by Dale Mayer
“Have you ever thought about having more?”
“I wanted more. I still want more,” she said, “but I don’t want to do it alone again.”
He looked up, smiled, and murmured, “Well, I was kinda hoping to have a permanent spot in your life.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Well, you’ve always had a permanent spot in my heart,” she said, pulling him toward her. “I don’t think that’s a problem at all.”
“You too, huh?”
“Oh, yeah,” she whispered, “me too.” And she pulled him closer so she could kiss him the way she’d wanted to for so long. A hunger inside her just wouldn’t be assuaged any other way but by this man. As she pulled him to her, she cuddled his erection between her thighs and then wrapped one leg up high around his hips and ground herself against him. He shuddered in her arms before rolling over, so he was flat on the bed, and she was high and astride. He looked up at her, smiled, and said, “You always did love to ride.”
She chuckled and leaned forward, her fingers busy as she explored his new wounds, scars, stitches, the prosthetic, yet noting his heavier, more muscular, broader build, including his bigger thighs. She marveled at the boy who had become a man. She murmured as she straddled his erection, her hands sliding up and down his shaft. “You’ve definitely filled out.”
He chuckled. “If that’s what you call it.” And he moaned when her hands turned devilishly tight and slippery. “Don’t do that, sweetie. I won’t last.”
“I won’t last at all,” she said, “and, after just a short ride here, I plan on neither one of us stopping afterward.” And she repositioned herself, ever-so-slowly lowering on his shaft. He groaned and tried to push up higher, but she kept him down, her thighs tight around his hips as she controlled the movement on her own. He lay, shuddering and sweating, on the bed before her, until she was finally seated as deep as she could.
He groaned and whispered, “Dear God, please ride.”
“Oh, I’m planning on it.” And she slowly lifted and lowered herself, gaining momentum, using his shoulders for balance, as his hands locked onto her hips while she pistoned up and down at a speed just out of control. When she finally cried out, her body twisting as the explosions rippled through her, he gave a shout, flipped her over onto the bed, and drove into her once, twice, three times before he came, surging and groaning above her, his body shaking with his own release, before he finally collapsed on the bed beside her.
She smiled, realizing it was still the same, still as good as ever.
In between gasps, as he tried to regain his breath, he murmured, “What’s that smile for?”
“It feels the same,” she said, “the same crazy can’t-get-enough-of-you feeling.”
“Good,” he said, “because it’s the same for me. Always has been.”
“I was worried that all those women would tease you away from me,” she said. “Yet you never wandered.”
“There was absolutely nothing they could give me that I couldn’t get right here,” he said, “and I got it even better. I wanted you and only you.”
“Same,” she whispered. “I’m so glad we found each other back then.”
“And I’m so damn glad,” he continued, “that we’ve reconnected now.” He pulled her up close and said, “Now go back to sleep.”
“Aye, aye, cap’n,” she murmured and closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Kurt lay there, watching Laurie Ann sleep, loving to see her so open and honest and yet so trusting in his arms. It was a special feeling, and one he’d forgotten. He’d had a lot of short relationships since her but nothing really serious. He hadn’t realized what he had been missing until he had found it again. Life worked in mysterious ways, and he was the first to admit that he didn’t understand how any of it worked, but he was just so damn grateful right now that she was here with him.
He closed his eyes and just rested, knowing that the day would start soon enough. He could use a little more sleep, if it was there to come, but he also didn’t want anything else bad to happen to them. He just wanted good things for them from now on. If that was possible. And he sure hoped so because it seemed like they had had a rough ride to begin with. And today they would have the family barbecue at the house, if they were allowed back in again.
He frowned, thinking about that, and then pushed it away because it was too early to contact anybody and just drifted off to sleep. He thought he heard a sound, opened his eyes for a moment and then went back under again. Nothing and nobody seemed to be here, and Sabine wasn’t worried.
When he next opened his eyes, the sun was a little higher, but a weird stillness was in the air. He frowned, lifted his head, and saw Sabine sitting at the door, her ears up, staring at the door itself. He immediately slipped free of the covers and got up and walked around to where she stood. In a low murmur, he whispered, “What’s the matter, girl?”
She just looked up at him, and her tail wagged ever-so-slightly. But there was no give in her stance. He quickly dressed in his boxers and jeans and a T-shirt, put on his socks and shoes. He didn’t know if she needed to go out or if something was out there, but he wouldn’t take a chance.
At the door, he opened it ever-so-slightly, and she bounded through. He took her around the motel, out back, and she took care of business. He wondered if that’s all that she had been after. As they returned to the room, she was ever wary. “Was somebody here last night? What’s the matter, girl?” As he reached the door, Sabine stopped and looked down at the parking lot. With these two-story motels, an outside staircase allowed direct access to the rooms.
As he stopped and looked, he couldn’t believe the number of vehicles in the parking lot. When they’d gone to bed last night, maybe a half dozen were here. Now there was a good dozen. Was this place that busy? He wasn’t at all sure. He moved carefully toward the room, opened the door, checked inside, and noted that Laurie Ann still slept soundly. With that making him feel better, he stepped back outside and studied the layout. Something bothered him, but he couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
As long as Laurie Ann was safe inside, he was content to sit out here as a guard. At that thought, the dog growled. Kurt crouched beside her, staring in the direction she was focused on, trying to figure out what was bothering her. He couldn’t see anything through the railing. He knew that the dog’s sight and other senses were more heightened over humans’ senses, and he trusted Sabine’s instincts way more than he trusted his. That weird atmosphere was still out here. As he sat down below the railing, he could watch the world slowly wake up.
Just then, he saw a small car parked off to the side that he hadn’t previously noticed. As he continued to stare at it, he saw movement inside. As he watched, two of the doors opened. And out came one punk kid, the teen whose shoulder he’d damaged, and another exited the other side of the car—but Kurt had limited visibility on him. Kurt swore, quickly pulled out his phone, and texted the detective. This would be the trouble that he had been half aware was coming at them. This gang couldn’t let it go. This was half of the punks, as long as the Reggie kid remained apart from the gang. The other two had been picked up by the cops following the B&E at Laurie Ann’s house, but the one in the hospital was here and now had one other gang member with him. That should end it, right? Kurt wasn’t so sure, but he hoped so. And, of course, where was the adult who commandeered their loyalty and kept them in the gang?
Kurt had no weapon. But, as he looked down at Sabine, he realized he had her, and she was better than a gun any day. On his hands and knees, he moved to the end of the stairwell, knowing that the gang would come up somewhere close by and head to his room. If they even knew what room he was in. He looked up at the door, glad that he had locked up before coming outside for what should have been a quick pee break for the dog, and then snuck back behind the railing with Sabine.
The two gang members came up quietly. One had a baseball bat, and one had a handgun. And the gun meant they weren’t expecting to leave
anyone alive. Kurt held his breath and waited, as they came up soundlessly. The dog started to growl. He immediately placed a hand on her muzzle, and she silenced. Kurt recognized the gunman—Slippery Simon. How the hell had he been released?
Kurt had hurt both of these gang members. They had both been in the hospital, then Simon should have been jailed. He must’ve made bail. Regardless both had obviously either broken out of the hospital or jail or had been released from one or the other. Kurt hadn’t seen the other two teens tonight, one being Reggie, but maybe he had decided life was better on the other side of the fence. At least Kurt hoped so. That had been the one Laurie Ann had recognized.
Kurt felt Sabine bristling under his hand, her back going up, her fur puffing out, as she viewed the two men. And he realized that these were the ones who likely had made her life hell. He whispered, “Easy, girl.”
She settled ever-so-slightly, but she wanted a piece of these guys, and she wanted it bad. He watched and waited as they came up the last flight, their attention on the motel room door. How were they going to get inside? He wanted to stop them before they got there, but, at the same time, he wasn’t sure what their plan entailed. He’d take a bullet gratefully to protect Laurie Ann, but he didn’t really want to take the bullet unnecessarily.
If he took the bullet going down with these assholes, that was fine. But any other way? Well, not going to happen. As he watched and considered his options, he figured Sabine would take down the gunman, while Kurt took out the punk with the bat. The pair reached the door and tried the knob; now they were trying to pick the lock. Kurt stood, the dog silently at his side, and he came up behind them. “Can I help you?”
They both spun, stared, and fury crossed the older man’s face as he raised the handgun. Sabine immediately jumped, took out his wrist; his loudly crunching bones were hard to miss. He started screaming. But the kid with the baseball bat was already swinging at Kurt. Then tried to swing at the dog. Kurt grabbed the bat, only to have a fist come his way and another one and then another one.
And the fight was on.
Simon was kicking the hell out of Sabine, trying to get free, but the gun had fired widely upward several times before being dropped to the ground harmlessly. Simon was still fighting off the dog, and somehow the baseball bat thumped onto her back end. She might have loosened her grip at that moment, but she obviously bit down again because Simon returned to screaming with a fury.
Nearby doors started to open. Kurt swung the baseball bat and caught the kid hard in the shoulder and then decked him one with a left hook to his face. The kid fell to the concrete walkway and managed to grab the gun and turned and fired at Kurt. He stepped away, Simon taking the bullet in the thigh, Sabine still latched onto his hand.
That newest wound seemed to enrage Simon, and he tried to stay upright.
And now Kurt knew there would be additional trouble.
Kurt grabbed the gun the punk still had, and the two wrestled for it, but he heard Simon coming up behind him. He twisted and turned, trying to keep the kid down. The kid managed to get up to his feet, and they were still fighting with the handgun. Kurt wanted an eye on the dog, but he had to be reassured with her growls and the old guy still screaming behind him. So obviously she remained latched on to Simon. He heard fists and kicks connecting with Sabine, as the dog took a beating too. And he knew that this had to stop, and it had to stop now.
Kurt steadied himself and, with a hard right, he smashed the kid’s head hard with an uppercut to the jaw. The teen stopped and stared at Kurt, almost in a comical move, and then he fired the gun again, almost a reflective action. But Kurt now pushed the gun tight against the teen’s chest, as they continued to struggle for the gun, just to make sure the gun didn’t fire in Kurt’s or Sabine’s direction.
When another shot was fired, Kurt stepped back, and the kid dropped to the stairwell, a bullet wound to the chest. Kurt looked over at Sabine and immediately stepped up and plowed his fist hard into Simon’s head twice. As the guy went down, Kurt immediately stopped Sabine and said, “It’s okay, girl. Calm down. Release.”
Finally the dog stepped back. He opened the door to their room to see a trembling, terrified Laurie Ann inside. He looked at her, smiled, noted she was dressed, and said, “Get packed.”
“I have,” she said, “in case we have to run.”
“No running,” he said, “but call for the police and an ambulance.” She nodded.
He looked down to see arterial bleeding from the asshole Simon on the ground in front of them. Kurt had absolutely no hope for the kid beside him. He was already dead, having pulled the trigger that put a bullet through his chest. The other nearby motel doors and neighbors had opened up, and a crowd gathered around them. Kurt checked for a pulse on Simon; he found one, but he was bleeding pretty badly.
“Jesus Christ, did they jump you?” called out one man down the hall.
Kurt nodded. “Yeah. And this one shot him.”
“I saw it,” one of the men admitted. “They came with a gun and a baseball bat.”
“They’ve been bad news from the start.” Kurt tried to clamp down on Simon’s bleeding, but he could already see that there was no hope for the older man. Laurie Ann joined him. She quickly bound up the arterial bleeding, doing what she could, but she looked at Kurt and shook her head. Kurt nodded. He didn’t say anything.
Today two men had died, and both of them had come to attack them. A solemn group faced the cops when they finally arrived. The detective rushed up the stairs, took one look, and said, “Them again?”
Kurt nodded. “Them again,” he said. “I can tell you until I’m blue in the face but the kid shot himself. He pulled the trigger when it was against his chest because we were fighting for control of the gun.”
“And I saw it all happen,” said one of the other motel guests. “They came here with a baseball bat and a gun. I watched them walk past my door, and I wondered what the hell they were up to. I called the cops, and, next thing I knew, it was chaos out here.”
“Yeah, that’s about the size of it.” The detective said, “Chaos is what they do so well.” He shook his head and looked at Kurt. “This is where you’ve been staying?”
“Yeah, after the attack last night in Laurie Ann’s place,” he said, “we came here. We needed a place where the dog could go.”
“Right, but they found you.”
“I’m wondering if they followed us or if somebody else was keeping an eye out. A car is down there,” Kurt said, pointing to the small silver one. “It had these two guys in it. For all I know now, there could be more gang members in the parking lot.
Amos nodded. “My men are checking it out.”
At that, the silver car backed up and took off out of the parking lot. One of the cops hopped into one of the cruisers and took off after him, blocking his escape. At that, the kid gave up. He was pulled out of the car.
Laurie Ann looked at the scene and sighed sadly. “That’s Reggie, the kid who was two years ahead of Jeremy,” she said. “I was really hoping, really hoping, that he would get free and clear of this.”
The detective looked at her and said, “It’s pretty hard to get out of the gang once you get in. He’s involved in this, and that just won’t go down well.”
“Well, at least these two were killed,” she said, “and not us. So I don’t know how you look on it, Amos, but you can’t hardly charge Reggie with murder when the two assailants killed themselves.”
He nodded. “I don’t know what he’ll be charged with. That’s not my deal,” he said. “I haul them in, and then we deal with the outcome afterward. We need to make sure that we have at least enough evidence to prove what went on here.” He looked around and said, “Please, everybody, we need statements.”
“That’s pretty easy,” said the one guy, holding up his video camera. “I’ve got it all on tape.”
The detective looked at him in surprise. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, we had also called the cop
s,” he said. And he played back the video, and then the fight was displayed nice and clear. The detective shook his head. “Well, this will go a long ways to proving your innocence.” He stared at Kurt.
“I am innocent,” Kurt said drily. “Just think. You know bad guys are out there who have nothing to do with me.”
“This guy didn’t do anything,” protested the guy with the camera. “Obviously this poor woman was in the motel room.” He waited a bit, then asked, “What kind of assholes are they?”
“These guys? Bad ones, gang members,” the detective said, shaking his head, “but not anymore.”
“Wow,” the others said.
The cops came and quickly took everybody’s statement, some cameras, and contact information. Most of the witnesses were travelers heading in and out of state. By the time they were done, Laurie Ann sat just inside the motel room on the floor, near the open door. She looked up at Kurt, exhausted, black circles under her eyes due to all she’d been through. “Can we leave?”
“They’re done with your house now.”
One of the men in the crowd asked, “What’s wrong with her house?”
At that, Kurt looked up and said, “Two associates of these two assholes attacked Laurie Ann here in her house last night. We came here because forensics was all over it.”
“Jesus Christ,” the guy said to the cops. “Can’t you even protect one single woman?”
The detective flushed. “We’re on it.”
“Yeah, after they have to save themselves. Twice,” the same man said in disgust. With that, he turned and headed back into his own motel room and slammed the door shut. The others in the group muttered equal sentiments.
Kurt smirked, hearing them backing up his side of the story.