Wanted Dead or In Love: A Small Town Romance (The Cortell Brothers Book 3)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  I didn’t ask her anything else about Levi as we drove the rest of the way to Minnesota. We were hoping to stay in a small town north of the Twin Cities. It was populated enough to blend in, but gave us at least a little privacy. Driving through the city, we marveled at all the sights, something we probably wouldn’t take the time to check out. There were way too many cameras in a city as big as St. Paul or Minneapolis. We drove through some nicer suburbs until we reached Lexington. Unfortunately, it was mostly trailer parks and rundown homes. It wasn’t exactly my idea of a good place to stay, but it wasn’t going to be home forever.

  We had already called ahead about renting a trailer out here, and the guy agreed to accept cash for two hundred dollars extra a month. We met with him just before dark and handed over the cash in return for the keys. I stared up at the trailer that had seen better days and sighed. Grabbing the bags out of the trunk, I followed Carly inside and set the bags down inside the door.

  “Well, this isn’t exactly like our last place,” she said with a sigh.

  I walked in behind her, checking out the small kitchen and dingy carpet in the living room. She was right, this was nothing like the last place, but as long as it was safe, that was really all that mattered.

  I wrapped my arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. “It doesn’t matter. It’s a roof over our heads and a safe place to stay. Everything else is just window dressings.”

  “You really don’t care?”

  I shrugged. “I have you. That’s all that matters to me right now.”

  She turned in my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me into her. Her fingers slid through the short strands of my hair as she slid her lips across mine. She pulled back slightly, refusing to look at me. “I think I might be falling for you too,” she said quietly.

  “Yeah?”

  She nodded, still not looking at me. I lifted her chin so she would meet my gaze. “So, you’re telling me that despite the fact that I’m not a trained assassin, I have a horrible choice in fake names, and that I’m not as bulky as you’d like, you still have a thing for me.”

  She laughed and slid her fingers through my hair. “I like that you’re not a trained assassin, and I can help you out with the fake names. Maybe we’ll go with Lanacane this time around,” she grinned. “And I like your body exactly how it is.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’ve put on a lot of muscle, and I like that.” Her hands slid down my arms, over my biceps, then dropped to my waist where her fingers slid just inside my waistline. I pulled her against me and ground my erection against her. She gasped as I lifted her up and set her on the counter. Her fingers quickly worked my pants open as I yanked her shirt over her head and kissed the swell of her breasts.

  I barely got her pants off her as she stroked my cock, making me feel like I was about to explode. But I didn’t want to come in her hand. I yanked her to the edge of the counter and was inside her in seconds. She gasped and pulled me closer, gripping onto my back as I thrust in and out of her. I was so lost in her that I barely noticed the squeaking. It didn’t matter what it was, as long as I could have my fill of her. I came a moment later as she pulled me tight to her and gasped in my ear as she clenched down around me.

  There was another squeak and we both turned, seeing a mouse on the counter, just staring at us. I slowly bent over and took off my shoe, raising it above my head just before I slammed it down on the mouse. Carly jumped in my arms, clinging to me as she tried to clammer away from the dead mouse.

  “That is so disgusting,” she cried, burying her face in the crook of my neck.

  “We’ll find someplace new to stay in the morning.”

  Carly

  “Do you want to drive past and see them?” I asked as we drove through the state of Indiana. We were so close to his parents’ house, and while we couldn’t actually talk to them or let them know that we were there, we could maybe sneak across the property and he could at least get a glimpse of them.

  He stared out the window, not saying a thing. His brows were scrunched up and he looked tired. We had been on the run together for two years now. In that time, he had taken on a much more masculine appearance. His body was in excellent shape from all the working out he did, and he had been letting a short beard grow in since we decided to leave our last location. He looked great, but his spirit was slipping more and more with every move. I knew this was wearing on him, and no matter how he tried to disguise it, he couldn’t hide everything from me.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he finally said.

  I didn’t want him to have regrets. Either of us could be killed at any time. I didn’t want him to drive past his home and not stop in and see his brothers and his parents one last time. Maybe it would even do him some good.

  “Josh, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but this could be good for you. I think you need this.”

  “Like you need to see your family?” he shot back.

  “That’s different. There’s no easy way to see my family, and the only person I would want to see is already dead.”

  “What about your father?”

  I swallowed hard, my hands wringing on the steering wheel as I thought of him, frail and unable to get around. “He’s not the same man he was when I was a kid. Seeing him now wouldn’t do anything for me, even if I could get past all his guards to see him.”

  The last time I had spoken to Levi was about six months ago. He begged me every time to come home, but I always told him that wouldn’t happen. I never called unless we were getting ready to move. There was no way I would take the chance we would be tracked. So, I called to check in and find out if there was any new information, and then we moved on. The last time I called, my father was on oxygen and they were keeping him comfortable. For all I knew, he had already died. Though I hadn’t seen anything about it in the news. A mafia kingpin dying would most likely make headlines.

  Josh sighed beside me and I made the decision for him. Turning on my turn signal, I took the exit for his parents’ house. I had looked up directions ahead of time just in case.

  “What are you doing?”

  “We’re going to swing by. At this hour, no one will see us. We can park somewhere and run across the fields to get to your parents’ house.”

  “This isn’t a good idea. If I see them, I’ll want to go inside, and we both know that can’t happen.”

  I turned down a dirt road and pulled over on the shoulder, shifting into park. “Josh, this could be the last time you ever see them. I know this is hard, but you’ll regret it if you don’t do this. Trust me, I know all about regrets.”

  He sighed and stared out at the darkness. After a minute, he flung his door open and stepped out of the car. I immediately unbuckled and locked up the car, rushing to catch up with him. I slid my hand into his and didn’t say anything when his hand squeezed mine just a little too tightly.

  We walked for about fifteen minutes before he stopped and stared at a house in the distance. There was a large tree off to the side of the house that stood out amongst the others.

  “Is that it?”

  He nodded and blew out a breath. We started walking again, and as we got closer, he started running, ducking behind smaller trees or a decoration in the yard. He snuck us around the side of the house and stopped when he looked at all the trucks in the driveway.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “My parents’ vehicles aren’t here.”

  “Do you think they moved?”

  He shook his head slowly, nodding at the truck closest to the house. “That’s my brother, Eric’s truck. And that’s Will’s.”

  “Maybe they’re just not home right now.”

  He shook his head. “No, my Ma hates being out this late at night.”

  The porch light was on, but if we were careful and stayed in the shadows, we might be able to get a little closer. Which was exactly what Josh did as he took my hand and pulled me behind him. We stopped r
ight behind the truck that he said was Eric’s and he peered around it. I did the best I could, staying in the shadows, but I was curious and wanted to see what his family looked like. I had heard all about them over the past two years, and now I wanted faces to put with the stories.

  “That’s Robert,” he laughed. “The one in the suit. He must have passed the bar.”

  “He’s a lawyer?”

  “That’s what he was going to school for. He was close to graduating when I…when I left.”

  “Which one is the one in the funky shirt?” I asked.

  “Andrew,” he laughed. He shook his head, running his hand along his jaw. “I never understood him. When we were in high school, he went through this whole goth phase.” His eyes lit up the darkness as he laughed at a memory. “He used to come downstairs with black eyeliner on, and every single morning, Ma told him to go upstairs and wash it off.”

  “Did he do it?”

  He nodded. “And as soon as we got to school, he would put it on in the bathroom.”

  “So, why didn’t he just wait every morning?”

  “I think he wanted to see if Ma would ever let him do it.”

  “Did she know he still put it on in school?”

  “Yeah, and she let him get away with it for a while. One day, she surprised him halfway through the day for a dentist appointment.” He started laughing again, covering his mouth so he didn’t make too much noise. “He came out of the classroom to my Ma staring him down. He was with his girlfriend, and she looked at him and then at his girlfriend and told him to give the eyeliner back to his girlfriend. That it looked better on her.”

  “She did not!”

  He nodded. “He was so fucking embarrassed that he dropped the goth thing that night.”

  I smiled as I watched him. He looked so happy right now, just staring in at his brothers and reminiscing. My eyes filled with tears as I thought of all he was missing out on. I wanted to promise him we’d find a way to get him back to his family, but I knew that was an empty promise. I swiped at my face and smiled.

  “Which one is Will?”

  He pointed to a guy that was wearing a black t-shirt and baseball cap. “Right there in the baseball hat.”

  “He’s doesn’t look like a teacher.”

  “Well, he didn’t plan on becoming a teacher. At least, not so soon. He was gonna play baseball for the Cubs.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “Recruiters were watching him all through college. He was really good, but he was injured in his last season in college. Being a teacher was his backup plan. It took him a while to accept that he wasn’t going pro. He was coaching the high school baseball team when I left.”

  I placed my hand on his arm. “It may not be the life he wanted, but he seems happy.”

  He turned and looked at me, his eyes burning into mine. “Life is what you make of it, right?”

  I nodded, even though I felt terrible agreeing that his life was anything close to what it should have been.

  “Derek’s not here,” he murmured.

  “I thought he lived in Pennsylvania.”

  He nodded. “I guess I just hoped…” He swallowed hard. “I got to see the rest of them, right?”

  God, this was killing me. “And that must be Eric,” I pointed to the guy at the head of the table. He looked the oldest.

  “Yeah.”

  He didn’t say anything else, and I had a feeling that staying here was starting to hurt him more than help at this point.

  “And Joe,” he said, looking at the last brother. “My baby brother.”

  “He’s not so much of a baby anymore,” I said, looking at the guy laughing while he drank a beer.

  “It’s poker night,” he said absently. We stared at the happy scene inside the house for a few more minutes before Josh pulled me behind him and out into the darkness. As soon as we were far enough away from the house, we walked at a normal pace back to the car. We didn’t say anything as we got in the car, but when I went to start the car, he placed his hand on mine and turned to look at me.

  “I may not have that life anymore, but what we have is good. It’s not perfect, but if I was back there, it wouldn’t be perfect either. It’s time to stop living in the past and move on with what we have.”

  “I never wanted this for you,” I said as tears slipped down my cheeks.

  “I know, but if I hadn’t run into you that day, none of this would have happened. And I mean that in a good way.”

  His lips slowly closed over mine and his tongue slid into my mouth, caressing mine as his hand slid behind my neck. If I had any doubts about how he felt about me before, they were all erased in that instance. He kissed me one last time and then nodded. I pulled out onto the road and we drove on to our next home.

  Josh

  Every day with Carly was an adventure. The more I got to know her, the more I fell in love with her. Despite her shitty circumstances, she was a perennial optimist, and that made this whole situation so much easier. We never stayed anywhere for more than six months, and I was more careful about making friends in those new places. Leaving behind that first place in Kansas had been the hardest, and I had learned my lesson. I had Carly, and she was the only person I could have a relationship with. There was no point with anyone else. I would just leave when it was time.

  “Why Fairhope, Alabama?” I asked as we drove through the town. “It’s full of old people.”

  She smiled at me and continued down the road. “You’re gonna love this place. I found it online. The couple that lives there now is renting out the house for six months while they head north for the summer.”

  I huffed as I looked out the window. “Who would want to head north during the summer? This place is beautiful.”

  “Yeah, but they’re old and don’t tolerate the heat as well. Anyway, I told her I would pay six months up front if we could pay in cash for the rent and utilities. She agreed, so we actually get to stay someplace really nice this time around.”

  Every single road was surrounded by pine trees and the neighborhood seemed secluded even though there were houses all around. She pulled into a driveway and put the car in park. The couple was already waiting outside for us.

  “Looks like we got here just in time,” I said.

  “Ready to see our new home?”

  I nodded and opened the door, stepping out into the humidity. The place was quiet, which wasn’t always something you could get in a month to month rental.

  “Are you the Martins?” the older woman asked.

  “Yes,” Carly smiled. “I’m Carly and this is Josh.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, but I’m afraid we only have a few minutes to show you around before we have to leave for our flight.”

  “I’m sorry for the delay. We got stuck in traffic.”

  She waved me off with a smile. “Oh, it’s no problem.”

  We went inside and quickly went through the house. She had a list on the fridge of any numbers we would need, along with instructions for maintaining the property while they were gone. They hurried out to their car and were gone within ten minutes. As I looked around the house more closely this time, I had to laugh. The place was definitely decorated for an older couple, but it was nice and spacious. There were high, vaulted ceilings and an open floor plan. There was a sitting area toward the back of the house where a screened in porch sat.

  The master bedroom was off the kitchen with a walk-in bathroom, and there was a second bedroom across the living room, along with a study. But the best part, in my opinion, was the breakfast nook. You could see the road from the little table, but it was partially hidden by trees. The place was perfect.

  “I think we should check out that hot tub outside.”

  “The hot tub, huh?” I asked, smirking at her. “Aren’t you wondering what the last thing they did in there was?”

  “Ew. Why would you say that?”

  I laughed at the look on her face. “Because all I can think abo
ut is what I want to do to you in that hot tub.”

  “Really?” she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Please, do tell.”

  “I’d rather show you,” I said, nipping at her ear and hauling her up into my arms. She squealed as I headed for the hot tub outside that was surrounded by trees. I set her down and pulled the cover off, not even bothering to strip her down before I hauled her into my arms again and tossed her in the tub. She screamed and shook the water out of her eyes after coming up for air.

  “Josh! You bastard!”

  I turned on the hot tub and stripped myself down, stepping inside with her. She slapped me across the face, smiling the whole time, and then wrapped her arms around me again for a kiss. I started tugging at her wet clothes, regretting having not stripped her first. They were sticking to her body, refusing to come off, and I was hard and needing to be inside her. When I finally had her stripped, she pushed me onto the seat and straddled my lap. Her breasts were right in front of me, begging me to touch them. I pulled one rosy nipple into my mouth and groaned as she took my cock in her hands and lowered herself down on me.

  “I don’t think they realized we would be doing this five minutes after they left,” she said breathlessly.

  “Please, don’t mention old people right now,” I groaned, not wanting to lose the moment.

  Her lips slanted across mine and her teeth nipped at my lips. I slid my hands down to her ass, squeezing her soft flesh as I lifted her up. Her pupils dilated right before I slammed her down on my cock. She gasped and tossed her head back, her pussy clenching around me.

  “Oh God,” she moaned. “Do it again.”

  I grinned and gripped her ass again, lifting her up, then slamming her down again on my cock. She bit her lip, as I did it again and again. I watched with rapt attention, soaking in every moan that slipped from her mouth. When her eyes connected with mine, something passed between us, something that I couldn’t describe.