Taken: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by M. A. Lee

  Her hands began to roam through my hair, pushing me further inside of her. My tongue fucked her, tasting and lapping every ounce of her sweet come.

  She screamed in ecstasy more times than I could count before I pulled my head away. It was my turn and I couldn’t wait to get my dick inside of Ally.

  She was beyond ready for me when I pulled my jeans down and then rammed inside of her.

  We fucked that night over every inch of my living room. Ally screamed my name well into the early morning hours and we both finally passed out with smiles on our faces just as the sun made its appearance in the morning sky.

  ****

  What was going on?

  I peeled my eyes open and noticed the bright sunlight filtering in through my living room windows. It took me a minute to remember I was not in my bed and I was definitely not alone right now. My arm was asleep, tiny tingling sensations shooting up and down my flesh as I tried to pull it free from under Ally.

  We both fell asleep on the couch sometime late last night.

  Or, maybe it was early morning.

  I had no fucking idea. All I knew was that Ally and I pushed our relationship to new bounds and there was no going back now. As hard as I tried to fight my growing feelings for her, it was no use.

  She captivated me and stole my heart from the moment we first met. Now, I needed to figure out if we were both on the same page with how we feel, because I refused to share her with anyone else.

  I successfully pulled my arm out from under her small body and I began rubbing my aching muscles. Ally began to stir next to me and my grin shifted into a smile as I realized how adorable she looked first thing in the morning. Her hair was an absolute mess as it was sprawled all over the couch, but she was magnificent to look at.

  “Morning,” she growled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

  “Morning,” I replied, watching her with amusement.

  “What time is it?” she asked, moving to sit up.

  Apparently, at some point I had covered us with a blanket. Her perky breasts were freed as she sat up. Noticing this, her face blushed ten shades of red as she struggled to bring the blanket back up to hide her body.

  “Don’t do that,” I insisted, grabbing her hand. “You look beautiful.”

  “I’m naked,” Ally said, looking down.

  Chuckling, I smiled back at her. “Yes, you are and it is a glorious sight,” I mused, licking my lips.

  Ally bit her lip and it drove me wild.

  “It’s after ten in the morning,” I said, glancing down at my phone next to me.

  “Wow, we stayed up pretty late,” Ally said, that deep crimson blush returning to her cheeks.

  “We sure did. We might have to do it again tonight,” I said, leaning over and kissing her.

  “Maybe, if you are good,” she teased.

  “Oh, yeah, I might just have to cuff you,” I growled, my body pushing into hers.

  Ally gasped, her eyes filling with need for me. “I might like that. I may just have to let you cuff me,” she replied, her voice dripping with desire.

  Rolling over to my side, I propped myself up with my elbows. “So, I wanted to talk to you about something,” I began. I was nervous and I wasn’t really sure why. Yes, this was unchartered territory for me, but it was Ally.

  “Oh, no, that doesn’t sound good,” Ally began, her eyes filling with worry.

  “Don’t get scared,” I said, stopping that fear from filling inside of her. “I was thinking about us, the status of what we are doing,” I began.

  “Okay.” Ally nodded.

  “Well, I know we didn’t start out with normal circumstances, but I feel a connection between us. We are so comfortable around one another and sex is phenomenal,” I said.

  Ally smiled, nodding along as she thankfully agreed with me.

  “So, I was thinking that we should be exclusive. I mean, I have no desire to date anyone else,” I finished.

  Ally locked eyes with me and her smile spread from ear-to-ear. Rolling her body onto mine, Ally crushed her lips to mine in a hungry need.

  I knew I had to run into work today, but right now, I had a very naked woman on top of me and I wasn’t stupid. I was going to take her and finish making her mine.

  Chapter 21

  Ally

  The next week seemed to move at a snail's pace as I anxiously waited for Brianna to come and visit me. She had texted me letting me know that she was on the way, and I let the doorman to Todd’s apartment know when to let her in.

  I was buzzing with excitement as I rushed around, cleaning and making sure everything looked great. Even though Todd had an older lady who came and cleaned the apartment once a week, I still felt like it was my responsibility to help keep the place clean.

  When I heard the knock at the door, I about jumped out of my skin.

  Squealing, I ran to the door and pulled it open with lightning speed.

  Standing in front of me was my best friend, Brianna.

  We embraced, hugging and laughing as I pulled her into the apartment.

  “Wow, you have it made,” Brianna whistled as she looked around the massive apartment.

  “Yes, it’s really nice here,” I said.

  “Where is that hunky detective you are shacking up with?” she asked, raising her brows and smirking at me.

  Smacking her on the arm, I rolled my eyes. “He’s at work right now. But, I thought you and I could head to the beach and maybe Todd could join us later,” I said.

  “Sounds like he’s your boyfriend,” Brianna stated, eyeing me with those big eyes of hers.

  “No, we are just having fun,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure if I believed my own words.

  “We will see,” Brianna said. “Now, show me where I will be staying in this massive home of yours.” She winked.

  After showing Brianna to our room, we went out and found a taco truck. Brianna was a little surprised about my security detail, but I assured her it wasn’t that big of a deal. She was aware of everything that had been going on, and agreed it was probably overkill, but still necessary.

  We shopped a little and then made our way to Venice Beach. I didn’t have a swimsuit with me, but I hadn’t planned on getting in the ocean anyway. We had spent the day hanging out and catching up and it felt great to just be at ease with my best friend. I didn’t worry about school, work, or drug toting bad guys. It was a glorious day.

  As we sat on the golden sand watching the waves crash against the golden shore, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I noticed it was a text from Todd.

  Todd: Hey, are you still at the beach?

  Me: Why don’t you ask your security team?

  I knew I was driving him crazy with my sarcasm, but it was just part of our relationship.

  Todd: Answer me.

  Me: Yes, we are still there.

  Todd: Okay, Jamie and I will be there in a minute.

  Me: Sounds good.

  “Was that lover boy?” Brianna teased.

  “What? It was Todd,” I said, trying to hide the smile on my face.

  “Girl, you have it bad for him,” Brianna said.

  Shaking my head, I stared out at the horizon and watched as the sun began its descent toward the ocean. An array of red, oranges, and yellows danced across the sky and it was magical.

  “We are having fun. I like him, but I don’t know where this is going,” I admitted, sighing.

  “I can’t wait to see him.” She smiled.

  Ten minutes later, Todd and Jamie pulled up to a parking lot near the beach. I was sure the security detail had given them our exact location.

  As they began making their way toward us, Brianna’s mouth fell open.

  “You need to close your mouth, you are drooling,” I teased.

  “Damn, you didn’t tell me Todd was a Greek god. And who is that?” she whispered, nodding her head toward Jamie.

  “That’s Jamie, Todd’s partner and friend.” I giggled.

 
Brianna was in awe of the two beautiful and buff guys making their way to us.

  They both sat down next to us and I formally introduced Brianna to Todd and Jamie.

  “Thank you for letting me stay with you all this weekend,” Brianna said, shaking Todd’s hand.

  “No problem, I’m glad Ally has someone else to annoy this weekend,” Todd said, grinning at me.

  I scrunched up my face and glared at him and Brianna just laughed.

  “Well, I am just glad you are taking care of Ally. I hope you catch the dirtbag that was after her,” Brianna said, a hint of sadness radiating through her voice.

  I didn’t want to focus on the dangers of my current situation and I was beyond relieved when Jamie interrupted and changed the topic.

  “So, Brianna, where do you go to school?” he asked.

  Brianna perked up and they began chatting away.

  I could see sparks flying as Brianna and Jamie smiled at one another.

  Todd gave me a knowing smirk as we watched them begin a side conversation. Totally unaware of us now, I could see that Brianna was seeing how easy it was to fall for one of Sunnyville’s detectives.

  By the time the sun went down, we were all starving. We ended up going to McGregor’s, a local bar where most of the guys on the force hung out. We all ate, had a few drinks, and laughed until our faces hurt.

  When we arrived back at the apartment, Brianna stopped me as I was heading to the bathroom to shower before bed.

  “Hey, I saw the way that Todd was looking at you tonight,” she said, lowering her voice to ensure only I could hear her.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, keeping my voice low, too.

  “Come on, Ally. He is crazy about you and I see how you look at him. You two are insane if you think you can keep this charade going that you are just friends,” she said, using air quotes around the word friends. “It’s only a matter of time before one of you caves and tells the other how you feel,” she finished.

  Her words hung heavy over my heart as I left her in our room.

  Chapter 22

  Todd

  The weekend was almost perfect. Ally had come alive when her friend Brianna arrived into town. Plus, Jamie seemed to be loosening up, too. I was glad to see everyone focus on something other than our case, but I knew eventually, we would all have to get back to our lives and face our true reality.

  When Brianna left Sunday evening, I watched as Ally and her hugged and swore to talk every day. I was glad that Ally had someone like Brianna in her life, but I also felt a pang of jealousy. It was crazy, I know. But I wanted to be the person she went to when she was scared or just needed to talk. I guess, I could only dream.

  ****

  Monday morning came all too fast. Ally had woken me up with an elaborate breakfast to thank me for allowing Brianna to come visit. It was unnecessary, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

  An hour later, I was showered and dressed for work.

  I left Ally lounging in my bed. She had her schoolbooks piled around her as she typed away on her laptop. Two officers were stationed outside of my building to make sure Ally had protection at all times. Maybe it was overkill, but I wasn’t going to take any chances when it came to Ally.

  I was grinning like a damn fool as I drove down the streets. Suddenly, I heard my phone ringing and saw Carter’s name flash across my screen.

  “Hello,” I answered, my voice sounding too chipper.

  “We had a 419 called in,” Carter stated.

  “Give me details,” I barked. A 419 was a dead body which wouldn’t make me nervous, except we were dealing with a lethal criminal here.

  “There was a dead body reported down by one of the piers off Venice Beach. It wasn’t just one when we got there. Three of our CIs were dead. Shot point blank in the head. And, Manny was one of them,” he sighs.

  Shit.

  Marcus must have eyes on the station now, too. He had to have known that Manny was brought into the station. I had threatened Manny, but I didn’t want to see the guy dead.

  “Do you suspect Marcus is the perp? Or, do you think it was one of his KAs,” I asked.

  If it were one of his known associates, there would be no way of knowing who it could be. From what Manny had told us, Marcus had hundreds of guys working for him and they were all disposable. Which, he was right.

  “I am turning into the station now,” I said and then hung up the phone.

  I was out of my truck before I even put it in park. I rushed inside and caught the guys all in the conference room. They had files spread throughout the tables and Carter was writing on our whiteboard.

  They all turned and looked at me as I entered the room. I saw a flash of sympathy on Jamie’s face and I didn’t like the way he was looking at me right now. Something was up.

  “Alright, one of you fuckers better tell me what is going on?” I demanded.

  “You need to come and sit down,” Carter ordered.

  I eyed him carefully as I made my way further into the room. Sitting down, I crossed my arms and waited for someone to tell me what the issue was.

  Finally, it was Parker who spoke first, surprising us all. “There was a picture of you at the crime scene.”

  “A picture of me?” I asked, watching them all nod.

  “Ok, and…” I said, waiting for someone else to share.

  “Todd, next to Manny’s body was a picture of you and Ally walking into your apartment building. There was a red X on both of your faces. It is clear that Marcus is aware of us tailing him. He took out the informants who he knew and who he suspected had been talking to us. I think you and Ally are both in danger. That is why I am pulling you from the case right now,” Carter said .

  “The hell you are. If this asshole thinks he is going to threaten me and Ally, then I am taking him down myself!” I yelled out.

  “No, you will not,” Detective Marshall said, walking in behind me.

  I jumped out of my seat, ready to plead my case. “Detective Marshall, you can’t take me off the case,” I begged.

  “Sit down, Todd,” he ordered.

  I hesitated, but then reluctantly took a seat again.

  “I am going to ask that you take Ally and stay at a hotel outside of the city. I will have an unmarked car to take you both. You can work remotely from the hotel, but until we have apprehended Marcus, you are off the streets,” he declared.

  His words were final and I saw it in his eyes there was no bargaining with him.

  The guys knew it, too.

  I was pissed that I couldn’t be on the streets, doing my job and taking down nasty criminals like Marcus, but at least I could still work on the case and protect Ally.

  Shit, Ally.

  Jumping up again, I reached for my phone. “I have to call Ally!” I shouted.

  Jamie walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “We sent two officers to pick her up from your apartment. Grant was one of them. They should be here any minute,” he assured me.

  I relaxed for a moment, but my anger was still building inside.

  Everything was perfect this morning. Ally and I were ready to pursue our relationship, but life threw me a curve ball. How could I ever have thought that I could be happy? That I could have a real relationship? My family was right about me; I was a screw-up. Everything I touched turned to shit. Now, I had put Ally in more danger than I had realized.

  I knew what I had to do, and I wasn’t going to like it.

  “When you book the hotel rooms, get two,” I ordered.

  All eyes flashed to me and I knew they could see the raging storm brewing inside of me.

  “Todd, I don’t…” Jamie began to argue, but I stopped him.

  Holding up my hands, I shouted, “No. You heard me. Get two rooms. There will need to be security around the clock outside of her hotel room door and outside of the building. I will move to the hotel, but I need for you all to get Ally and ensure she is safe.”

  My heart was shattering
into a million pieces as I realized I was not only breaking her heart, but my own, too. We had come so close to having happiness. Now, it was all destroyed.

  Chapter 23

  Ally

  “You have got to be kidding me?” I yelled as an officer rushed into Todd’s apartment.

  Todd had sent me a text moments before, telling me a police officer, his friend, Grant, would be coming to get me.

  Shaking my head, I refused to believe what I was being told.

  Just a few hours ago, I was lying in Todd’s arms and the world was right and blissful. Now, everything was falling apart and there was nothing I could do about it. Even if I refused to go with Jamie, I knew Todd would send reinforcements to get me.

  “I’m sorry, Ally. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but Todd instructed us to get you. We have a hotel being secured right now,” Grant said sympathetically.

  I quickly gathered my items and threw them into a duffel bag. Swinging my backpack over my shoulder, I followed Grant out of the apartment and to an unmarked police car. I looked around, waiting to see Todd, but he wasn’t there. A lump began to form in my throat and a wave of dread filled me with unease. Something was wrong. I just knew it.

  Once in the car, I picked up my phone and dialed Todd’s number.

  “Hey,” he answered, and I could hear the anger rising in his tone.

  “What is going on?” I asked, my voice breaking.

  “There is too much to tell you right now, but I need you to go to the hotel. You will be safe there,” Todd bellows out.

  “Okay, but what about you?” I cried.

  “I will be fine. I will call you later when I get a chance,” he finished, and then the line went dead.

  I fell back into the leather seat and allowed myself to cry.

  Just when I thought I had gotten my life under control, something else had to step in and remind me that I had the worst luck in the world.

  When we got to the hotel, I was escorted up to the tenth floor where two large men were stationed beside a door. Once inside the room, I allowed myself to really break down. While the room was beautiful and had a grand view of the pristine ocean, it did nothing to settle my growing nerves.