With a grunt, he started to fuck me – hard.
The couch started to creak with his efforts, but that didn’t stop him. He just went faster and I loved it. I begged for it.
Soon, it was too much for me to handle. His every touch, his every thrust, every last inch of him was driving me completely insane. I tried to hold back, to make the moment last forever, but he was just too good.
With pleasure washing over every part of my body, I screamed his name, climaxing for the first time that night… or well… morning at that point.
The sun was already shining through the curtains as Zach continued his relentless assault, going harder and harder and harder. He had the stamina of a porn star and by the looks of things, he was going to keep at it for a long, long time.
Not that I minded.
Hell, he could fuck me all day long if he wanted to. I wasn’t about to complain when things felt this good.
Chapter 6
ZACH
When I woke up, it took me a second to realize where I was. The bed I was lying in wasn’t my own. The covers were strangely purple in color when mine were usually black satin.
It was only when I started to move that I felt someone next to me. I turned my head slightly, a full head of blonde hair tickling my nose for a second. A scent of cherry blossoms wafted up to my nostrils and I smiled, pulling Brooke a little bit closer.
Our night together replayed in my mind. She had been good. No, good didn’t even come close to describing it. She had been amazing. Breathtaking. Stunning. No wonder I had gone a little overboard. She was no doubt going to be walking funny for days. Okay, maybe I’m tooting my own horn just a little bit, but I did fuck her good.
It took some effort for me to let her go, but I still had a job to do. I found my clothes scattered around the apartment. I put them on, smoothing away any of the wrinkles before I put on my bow tie in front of the mirror.
“You know, usually bowties look so stupid, but somehow, you manage to pull it off. Even make it seem sexy.” Brooke appeared behind me, helping me finish off my look by making sure the bowtie wasn’t crooked. She then wrapped her arms around me, kissing my neck. “Were you going to leave without saying goodbye? And then you say you’re not James Bond…”
I turned to face her. “The high stakes poker game starts in an hour.”
“Did we sleep through the whole day?”
“And night.” I grinned slightly. “It was one hell of a time.”
“You can say that again.” Brooke walked into the living room, grabbing her dress which was strewn across the coffee table. She started to put it on before I stopped her.
“You can’t go this time.”
“Why the hell not?”
“It’s too dangerous. Ace has his eye on you and if you were to come, he’s not going to let me leave with you again.”
She walked up to me, resting her hand on my chest. “Zach. After what you did last night, I trust you with my life. I know nothing will happen to me as long as you’re by my side.”
“I got lucky that time, but luck runs out and I can’t let you get hurt.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Tell me the truth. What’s the real reason you’re going after this guy?”
“It’s my job.”
“It’s more than that. You might fool everyone else with your cool expression, but I can see right through it.”
I looked into her eyes, wondering how much I should tell her.
“He did something to you and now you’re trying to get revenge, aren’t you?”
She was good. I was starting to wonder if she wasn’t an agent herself.
“Fine, you got me. Five years ago, his men killed my sister, thinking she was someone else. They desecrated her body and left her in the river. I couldn’t even give her a proper funeral because the coroners had no hope of reconstructing her face. She always said she didn’t want to be cremated, but that was my only choice after what he did to her. I don’t even want to imagine what she had to go through… he must’ve known she wasn’t his girlfriend when he found her and yet, he killed her…” My voice started to shake, my hands clenching into fists. “So, I have to get this man behind bars before he does that to someone else’s sister… daughter… mother.”
Brooke was quiet for a moment before she grabbed my hand in hers. “So, let me help you.”
***
Despite all my protests, Brooke was still on the back of my motorcycle, riding toward the poker parlor. I had to give it to her, she was one brave girl.
Hopefully, my plan would work. Just in case, I grabbed a gun and tucked it into my jacket. My squad was only a few streets over ready to crash the party at the first sign of trouble but you could never be too careful, especially with a beautiful woman by your side.
I parked in the same spot and once again brandished an ace of spades. The guard seemed to recognize me because he practically growled, his teeth bared like a dog.
Inside, the parlor was filled with a lot more people than the previous night. Men in tailored suits. Women in fur boas and glittering jewelry on their fingers. Ace was smart. If he wanted to kill me, doing it here, in front of this many people, would definitely send a message.
Luckily, he wasn’t the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve. Pun intended.
“Ah, Zach, I’m glad you could make it. And I see you’ve brought along the lovely pianist.” He leaned down to kiss her hand. I had to do everything in my power to keep my composure. The last time we were here I didn’t really think much about him kissing her. It was all part of the act. But now, a flare of jealousy surged through my body.
Was I starting to get attached to this woman?
I sure as hell hope not. Such a thing was never good. Made you vulnerable. Made you weak.
And yet, deep down, anytime I thought of her beautiful brown eyes, my heart beat just a little faster.
Great, now I sound like some sappy poet.
Get it together, Zach. This is no time to be thinking about such things, especially since one wrong move meant we’d both be dead.
“Please, sit down, the game will begin shortly.” To my surprise, he didn’t bother making Brooke sit in his lap. He was definitely up to something.
As customary, he shuffled the deck and dealt the first hand before passing the cards to his dealer. The game went on smoothly enough. It was obvious that Ace was cheating, but no one dared to say a word. I kept my cool, scanning the area every once in a while. Just as I had observed in my first game, the guards switched positions every four hours. For about thirty seconds, certain parts of the room were left unguarded. That would be my ticket to getting out of here alive.
“Raise,” I said, placing one of the larger chips on the table. I had a pretty good hand and I wasn’t even cheating. Maybe luck was still on my side after all.
Ace grinned, calling my bet and nodding at his dealer.
A golden ace of spades appeared on the table.
The other players gasped. I was as good as dead.
I felt the cold barrel of a gun against the side of my neck. In a flash, I grabbed the guard’s arm, yanking him forward, smashing his arm against the table so hard that it broke. The giant screamed, but the pain only seemed to anger him further. He charged, lunging for me, trying to push me into the wall, but he was much too slow.
I was so occupied dealing with the bodyguard that I didn’t notice Ace grabbing Brooke. She screamed, a knife pressed against her neck. “I wouldn’t do anything stupid if I was you, Agent Moore. Or did you think I was foolish enough to fall for your little tricks.” He laughed, towing Brooke toward the fireplace, kicking her dress skirt toward the flame. If it got any closer, it would ignite and Brooke would be burned alive.
This man truly was a monster.
“Dozens of men just like you have come here thinking they could outsmart me, but they all went back home to their families in a body bag.”
“Well, lucky f
or me, I don’t have a family. You murdered the only family I had left five years ago.” Sick of his bullshit, I reached for my sidearm and pulled it out.
Once I pulled the trigger, everything went silent for a moment.
Ace stood there like a statue and I thought I had missed.
“Son of a bitch!” He bellowed, his shoulder now red with blood. He threw Brooke to the side as he charged at me.
No one interfered in our fight, almost as if they were shocked by the fact Ace had been shot or that he was actually doing his own dirty work.
Hell, he even took me by surprise, slamming me into the wall and winding me for a moment.
It didn’t take long for me to get my bearings. I grabbed his arm and twisted it back, nearly ripping it out of his socket.
He groaned, but flung his head back, hitting me in the nose. I heard it crack, blood rushing out like a fountain.
Outside, the sound of sirens could be heard.
“Don’t just stand there, you idiots! Do something!” He screamed.
His guards went running outside to meet my squad, leaving me alone with Ace.
All his so-called friends had high-tailed it out of there the first chance they got.
We tussled on the ground, but I had the clear upper hand, my rage fueling me like nothing else. I punched his face over and over again until he finally managed to move out of the way. I rammed my hand into the ground. He flung me off him and scrambled for a nearby gun.
Bang!
***
I don’t know how long I was out for, but when I woke up, it felt like I had been hit by a train. Had I died? I hope not… If you can feel pain in Heaven that sure as hell sucks.
Slowly, I tried to open my eyes, only to be met by a bright, white light.
Great, I really was dead.
So much for beating Ace.
I groaned, the pain crippling, especially in my leg, like it had been run over by a train.
“Zach?” The sound was distant, almost as if I was underwater. “Zach?” I heard it again, the voice familiar. “Zach!”
Suddenly, there were arms wrapped around me, causing pain to shoot up my spine.
“You’re awake! Thank goodness you’re awake.” Something wet touched my cheek and I heard someone sobbing.
My mind was muddy, but piece by piece, things were starting to come together.
Brooke!
My eyes shot open and I finally saw her beautiful face, now tear-stricken as she held me closer. Wetting my lips, I tried to speak, but my tongue felt like it had tripled in size.
She seemed to know what I was doing because she pulled away slightly. “Don’t try to speak…” She said, her hand on my cheek, her eyes watery. “God… I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“W-What happened?”
She sighed at my stubbornness. “Ace shot you.” She explained.
“Did he get away?”
“Unfortunately, yes…”
I started to get up, ripping the IVs from my arms. “I have to –”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She said, pushing me back down a little harder than she needed to. “You nearly died. You aren’t getting out of this bed until the doctor says you can and even then, you’re staying with me until you’re fully healed. I’m not letting you go out there and do something stupid again.” Her voice was firm and I knew she wouldn’t let this go.
Suddenly, she kissed me, her lips full of desperate, unspoken emotion. Even without saying a word, I knew that she deeply cared about me, that she was scared of losing me.
We broke away and she looked into my eyes. “Promise you’ll stay with me until you get better.”
I gazed at her worried but determined face. “I promise. But then, I’m going after Ace and finishing him once and for all.”
“Good, because I just enrolled in the police academy.” She winked.
“Brooke...” I was going to say something about her decision but my body suddenly gave in and I dropped back to bed. I could still hear her voice in distance calling for a doctor as I was falling into sleep again.
I may have lost the battle, but I sure as hell wouldn’t lose the war, especially not with Brooke by my side.
THE END
Walking A Thin Line
Chapter 1
ALICIA
“Coffee?”
“Oh God, yes.” I snatched a cup from the tray, cradling it against my chest, enjoying the warmth as it seeped through my fingers.
“Tough day, Alicia?” my former partner asked, walking toward the edge of my desk in his usual, nonchalant manner. “Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you relax and we’ve been working together for what, five years now? You’re going to give yourself a heart attack or something if you don’t slow down.” He poked my arm in a playful manner, trying to get me to crack a smile.
“Not everyone can be as carefree as you, Bill.”
“Who said I’m carefree? I have two little girls at home. They certainly are a handful.” He sat down at the desk in front of me. “Alright, spill it, what’s got you so worked up?”
“H.P. Emulsion.”
“He’s back at it again?”
I nodded solemnly, “He sent us another envelope this morning.”
“Have you opened it?”
I shook my head. “I sent it down to the lab to check for fingerprints.”
Bill gave me a reprimanding look as if I was one of his daughters. “You know you’re not going to find anything. Whoever this guy is, he’s good. He’s been doing this for months and he’s not going to slip up now.”
“You don’t know that. And I’d much rather waste a little bit of time than figure out later that I contaminated valuable evidence. Besides, it’s protocol.”
“You always were a stickler for following the rules, Alicia.” He sipped his coffee, “Yuck. I’m starting to think they’re legitimately putting liquid dirt in the coffee machine.”
I narrowed my eyes in his direction. “Don’t be so dramatic. The coffee is bad, but it can’t be that bad.” I said before taking a swig.
It was piping hot. So hot that it nearly burned my tongue. “Ow…” I mumbled, setting it down on top of some folders. My desk was so cluttered that there wasn’t even enough space for the cup. The unleveled surface soon caused the cup to topple over. Suddenly, it spilled everywhere, including on my lap.
I jumped up, trying to save the documents on my desk. If I got coffee on my police reports, I would be stuck in this office doing paperwork until Christmas – and it was July.
As I was frantically trying to salvage the situation, I heard Bill stifle a chuckle. “Don’t think I can’t hear you. Make yourself useful and go get some paper towels,” I snapped at him, my cheeks already bright red.
A few other officers were looking my way, hiding their laughter.
Great, now I was the laughing stock of the precinct. That’s exactly what I needed.
I didn’t even like coffee.
“Detective Fox?”
I whipped around to see the chief standing in front of me, a stern expression on his face. He was holding the H.P. Emulsion envelope in his hands. “Rough morning, I take it?”
“Just a little accident…” I said, clearing my throat, trying to look professional, even though my white blouse now had a giant, brown coffee stain. Quickly, I buttoned up my blazer and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling awkward.
“I see.”
“Here’s the paper towels you asked for. Maybe don’t ogle at me so hard next time and we wouldn’t have this problem,” Bill teased in his usual fashion.
“Am I interrupting something?” the chief asked, his foot lightly tapping against the floor. It was one of his ticks. He was definitely not amused. Leave it to Bill to get me in trouble… Maybe that’s why we weren’t partners anymore and why I had decided to go undercover by myself.
“Of course not, Harold,” Bill smirke
d. “You know I just like to have a bit of fun with Alicia here.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and squeezed me against his chest. “After all, she was like my second wife for a few years.”
Forever Together Page 19
