by Imogen Wells
The four of us order a takeout and go over everything we already know until early evening. We all agree there’s a piece of this puzzle missing, but none of us can figure out what the fuck it is.
Rick found out that the haulage company was owned by Noah’s dad at one time, but when Noah’s dad died, he became the Director, only someone bought it from him two years ago and wanted to remain anonymous. They changed the name to MWB Haulage and were a good company up until they were linked to trafficking. Jamie has a frown on her face and is staring into space.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask, reaching over to touch her cheek, she jumps as she snaps out of whatever thoughts were running through her head.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m fine, just tired. I think I might go to bed if you don’t mind.” She gets up from the sofa, wishing Jay and Rick a good night. I follow her to the bedroom, where I watch her undress, taking in her beautiful curves and erect nipples as the cool air hits them before she covers up with one of my t-shirts. I groan at the loss of the sight of her.
Climbing into bed, I sit beside her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m sure, Seb. Stop worrying. It’s been a hectic few days, and a lot to take in, you know,” she says as she sashays further under the covers.
I’m not entirely convinced, but I lean in and take her mouth in a kiss I hope tells her I’m here if she needs me. Then I switch out the light as I leave, turning back to look at her as I pull the door to before going back to join Rick and Jay.
Thirty-Nine
Jamie
I felt Seb get up early this morning, then heard him leave the apartment. After I was sure he’d gone, I got up. I don’t know why I’m avoiding him, but something is bugging me. I haven’t been able to get the name of the haulage company out of my head, and I just can’t seem to figure out why. It’s there at the back of my mind, but I’ll be fucked if it will come to me.
I even sent a message to Dad, but he hasn’t replied. It’s not a surprise as the arsehole has been avoiding me for days. I’d like to think it’s because he’s trying to protect me in some screwed-up way, but the bigger part of me knows it’s not that. If anything, his avoidance just makes me more certain he knows exactly what is going on.
I’m in the shower trying to clear my mind when I hear the bathroom door open, and within minutes hands slip around my waist, running over my stomach, up to my breasts, and I arch into his touch as Seb’s body brushes mine from behind. Lips graze my shoulder and the crease of my neck, while his deft fingers circle my nipples before taking them in between his forefinger and thumb, tweaking and stretching them to a painful peak that aches to be soothed and elicits a groan from me and a thrust of hips from Seb as his cock throbs at my lower back.
“Hands on the wall, Firefly,” his voice is a gruff growl that has heat pooling between my thighs, and I slam my hands on the wall instantly. “I know you’ve been avoiding me, and now I’m going to remind you you’re mine. I’m going to fuck you so hard, make you come so hard, that’ll you’ll never forget again.”
“Oh my god,” I simper as his hands slide between my thighs, and they automatically widen, allowing him in.
“Are you ready for me, Firefly?” he asks, swirling his tongue over my ear and mirroring the movement with his finger over my clit.
“Fuck, Seb. Don’t tease me, please. I need this.”
“I got you,” he grits out as he lifts one of my legs, and I adjust my hands on the wall, grasping the shower head pole above me with one hand as he dips low enough to slip his cock in just passed the head and lifting me up so only the tips of my toes are touching the floor before he thrusts all the way in.
“Aargh,” slips from my mouth as the force pushes me forward, and the cold from the tiles has goosebumps pricking at my skin. Seb slowly eases back, changing the angle slightly before driving back in and going so deep he bottoms out, making lights flash behind my eyes.
My leg begins to tremble as his pace increases, and his grip on my leg and hip tightens as the walls of my pussy clench around his cock, building to a crescendo as we both reach our peak and shatter in an explosion of cries and groans, bodies trembling.
Seb pants into my neck, resting his body against mine as the water from the shower beats at his back, spraying over us both. Dropping a kiss on my shoulder, he lowers my leg and steps back. I spin on him, breath still heaving and adrenaline coursing through my veins.
I look at him in awe, quite literally amazed at how this man makes me feel, how he knows exactly what I need and when and how much I fucking love him.
He reaches out, gripping my chin and holding my gaze on his. “You don’t need to say it, Firefly, I already know because I feel exactly the same.” He pulls me forward, nipping my bottom lip before kissing me so utterly and completely that neither of us notice the water turn cold.
As the time for me to go and meet Jasper nears, I begin to get anxious. It makes me feel sick to my stomach every time I think of him and me together, in bed and out. Was he thinking of his wife the whole time? What does he want to speak to me about? Where does he fit into all of this? Because no matter how much I want to believe that meeting me was all just a coincidence, I know in my heart there’s no way it could be.
I try to distract myself with a mindless game of solitaire on my phone, but it’s impossible as every conversation leads us back to Tempest and whoever is threatening my family. Case in point, Seb and Jay are currently sitting in the kitchen while Jay tries to convince Natalia that she needs to testify, but since Dean told her that Tank is dead, she’s digging her heels in even more and refuses to answer any questions related to Tempest or the cartel she believes are involved.
The fact she claims to not know the true identity of Tempest’s owner is a bigger worry because if she doesn’t know, who the fuck does?
I drop my head back on the sofa and picture all the information as pins on a board and try to connect them all in my mind, but the central piece is missing. That one final little nugget of information that will link everything together is still alluding us.
My phone vibrates in my hand and bringing it up to my face, I’m surprised to see a text from Jasper. Clicking the notification, it opens to his message.
Jasper: I need to cancel today, something came up. But just remember that no matter what happens, I cared about you, Jamie. That is why I say this to you now. Watch your back and don’t go into the dark forest with your eyes closed because it is not your friend.
“Seb, check this out,” I call to him, more than a little confused about Jasper’s cryptic message. Seb leans over the back of the sofa, chin on my shoulder as he reads the message.
“What the fuck does that mean? Dark forest? Think the guy has finally lost it. Well, I’m glad you don’t have to go, but equally it doesn’t help us. In fact, it feels like we are even more in the dark than before. No pun intended, by the way.”
I tend to agree, despite not wanting to be anywhere near Jasper, meeting him today could have given us the one thing we’ve been missing.
Just like the night before, something prods at my brain, probing and desperate to jump to the forefront of my mind, but never coming. Needing a distraction, I help Jay in the kitchen with marinading some chicken, although he won’t share his secret ingredient with me, and when I try to peak over his shoulder as he adds it, he slaps a hand over my eyes, and immediately they begin to sting.
“Arrrgh! Fuck, Jay,” I cry out as the smell of lemon assaults my nose, and I realise that’s what was on his hand and is now burning my poor eyes.
“Shit, Jamie. I’m sorry,” he says, dragging me toward the sink so I can rinse my them.
As the acidic juice is neutralised by the water and the burning eases off, I begin to laugh.
“Damn. You didn’t need to blind me. Shit,” I say through watery, slitted eyes as Jay begins to laugh too.
I leave Jay to it and go back to the lounge where Seb is watching football and shouting obscenities at the referee. I pick my
phone up off the coffee table, ready to play another round of solitaire once I can see clearly again and drop down next to him.
That is where I spend the rest of the evening, even eating my dinner there while we watch Extraction, and I drool over Chris Hemsworth.
However, Seb spends the majority of the film claiming, ‘that would never happen’ and moaning about how over the top it is, but surprisingly enough, he also claims what a great film it was by the end. Jay and I crack up at his total hypocrisy.
The next couple of days are quiet. Jay visits Natalia determined to change her mind. Personally, I think he likes her, but I don’t call him out on it.
On Wednesday we visit Blue and Cam, and while I go googly-eyed over the baby, Blue and Seb go to the bar below, shoot some pool and have a few drinks.
I begin to feel like my life is normal and I don’t have a threat hanging over my head. If I’m honest with myself, it feels too comfortable and a familiar voice, that’s also been quiet of late, begins to whisper in my ear again. Only this time it’s not of doubts about Seb, more like a sixth sense. A warning that slithers beneath your skin, or the hairs on your body standing on end or the ghost of breath on the back of your neck when no one’s there.
I dismiss it, instead thinking about how this dinner with my dad and Marcus is going to go on Saturday. Dad called me earlier today and told me that he’d spoken to Marcus, and I held my breath, hoping that Marcus hadn’t mentioned where he’d seen me because I’m almost certain Dad would have heard the rumours about Tempest.
Thankfully, if he did say anything, Dad doesn’t mention it, merely giving me the details of the time and place. When I ask how mum is, he tells me that he’s staying at the house with her, and I’m more than surprised by that. Seb said he was going to try and get her to tell him who this guy she had an affair with is, but I wasn’t expecting him to move back in. I’m not daft enough to think it means they are getting back together, but I can’t lie and say a small part of me doesn’t feel a little bit of hope at the idea. I tried to ask him more about what’s happening, but he either dismissed my questions or ignored them altogether.
Whatever they are hiding from me, and definitely from the guys, will come out soon, and they’re crazy to think otherwise. Let’s just hope that it’s before one of us ends up dead like Alex. And Noah.
And yeah, he might have been the director of a company that looks likely to have been involved in trafficking, but it’s not like he was the owner. Seb seems think he was just the front man. Being a friend of Jasper’s also puts a black mark against his name, but sometimes we don’t know the people we are friends with, and trust, as well as we’d like to think.
Forty
Jamie
On Friday, Seb and I go into to town for a bit before popping to mine, so I can pick up an outfit for tomorrow. Having chosen my outfit, a cream halter neck belted jumpsuit that flares at the leg, I’m choosing some underwear, while Seb is sprawled across my bed watching me. As I pull out the matching nude bra and knickers, a pair of stockings comes out with it, and Seb’s eyes widen when he sees them. Scrambling across the bed he snatches them from me before I can shove them back in the drawer.
“You got a matching suspender belt in that drawer, Firefly?” he drawls, lust dripping from every word as he holds the stockings up.
“I might have,” I tease. “If you’re a good boy, maybe I’ll dress up for you sometime.” I realise my attempt to turn him on may have backfired as I feel the first tendrils of desire lick at my body.
Seb gets to his knees, gripping the stockings, one end in each hand, as he begins to walk on his knees towards me. When he reaches me, he lifts the stockings over my head, wrapping them around my neck and pulls me forward so our lips are almost touching.
“There’s no maybe involved, Firefly. I’m going to have you stocking clad and tied to my bed, and you’ll be begging me to let you come.”
Holy fucking shit! The image alone is enough to make my pussy clench and clit throb, and the bastard knows it too. He closes the last fraction of distance between us, licking the seam of my lips, but just as I let him in, his damn phone rings in his pocket.
He curses as he pulls it out, and curses again as he checks the caller ID.
“Fuck. I need to take this. But don’t for one second think I will forget about this,” he says, waving his hand at the stockings still hanging round my neck. He climbs off the bed, kissing me on the lips before answering his phone as he leaves the room.
I’m just closing my bag as Seb comes back into the room with a frown on his face. I throw the bag over my shoulder, but he steps forward, taking it from me.
The intense lust filled mood from before is gone completely, and now I’m left with a broody arsehole version of Seb that I’ve not seen much of.
Back at the apartment, Seb puts my bag in his room and goes in search of Jay before they both head out somewhere, leaving me alone to stew over whatever has got him so wound up.
I hang my outfit for tomorrow up, but I don’t put anything else away as I’m not sure how I feel or how Seb would feel about me taking over space in his room.
After that, I call Cam, who I discover is also alone and informs me that Blue has gone to meet up with Rick and the boys. I try not to let the fact Seb didn’t tell me where he was going upset me and reason that if it were important then he would have.
It’s almost dark by the time I get off the phone to Cam, and there’s still no sign of Seb and Jay, but I refuse to panic just yet. They are together according to Cam, and no doubt lost track of time.
I can’t believe I’m sitting here worrying about them, and it’s not just to do with the current threat hanging over our heads. I’ve spent years going out, not caring what I’m really doing and worrying people sick, and here I am finally understanding why people hate that shit. There’s someone, in fact several people, I care about out there putting themselves at risk and doing their job, whereas me? I was just being selfishly reckless.
I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember is being carried to bed by Seb. He smells of fresh air and alcohol and him. I breath him in deep as I nuzzle into his neck, and when he tries to put me down, I hold on tight.
“Don’t go,” I whisper as I feel something soft underneath me. “I was worried about you.” I curse my stupid half-asleep mind for spewing such needy words.
Seb chuckles, and the scruff on his jaw tickles my cheek as he whispers, “I’ll be right back, Jamie.” He peels my arms from around his neck, and I reluctantly release him.
“I love you,” I say sleepily, heavy eyes closing again as I snuggle into the pillow.
“I love you too, Firefly,” he says before planting a kiss on the tip of my nose.
I wake with a start the next morning, and it takes me a second to realise that I was dreaming. I hear voices in the kitchen and breathe a sigh of relief as I focus in on Seb’s. The last vestiges of my dream of a faceless man cling to me. How very Arya Stark. The dream itself wasn’t particularly disturbing, more the fact that the faceless man was sometimes accompanied by the blurred face of a woman. I’m no dream expert, but I do know that dreaming of faces is thought to be linked to identity, being afraid of a specific part of you that you’ve suppressed, or even deception.
Shaking it off, I climb from the bed, and after going to the toilet, I make my way out to the kitchen where I find Jay and Seb talking.
“Here she is. Morning, Sleeping Beauty.”
“Fuck off, Jay,” I say with a smirk as I take a seat next to Seb, who grips the back of my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. When our lips part, I barely manage to get a “hey” past them while Seb simply laughs.
Jay places a cup of tea in front of me, and after taking a sip, I ask, “What happened to you yesterday? You were gone for hours.”
“Aww, were you worried about us,” Jay mocks.
I turn my eyes to him, glaring and an image of me slapping him pops into my head, but I push it away.
&nb
sp; “Yes, actually, I was,” I snap back. Jay and Seb both look at me, taken aback by my biting reply. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I had a weird dream and it’s messing with my head.”
A vision of the faceless man from my dream flashes through my mind, and I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. I get the blurry faced woman because that’s obviously me and a result of my feelings for Seb. Feelings I’ve suppressed, and a side of me I’ve hidden away up until now. But the man? He’s bothering me.
“You want to talk about it?” Seb asks, and I shake my head. “Okay, well Rick called asking us to come and meet with Dean’s friend, the ex-marine. After that Jay wanted to have another shot at Natalia, seeing as we still don’t have any news from Ray on the intel that Tank gathered while working undercover at Tempest.”
“And did she change her mind?”
“Not yet, no. She did mention a man called Travis and his description matches that of the man we saw at the police station and you saw at your mum’s house,” Jay tells her.
“He’s also the guy I heard Tank arguing with when they were looking for Natalia. Now, we just need to find out who he is.”
I let out a sigh. “Seems like we just keep turning up more questions and never any actual answers.” Seb and Jay nod in agreement.
“I know, but we did get an answer to who the woman you saw your dad with is.” I spin to look at him. “Vanessa Markham, Private Investigator, who your dad hired after he received the DNA test results.”
“That’s good. So, do you think she knows who Dad’s brother is?”
“That I can’t tell you because nobody can find her, not even your dad. Apparently, he hasn’t been able to get hold of her for the last few days.”