Doubling Down

by Bianca D’Arc

  Jay had a few moment’s warning as Zack’s voice came to him silently from outside. “The goons are back. I’m right behind them.”

  “What do you think they want? Another ass kicking?” Jay asked, all the while moving into position to confront the intruders and keep Becky as safe as possible.

  She was in the far corner of the room, well away from the doors, thank goodness. She looked up when she heard the commotion, and Jay nodded to her. He mouthed the words “get down” and accompanied them with a slight motion of his hand, hoping she’d figure it out, while he moved forward to meet the goons head on.

  “They’re not making any aggressive moves. I don’t see any weapons,” Zack offered. “Of course, that doesn’t mean they don’t have them.”

  “Hang back for a minute and let me feel out the situation. Becky’s on the floor in the southeastern corner of the room, hiding under a table. They didn’t see her, as far as I can tell.” Jay reported as the three men entered the dining room proper.

  “The waiter was paid off. I saw the last guy slip him an envelope,” Zack reported.

  “Remind me to break his nose later,” Jay quipped. “Okay. Showtime.”

  Psyching himself up for the confrontation ahead, Jay used his training and experience to channel his fear and anger into calm readiness. He didn’t dare look over at Becky, but he’d seen enough in the moments before the men had come through the vestibule and into the dining room to be thankful she was quick witted. She was on the ground, hiding, which was the most sensible place for her at the moment.

  “Can I help you gentlemen? The restaurant is closed,” Jay said in a conversational tone, noting the black eyes two of the men sported and the cuts and bruises on all three. He remembered delivering some of the blows that had caused the damage with a sense of accomplishment.

  “We didn’t come here to fight. We were sent to deliver a message,” the spokesman for the group said quickly.

  “I’m listening,” Jay told him.

  “All we need is the girl. Mr. Salvatore wants her. He’ll pay you to turn her over.”

  Jay shook his head slowly. “You weren’t listening the last time we met. She’s not for sale, and neither am I.”

  “Our boss just wants what she knows,” one of the other goons put in, earning a sharp glance from the spokesman.

  “And, after he learns what he wants, he’ll kill her. No. I’m sorry, boys. I’m not going to let that happen.” Jay was firm but polite. He was glad to see the lesson of their last beating had hit home. So to speak.

  “What if we promise to release her unharmed?” the spokesman asked, tilting his head as if considering the idea for the first time.

  Jay just stared at them, showing them his scornful skepticism without saying a word. He waited a beat, but they had nothing more to say. Time to end this conversation.

  “All right boys, you’ve delivered your message. Now, go away.” He made his words fall hard in the silent room.

  “Give him the girl. Take the deal,” the spokesman encouraged Jay one last time. “If you don’t, you’ll regret it.”

  “Oh, I think we’ve already proven that we’re not the type to have any regrets—or leave anyone alive. You got off easy earlier. Normally, we don’t take prisoners, and we shoot to kill. So, take this message back to your boss for us. Leave Becky alone or face our wrath.” Now, Jay let them see a bit of his war face, and he knew it wasn’t an expression to be taken lightly.

  The spokesman held up his hands, palms outward, as if surrendering as he backed up. His cohorts backpedaled even more quickly, turning and stopping short to find Zack blocking the exit. He’d come upon them silently and made sure they’d seen him, and the semi-automatic he held aimed at their chests, before stepping aside to allow them to pass.

  They moved quickly after that, leaving the restaurant behind so quickly, Jay almost broke into a laugh. But that wouldn’t do. Becky was still hiding under the tables in the corner, poor thing.

  “They’re gone. You can come out, now,” Jay said quietly.

  Becky surprised him by standing up in a completely different location than where he’d seen her take cover. Good for her. Smart girl, moving around to confuse the enemy.

  “I don’t know about you, but I definitely need a drink,” she said, heading straight to the bar and getting behind it.

  She chose peach schnapps, which wasn’t exactly hard liquor in Jay’s book, but he didn’t comment. She poured a little shot and slugged it back, seeming to deflate now that the danger had passed.

  “I’m not normally much of a drinker, but in all the old movies I’ve seen, they always drink to settle their nerves. Does that actually work?” she asked, rambling a bit.

  Jay could tell she was shaken. He walked right around the bar and took her into his arms, hugging her close, offering comfort. He knew Zack was taking care of the locking up out front, and he’d be on watch while Jay got Becky ready to move.

  Zack concealed his weapon but kept it within easy reach. He was right to have gotten a bit more firepower tonight. He’d had a feeling something might happen sooner rather than later, and he was glad he’d been prepared. He’d noted the way the henchmen’s eyes had flared in alarm when they caught sight of him with them squarely in his sights.

  That had almost been fun. It would have been, had Becky’s safety not hung in the balance. This op was personal.

  Zack made sure everything was as secure as he could make it, then walked into the bar area to find Jay holding Becky in his arms. She was shaking a little bit, but Zack supposed that was to be expected. It wasn’t every day she heard criminals threatening her safety and possibly her continued existence.

  “I just want to go home,” Zack heard her tell Jay, weariness in her voice as she finally pulled away from his embrace.

  “Home?” Jay sent to Zack, echoing his thoughts.

  “Freudian slip?” Zack offered back, not daring to shrug his shoulders, though he wanted to.

  “Or maybe she is starting to think of our place as home after only one night,” Jay sent back, hopeful intent in his tone.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Zack cautioned his partner. “We still haven’t told her about the telepathy.”

  “I don’t think she’ll run screaming into the night because we’re a little freaky,” Jay offered. “She’s made of sterner stuff than that.”

  “I hope you’re right,” was all Zack could add before their silence had drawn on too long. He offered her a hand. “Come on, then. Let’s go home,” he said aloud, echoing her words.

  Zack drove, and Jay sat in the back of the big SUV they’d acquired, with Becky. They handled the night deposit with no trouble then headed for home. Although wearing a seatbelt for safety, in case Zack had to take evasive maneuvers, Jay held Becky loosely in his arms as she leaned against him. He was stroking her hair in a soothing manner as Zack glanced into the rearview mirror.

  “We’re going to have to talk out our options,” Zack sent back silently to Jay, meeting his gaze briefly in the mirror.

  “Yeah, I know. But not tonight. I think we both need to sleep a bit and go over the facts before we plan any strategy. We’re both not thinking clearly, right now. Too much emotion in too short a time,” Jay reasoned, and Zack knew he wasn’t far off the mark.

  “All right, then. As soon as we wake up tomorrow, we’re going to have to tackle this. Salvatore moved faster than I thought he would, which means we might not have the luxury of time to come up with our response,” Zack reminded his best friend.

  “Roger that, but I don’t think he’ll do anything tonight. We have a little bit of breathing space,” Jay replied. “And, even if he tries something here, he’ll never get through our security. We have the high ground on our own turf.”

  “If we play this right, we can end it before it begins,” Zack insisted. Jay only nodded once in reply as Becky shifted against him.

  The rest of the ride was uneventful, and Zack pulled into the garage
and secured the perimeter alarms before stepping out of the vehicle. They’d agreed he’d do a quick walk-thru to be absolutely certain there were no threats present before they’d allow Becky to exit the vehicle. Jay distracted her with a kiss, which quickly turned into a seriously heavy petting session.

  By the time Zack had done his checks and returned to the garage, Becky was half-clothed and moaning. Shit. Were they even going to make it into the house?

  Zack opened the back door, and Becky jumped, startled.

  “Help me get her out of the car,” Jay sent to Zack, his tone urgent and somewhat disordered.

  Zack offered Becky his hand, and she took it reflexively. He tugged, and she came forward, into his arms as he helped her down from the spacious back seat of the big SUV. The skirt she’d worn to work slithered to the floor, leaving her clad only in her high heels and stockings from the waist down.

  Real stockings, with a garter belt and everything. Yowza. Zack’s libido went from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. Black lace and slinky dark silk stockings with black lace tops.

  “Did you know she was wearing that under her skirt?” Zack asked Jay as his teammate stepped out of the SUV behind her.

  “Wearing what?” he asked, then his mouth dropped open when he got a good look at Becky’s lower half. “Oh, sweet Lord in heaven,” Jay said out loud, unable to take his eyes off Becky’s half-open blouse and super sexy lower half.

  She seemed to like his response because she smiled like a little she-devil and turned her head to the side, giving Jay a sidelong glance.

  “I think someone wants to get fucked,” Zack observed, watching the little pebbles of her nipples against the soft fabric of her bra and the disheveled shirt.

  Her mouth dropped open, and her gaze snapped to him. Caught. Oh, yeah. She wanted dick, and she wanted it, now.

  Chapter Ten

  Becky couldn’t really believe the situation. Here she was, in the middle of a garage, for goodness sake, even hornier than she had been the first time with these two amazing men. Zack looked stern, and the way he stood, his muscular arms crossed over his chest as he gazed at her, made her hot. Just like the way Jay stood watching her, masculine appreciation in every nuance of his expression. She thought she might have just stunned him with her sexy lingerie.

  Mission accomplished. She wanted to giggle at the thought. She had set out to seduce, and it looked like she had not only won the battle but was about to be awarded the prize. Two prizes. Lucky girl that she was.

  “Turn around, Becky,” Zack ordered her in a stern voice that made her motor rev a little higher. She did as she was told and faced the front fender of the big SUV they’d procured from somewhere.

  “Hands on the hood, babe,” Jay growled as he came up behind her. His hands stroked along her arms, positioning them just so. Then, his foot gently coaxed hers apart until she was holding a wide stance. “Now, bend,” he instructed, pushing on her shoulder blades so that her upper body bent over the hood of the SUV while her lower body splayed open from behind.

  She felt her pussy clench in anticipation, knowing she would be hot and slick when one of them finally touched her. Oh, please, let them touch her, now!

  Becky felt strong hands at her hips, carefully lowering the panties she’d worn on the outside of the garter, hoping to give them easy access. She’d been right to plan ahead. Being tangled up in the garter when she wanted the panties off would’ve been awkward.

  She felt the air against her ass first, then lower down, a slight breeze sliding over the sensitive skin between. And then, she felt one of the men come up behind her. Right behind her. She didn’t know which one, but either would do. She wanted—no, she needed—to come. As soon as possible. It felt like she’d been waiting an age since their last encounter, and she was a starving woman.

  She moaned as a hard cock entered her from behind. Long, it reached new places inside her in this position. As Jay—it had to be Jay, she thought—began a steady rhythm, Becky gasped each time he hit a particular spot inside her just right. Sweet heaven! She hadn’t ever felt that before.

  Then again, she’d never had sex standing up, leaning against the hood of a car before either. These boys were introducing her to all sorts of new things. Things she liked very much.

  Jay’s hands were on her hips, holding her steady while his cock reamed her. She was gasping when, suddenly, a new hand reached downward to trace along the crack of her ass. Zack? It must be. But what was he doing?

  His finger was wet. Had he licked his own finger? That had to be it. And then, he reached that back hole and pushed inside, just a little bit, and she screamed and came, all at once, her body clenching on Jay’s cock and Zack’s finger at the same time.

  Holy fuck! That was the most intense sensation she’d ever felt.

  She felt Jay stiffen a moment later, coming hard as his body pushed hers against the car. Zack’s finger left at some point. She wasn’t sure exactly when. She was too high. Flying too close to the stars to notice as her body sang in pleasure.

  When she began to come down, again, Jay moved away, and suddenly, Zack was there, taking her into his arms as he carried her into the house. He didn’t go too far, depositing her on one of the wide couches and coming down over her. His pants were undone, and his cock was already sheathed, hard and ready for her.

  And then, he came into her, facing her at first, then moving her body around on the couch as he struck hard and deep. He lifted her legs, placing them where he wanted, so that she took him at an angle she’d never experimented with before. None of her other lovers had been as adventurous as these two. They were showing her things she had never known about her body. About her responses. About her own seemingly insatiable desire for them and the pleasure they could give her.

  Becky wouldn’t have believed she could come again so soon, but Zack proved her wrong. The angle of his penetration hit that place within her that set her off like fireworks. She came apart around him, and he joined her only seconds later, as if that’s what he’d been waiting for.

  She might’ve blacked out at that point, but she didn’t know for sure. All she knew was that when she finally came back to herself, she was in Zack’s bed, laying between him and Jay. Like the squishy stuffing in a sandwich cookie. Yum.

  That was the last conscious thought she had before sleep claimed her.

  Jay heard Zack leave the room not long after Becky fell asleep. “What’s up, bro?” he sent silently.

  “Can’t sleep. Want to make plans,” Zack sent back. “We need to be proactive instead of reactive here, I think. I’m sick of waiting to see what Salvatore is going to do.”

  “I hear that,” Jay replied. “What do you think? Direct confrontation? Take the bull by the horns and shake the shit out of him?”

  “Something like that,” Zack replied. “I gathered some intel while you were at the restaurant. I know where Salvatore is, right now. Bastard changes locations every few days, like some sort of mad dictator.”

  “Dude has delusions of grandeur?” Jay wasn’t all that surprised. For a two-bit hood, Salvatore had managed to grow his little empire into something rather dangerous.

  “And then some,” Zack agreed. “But I tracked him. We can go put the fear of God and the team in him any time we want.”

  “I like the sound of that.” Jay could just imagine making the little toad shit his pants for scaring Becky so badly. “When?”

  Jay and Zack spent the next hour making plans. Sharing a telepathic link made it possible for them to do it silently and under utterly uncompromised conditions. Not that it was likely, but if someone had managed to get a listening device into their home, they still wouldn’t have been able to hear their plans. It was a big advantage the team of paired telepathically-linked soldiers had over everyone else.

  An experiment, and an advantage for Uncle Sam whenever they were called upon to act on behalf of the country. This night, though, they were using their scientifically-created gift to act on
behalf of the innocent woman they both were coming to love. If they could just find a way to guarantee her safety, they would all rest much easier.

  By the time Jay fell asleep with Becky curled around him, they had a workable plan. Zack stayed up, setting things up and firing off coded email to the friends they might need as backup. One way or another, they were going to be proactive and bring this threat to a head, so they could deal with it once and for all.

  The next day, Becky went to work earlier in the afternoon than she usually did because she had a lot of work to catch up on. She’d been late and not really able to concentrate the day before, but the staff had helped her keep on top of things for the most part. There were, however, particular tasks that only she could do, so she made the decision to go in early to, not only catch up but maybe get a little ahead while she could.

  Jay and Zack wouldn’t let her go alone, of course, but they’d surprised her by passing the task of watching over her off to two of their friends. In fact, the two men were guys she knew. One of them was Jay’s brother, Mike, and his friend, Peter. They often came in to dine with a pretty woman named Lilly. She thought Lilly might be married to either Mike or Peter but hadn’t asked. They were both attentive to her, so she couldn’t tell just by watching them, but she did see a close bond between the three of them that she didn’t quite understand but that left her with a warm feeling.

  Lilly wasn’t with Mike and Peter that afternoon as they watched over Becky. Jay had taken a moment to tell her that one of the guys would be with her at all times, while the other would take up a station at the bar to watch over the dining area. They were taking precautions to keep her safe, and she couldn’t really argue. She did most of her work at one of the back tables, near the bar area, at least while the dining room was empty.

  On the few occasions where she had to fetch something from her office, either Peter or Mike would accompany her. It was a pretty bold and constant reminder that she was in danger ,and even though she felt safe with the two men here, she worried about the future and about whatever Jay and Zack were up to while they left her in the care of their friends. She had a bad feeling that they were going to do something rash. Or, if not exactly rash, then dangerous.