by Kara Parker
“Sorry,” Athena whispers, chastised.
“Don’t worry about it. Like I said, you’re green. But practice. Getting up here is no big thing. But if the shit hits the fan, moving quiet may save your life.”
“Sorry,” she says again.
“Don’t apologize to me. It’ll be your ass getting shot at,” he says, but his smile takes the venom out of the words.
As Athena slips into her hide, covering with a net and piling leaves around her, Longbow moves off, silent as a ghost. She watches him a moment, envious of his silence and grace, then turns her attention to the road, settling in to watch.
When she first got comfortable in the hide she thought she was going to have trouble staying still and focused for the entire six hours and had intentionally not worn a timepiece to avoid the temptation to clock watch.
“Athena… Spectre approaching on your six.”
Athena keys her mic. “Acknowledged, Spectre,” she whispers, barely loud enough for her to hear herself. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing. Your shift is up.”
Rose is surprised to hear that… she would have guessed she had been in the hide for only an hour or two, three at the most. But as she moves to uncover, she feels every minute of those six hours in the stiffness of her muscles.
“Stiff?” Chuck, call sign Spectre, whispers with a grin.
“A little.”
“In a few days you’ll get used it. Good hide, by the way. I knew where you were and I still couldn’t see you.”
Athena beams at the compliment. Now if she doesn’t ruin it by sounding like a rampaging moose as she moves off. As Spectre settles in for the for the five to eleven shift, she moves away, slowly, being exceptionally careful with her foot placement, until she is nearly back to the clubhouse.
“Boo!” Touch says quietly behind her, making her shriek in surprise.
“Dammit! You scared the shit out of me!”
“You did much better coming back,” Touch says with a huge grin on his face from his prank.
“What do you mean?”
“I followed you out this morning. You were much quieter coming back. You were also nice and still in the hide. Good job there.”
“You followed me out, and stayed there all day?”
“That’s right. I wanted to see how you would do when it’s for real.”
“I never knew you were there. How close were you?”
“I could have lobbed a rock onto you. Maybe sixty feet?”
Rose is impressed that he could get that close and she never knew he was there. “Did Longbow and Spectre know?”
“No.”
Now she’s even more impressed. “So, how’d I do?” she asks as they start walking again.
“Pretty good. You’re still noisy when you move, but that will come with practice. Your hide is very good. And you’re still. Can’t improve on that. I think I’ll keep you.”
“Will you tell Joseph that? He’s worried.”
“He should be. We’re the sharp end of the spear, Athena. When the shit hits the fan, it’s the snipers that are going to have it all hanging out. Don’t get complacent or you will get dead.”
“I won’t.”
“Good. Now, follow me. I want to show you your alternate location. We each have one. If we get a call from the forward position, you are to deploy to your alternate. I’ve already set up the hide. I just need to show you where it is.”
Touch leads her back up the hill at the rear of the clubhouse, showing her a scooped out hole under a fallen tree. “We have most of our firepower focused on the front of the building, where the assault is likely to come. But it has always worried me that they could use our own building for cover. It will be your job to make sure they can’t.”
Rose wriggles into the hide and looks through her scope. “I have a clear line of fire on the back and right side.”
“Yeah. Deadbolt has the other side… and of course, everyone has the front. Let me be clear, Athena—this isn’t a gravy job, okay? When we start cutting them to ribbons they are going to be desperate to find shelter. One of the places they are likely to try and go is to the back of the building. I want you to make them regret that decision. No matter what happens, stay down, stay hidden, and let them come to you, okay?”
“You got it, Touch,” she says as she squirms out of the hide, throwing the net down to make the hole disappear.
CHAPTER FOURTY-THREE
“How was it out there?” Joseph asks after dinner as he and Rose walk along the edge of the woods surrounding the clubhouse. He has been cooped up all day and needs to stretch his legs.
“It was fine. Did Touch tell you what he did to me?”
“No, what?”
Rose repeats the story, making Joseph chuckle. “I thought I heard someone scream. I guess he does that to all the new recruits.”
“He’s like a ghost. That’s what his call sign should be. Ghost… Spectre... Spook… something like that.”
Joseph chuckles again. “Touch is the name he got in the army and he has just kept it. But I know what you mean. I think he must do it just to stay in practice. He can sneak up behind you with you standing in the middle of an empty warehouse. Ask me how I know.”
Rose looks at the sky. There are still a couple of hours of light left. “Let me practice on you. Go up in the woods somewhere and let me see how close I can get before you see or hear me.”
“Okay.”
“No fair looking around all the time. Just find a tree or something to sit on and think of something wonderful for me to do to you tonight.”
“Hmmm… I’m not sure I would normally be that distracted, but okay. But if you don’t show up by dark, I’m coming back out. You’re not going to snipe hunt me,” he says with a grin.
“I wouldn’t do that! Okay, maybe I would. But not this time. I really do need to practice. Longbow said I sounded like a herd of elephants. That hurt my feelings,” she says, but her smile belies her statement.
Rose dons her Athena persona and waits for Joseph to settle in against a tree. She can only make him out by having watched him walk into the woods and noting the white of his shirt, otherwise he would be invisible. With a grin of determination, Athena begins her stalk.
Joseph has been sitting with his back to the tree for nearly ninety minutes and has become drowsy in the quiet cool of the trees. It is becoming late dusk and he glances at his watch again. He will give her ten more minutes. By then it will be too nearly too dark to see. He takes another quick look around, but sees nothing. She much have gotten lost because…
“Bang,” Athena says as she touches him on the shoulder.
“Fuck!” Joseph yelps, as he jumps up and away from the tree. “Holy shit! You scared the hell out of me!”
Athena is crouching directly at his back with a camouflage netting draped over her shoulders, her face threatening to split with her grin. “Surprise!”
“How the hell did you do that?”
“You looked right at me at least a dozen times.”
He takes a deep breath, trying to slow his thudding heart. “Fuck me running. You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“Poor baby,” she coos coming to her feet and shrugging off the netting. She thought he was playing dumb and letting her sneak up on him, but he’s not a good enough actor to fake his surprise that well. “Let me make it up to you,” she says as she steps from behind the tree and pulls him to her, kissing him lustily.
It only takes a moment of Rose kissing him passionately before his start is forgotten and his heart is hammering for another reason.
The thrill of sneaking up on Joseph combined with the fact that she is finally going have him two nights in a row has her ready to rock in moments. It is getting dark and they are alone in this part of the woods. She pulls back from the kiss, and begins to work his pants.
“Rose! No!” he hisses, trying to pull her hands away, but she will not be denied and has his pants unbuttoned and his fl
y down in moments.
“Yes,” she hisses back, turning her back to him and unfastening her own pants, sliding them down enough to expose her ass. “Here. Now,” she murmurs, taking his rapidly hardening manhood and steering it into her.
The moment she pushes back, sliding his cock into her, he decides it’s dark enough, and they are far enough away—they have as much privacy here as they do in the clubhouse. Maybe more. “Fuck,” he growls as he begins to drive into her, one hand curling around her waist, the other just under her throat, holding her tight to him as he leans over her back.
“Oh God, yes,” she gasps out as he begins to piston into her hard and fast while holding her tight. They are both still dressed, but as much as she wants to feel his skin against her own, she can’t stop—not now. She tries to lean farther down, to allow him to go deeper, but he has her tight, and that in itself is a thrill, to be held so tightly as they gasp and thrust. “Shit…” she snarls, her hand and arm reaching behind her to the back of his head.
She first grasps him by the head, binding them even tighter together, but then she releases her hold and pulls hard on the hand at her neck. The moment he relinquishes the hold she bends at the waist, putting her hands against the tree and pushes hard back into him with a groan.
She looks back over her shoulder, sneering at him. “Harder… you better fuck me harder,” she snarls, challenging him to meet her lust. This is the first time she has ever fucked outside and the newness of the experience is winding her up for an explosive release… if he would just fuck her harder!
He stops his hips just long enough to change his footing before he begins to pound into her furiously, the savage beauty of her face as she looks at him, muttering her demands, excites him in a deep and profound way. If she wants it hard, then she will get it fucking hard!
“Fuck… fuck me… fuck!” she chants, hissing her pleasure out through clenched teeth. There are times when she wants it hard, fast, and rough… to allow her passions to carry her away… and this is one of those times.
Joseph growls deep in his chest as his lips pull back in a sneer. Rose’s snarling, hissing passion; his hard pounding thrusts; and the excitement of taking her in a unique setting is shredding his control. “I can’t hold it,” he snarls as he battles against his approaching orgasm.
“Don’t you come… don’t you fucking come,” she grates, his admission pulling her own orgasm closer.
He his snarls grow louder and more ragged, his face twisting in erotic agony as he pushes against the pressure of his orgasm, but then with loud gasp and single vicious thrust, he drives into her as his orgasm overwhelms him.
No! She senses him tumbling into his orgasm but she is so close! As he holds himself tight against her ass, she begins to work her hips, thrusting herself on his hardness.
“Ah… fuck!” he snarls, the pleasure radiating out from his manhood as Rose thrusts, making him nearly weak in the knees, each panting breath a savage growl.
Hearing Joseph’s snarls as she destroys him with pleasure is the push she needs. Legs trembling, she crashes into her own climax with a long drawn out moan of pleasure, shoving her ass back into him, taking him as deep as possible and holding him there until she relaxes with a gasp.
“One more thing to check off the bucket list,” she sighs as they separate. “Fucking in the forest… done.”
He snickers as they pull their pants up, making themselves presentable before engaging in a prolonged and sloppy kiss. “So how was it? Was it worth me startling you?” she coos, staring into his face in the gathering darkness as the kiss slowly melts away.
“I would say it was worth it. How about you?” he asks, taking her arm and starting her walking back to the clubhouse. If they leave now they can get out of the trees before they are stumbling in total darkness.
“Oh, yeah…” she drawls. “I want to get a blanket or something and come back and do it again when we have a little more time. Find a nice soft pile of leaves…”
He leans over and kisses her quickly on the neck. “Maybe after this is over.”
“Something to look forward to.”
As they enter the clubhouse, Rose nudges him and nods in the direction of the tables where they have been eating. Melina and Mark are sitting on opposite sides of a table, Melina’s head down, staring into her glass as Mark speaks softly to her.
“I hope that turns into something,” she says quietly as they walk past, making it a point to not look in their direction.
“It’s none of our business,” he points out.
“I know. But she is so lonely right now. I wish I could do something for her.”
“You already have. You were there when she needed you. Now it is up to her. She’s tough. She’ll be alright.”
Rose smiles at him. “You’re right. I only thought I knew how tough it must have been for her. But after you were shot, and I thought you were dead…” She pauses as her face twists. “I have never been so afraid,” she gasps as she fights the tears. “I don’t think I would have survived it. I can’t imagine how tough it must have been for her. I don’t know how she has made it.”
“She had you. And the kids. You can tell she is still hurting, but she is much better already,” he says, pulling her a little closer. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of her until she back on her feet.”
“I know you will.” They enter their tiny apartment and she turns to face him. “Joseph… I’m sorry for the way I acted. I was wrong.”
“Are we talking about when you found out about what we do?”
“Yes. I should have…”
He presses a finger to her lips, cutting off her comment, before removing it and kissing her gently. “Apology accepted. That’s the past. Don’t worry about it anymore.”
She smiles at him. “You're very forgiving of me.”
“You were surprised, and disappointed. I understand that. I wish you hadn’t found out that way. I would have told you eventually, when I thought you were ready. But I love you, Rose. I love you more than life itself. I will never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”
She can feel her eyes become moist. “I know that. And I love you too. I will try so very hard not to do anything to hurt you as well.”
He smiles at her, willing to accept any burden, take any barb, to have her with him. He slowly brings his lips to hers for a lingering kiss…a kiss they enjoy frequently throughout the evening as they prepare for bed and slide peacefully into sleep.
CHAPTER FOURTY-FOUR
“Athena! Take your post!” Steven says as he opens the door to their apartment. “Joseph, we’ve got company!”
Rose comes almost instantly awake as Steven’s words penetrate her sleep-fogged mind. “What time is it?” she asks as she tumbles out of the bed. She turns her back to Steven and pulls off her night shirt. He’ll see her ass, but this is no time for modesty.
“Five-ten. It will be light in less than an hour.”
“What’s our status?” Joseph asks, also getting dressed.
“I just got the call. We’re waking everyone up.”
“Go get dressed,” Joseph orders since Steven is standing in their door in nothing but boxers. “I’ll finish making sure everyone is up. Then get to the kitchen and start passing out the weapons and make sure we are ready to receive our guests. I will send everyone there.”
By the time Steven backs out of the door, Rose is dressed in her camo. She slings her rifle over her shoulder just as Joseph takes her face into his hand and kisses her hard on the lips. “For God’s sake, be careful!”
“You just worry about yourself. Make the bastards pay for what they did to you and Tim.”
“Good hunting!” he says, kisses her again before hurrying out.
“Athena moving,” she says after keying the mic on her radio.
“Acknowledged… Athena moving,” Touch’s groggy voice replies in her ear.
“Athena moving,” Longbow repeats, letting her know that he is aware of her
and won’t shoot her by mistake.
“Acknowledged. Athena moving,” Reaper responds.
“Athena in position,” she whispers into her radio just as it becomes light enough to see. She is first to her position by token of Steven waking Joseph first and having one of the nearest hides, but by the time she is ready, all six of the snipers that weren’t on duty are on the move.
As the sky lightens, first Touch, then Rogue, Spectre, Ozone, and Lightening all report ready.