of surprises.
She contracts around my cock, showing me that she’s close to orgasm. She throws her head back, giving me that beautiful throat
, and I can’t stop myself from nibbling it.
Luckily, she fucking loves it.
“Jake, everything you do is amazing,” she gasps.
“Such a naughty, dirty girl,” I reply, wanting to tightly clutch her to my heart. I can’t, though. I have to behave normally, or she might suspect something is up.
“Oh God, I’m going to come.”
Right away I feel it. It’s as if her words were spoken straight to my cock.
“Daisy,” I growl. “I’m making you mine tonight, and I don’t care if I knock you up.”
She purrs softly, and the walls of her pussy tighten around me.
In a second, we’re coming at the same time, falling into the abyss and holding each other at the same time. It’s exhilarating, overwhelming, and utterly heartbreaking.
We collapse breathlessly onto the bed, grinning and chuckling to each other.
“That was…”
“I know.”
We take in a few seconds of silence before Daisy speaks out again.
“Jake, I think I…”
“Yeah, me too.”
Neither of us are brave enough to say it—for very different reasons—but we’re both feeling it.
I love you.
I say the words in my head, hoping she gets the message, but the next time I turn to face her, she’s fast asleep and lightly snoring.
I lie there watching her sleep for a few minutes. If I didn’t absolutely have to, there’s no way in hell I’d leave this girl.
She’s everything I didn’t know I needed in my life—sweet, beautiful, innocent, dirty, honest, funny, and completely adorable.
If you asked who knows me, if they thought I’d ever settle down, they’d laugh in your face.
Then they’d say it would have to be some badass, tattooed biker chick who would get my attention.
I used to think that too, but somehow I’ve been captivated by an angelic blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. The complete opposite of me.
And now I have to leave her behind.
Karma, you’re a mother-fucking bitch.
“I’ll be back,” I whisper quietly, placing a very soft kiss on her forehead.
