by Anthology
“We need to go,” I say, brutally tamping down on the emotions welling up inside me after seeing her face. “Henry's got people looking for me. This place won't be safe much longer. We should’ve never stayed here.”
“Go where?” Mandy asks softly, looking up at me. “Where can we go?”
“We cross the river, Henry's got no influence over there, and we can hole up in a highway motel. Figure this all out.” I want to tell her to forget it all and to run off with me. Trying to extort Henry for money is dangerous, and I’m putting Mandy right in the middle of it. I know Henry would never harm his daughter, but she could get caught in the crossfire somehow. Besides, any amount of money isn’t going to bring my parents back. I need to look to my future, and she’s right in front of me. But fully letting go of my anger is hard. I've held onto it for so long.
Mandy wipes at her eyes but still gets up. “Okay, how far do we need to go?”
“Fifty miles should be enough. Come on, while this place isn't in my name, there's still a chance someone knows enough to check this place out.”
I grab my denim jacket while Mandy pulls on her leather coat and I quickly throw what food we've got left along with a few basics in my backpack, Mandy pulling it over her shoulders while I grab my helmet and my spare. “We keep these on, face shields down, it'll help.”
Mandy says nothing, but holds on tight as I start up my bike and head straight for the highway. There's a time to try and avoid notice, and then there's a time to just haul ass. As I kick my bike up to sixty-five and head out of town, I feel her arms tighten more, and she leans into me, saying something but it's torn away by the wind before I can hear anything.
I ride for an hour, pulling over across the river and checking into a middle-of-the-road-looking motel. The front desk doesn't say anything when I pay with one of the hundreds from my stack, and I roll my bike over, Mandy walking silently beside me. I unlock the door and let her go inside, where she sets the backpack down and turns around.
“Jaxon... we need to talk.”
Chapter 8
Mandy
Jaxon's face when I tell him we need to talk is tired but guarded, but he doesn't say anything as he turns around and double-locks the door. When he turns back, he shrugs off his jacket and starts pulling his sweatshirt off, leaving him in just his undershirt, the ink on his arms dark and visible against the white of the shirt. “I think we both do. What do you want to talk about?”
“About what happened when we were younger,” I reply. I've been trying to work up the guts to talk about this since seeing him for the first time, and I thought that maybe I'd gotten lucky, that what we were doing with our bodies was enough. That my kisses and caresses told Jaxon how I feel about him, how I feel about his arrest. “About your arrest, me, my father... all of it.”
“You apologized already, and I thought I said my piece about that,” Jaxon says curtly, going over and sitting down on one of the two queen-size beds. We paid for the only room they had open.
“Yeah well, I haven't said all I've got to say,” I retort, going over and sitting on the other bed, shrugging off my jacket and Jaxon's other sweatshirt. “And I can't let another second go by without you understanding me. Haven't you wondered why the hell I even went along with this crazy fucking plan?” I ask, feeling a little anger inside me. “Why I just decided, waking up on Christmas Eve and seeing you, to say 'Hey, why don't I let a guy I haven't seen in years go ahead and fuck me, take my virginity, and then scam my father'?”
“I didn't ask because I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer,” Jaxon says, unbuttoning his jeans before pulling them off. “Fuck it, this is a real bed, I'm ditching the pants.”
“Fine... but please Jaxon, just listen to me,” I plead, sitting cross-legged on the bed. “Then... well, it’s up to you.”
Jaxon considers my request for a second, then nods. “Go ahead. I realized while I was walking I said some things that probably hurt your feelings, so say what you need to say.”
“And you'll listen?” I ask. “I don't want to talk to a wall.”
Jaxon nods, leaning against the headboard and propping his forearms on his knees. “I'll listen.”
I swallow, then start. “When I moved into Whitechapel with my family, I thought my father was on the up and up. It wasn't until I started at Saint Foster's and heard some of what the kids said behind my back that I started to put the dots together. Then... then I overheard a conversation between him and Francino Capelli.”
“Capelli?” Jaxon asks. “Didn't he kick the bucket?”
“About two months after you were arrested. I was going to the library to study when I heard Dad and Francino talking inside, so I stopped, and started to listen. I don't know the details, but Francino tried threatening my father...”
I tell Jaxon about how I heard my father brag about swindling Whitechapel from his family, then having them killed. Dad threatened he’d do the same to Francino. I look over at Jaxon. “Don't you see? I was still reeling. I didn't know who to trust. Mom obviously knew about it, the lies she told me about Dad were too clean. And my father... I was scared!”
“So when he called the cops on me...”
“He knew who you were,” I admit, sighing. “I'd seen you walk up, then you stopped next to Dad's new Lotus. I was going to go outside when Dad grabbed my arm. 'I won't let my daughter be with that piece of shit,' he growled while he was shaking me. 'He's a loser, and you won't be with any loser!' Then he got on the phone, and the cops came. I... I was scared, Jaxon. I was terrified.”
“So that's why you want to get away?” Jaxon asks, and I nod. Jaxon stares at me from his bed, then lifts his blanket, inviting me over. I slide in next to him and he takes me in his arms, kissing me tenderly on the lips. I explore the muscles of his back, tears coming to my eyes as he kisses down my throat, lifting my shirt up and helping me remove it.
“Jaxon... please love...”
Jaxon stops, pushing me back into the mattress, staring into my eyes in shock, not quite sure if he’s ready to let go of his pain. I reach up, putting my hand on his heart, and say the most important thing I need to say.
“Even if you hate me, even if you don't love me... I still love you. So take me, Jaxon. Take what you want from me. It's better than not having you at all.”
Jaxon's eyes soften and his mouth works for a moment before he kisses me again, moving down my body and tasting my left nipple, biting me, just on that edge where pain and pleasure meet, keeping me there while his eyes study me intently. I don't reject him, but instead wrap my legs around him, stroking his hair as he clamps just a little harder and the pain takes over. I try to hold it back but instead I whimper, and I don't pull back. I take his pain and return it with the love I feel for him.
Jaxon lets go of my breast and kisses me again, rolling with me so that I'm on top of him now, straddling his waist as I kiss him from the very depths of my soul. Jaxon's hands stroke my body, at first roughly before softening, tender and strong at the same time. I sit up, sliding down his body to help him with getting his jeans and underpants off, his cock sticking straight up while I quickly shed my panties before remounting him, feeling his cock rub against my clit as I wiggle back and forth, both of us humming at the pleasure.
He reaches up, putting his hand over my heart as his eyes ask their silent question, and I nod, clamping my hand over his. “Let's make this moment last forever.”
I lift my hips and position the head of his cock at my entrance, sinking down slowly, relishing the feeling. I don't stop, after so many times over the past day and some change my body can accept him without a single whisper of pain inside me. Instead, I keep going until he's all the way inside me, and my body is filled with his long, perfect shaft.
I ride him slowly, searing each breath and heartbeat into my brain, scared that this is the last time. Scared that things are going to go wrong, that Jaxon's going to end up dead somehow, maybe with me next to him. But I won't abandon him. I start to cry
, and looking down at Jaxon, I think he's on the edge, too.
My hips move on their own, rolling and letting his cock move in and out of me sensually, electric excitement blending with the pain and fear of the whole experience. Jaxon starts lifting his hips, thrusting into me while I bounce my ass up and down on the thick, fleshy pole splitting me open. I lean forward to let my hips move more easily and kiss him, moaning “I love you” into his mouth even as the first wave sweeps over me and I come, my pussy tightening before the tears start flowing.
We keep going, tears and moans blending, his cock thrusting over and over into my pussy. His arms hold me tight as he moves faster and faster. I lose myself in the feelings, sobbing in pleasure and fear as Jaxon's cock swells and he explodes deep inside me, his arms tightening and holding me close as the blackness of sleep carries me away.
Chapter 9
Jaxon
I glance at the clock when we wake up and see that it's already ten thirty. It's not all that surprising, we were up late last night going at it. It wasn't just sex either, or whatever my brain was telling me at first. I know it was more. The question I ask myself as I get out of bed and take a shower is... how much more?
It's all well and good for Mandy to say she loves me, that she wants to stay with me. And I'll admit, the words rocked me to the very depths of my soul. But what does that even mean? Do those three words replace the hell that I've lived since my arrest or even before that?
Getting out of the shower, I go into the room, where I see Mandy sitting on the bed, two tiny little saucers from the coffee maker in front of her. “Happy Birthday, Jaxon.”
“What's this?” I ask, sitting down and seeing the divided package of Hostess Cupcakes. “A birthday cake?”
“Birthday cupcakes,” Mandy corrects me, shrugging. “I saw the vending machine in the hallway, and I didn't want you to go the whole day without having some cake. I know it's silly, and there's no candles, but…”
“Thank you,” I say interrupting, chuckling. “I’d forgotten about it ever since all this shit started happening.”
“What’s the plan?” Mandy asks as we pick up our cupcakes, toast, and take bites. It's sickeningly sweet, the chocolate is half plastic, and the cream inside tastes like monkey spunk... in other words, it's a standard delicious Hostess Cupcake, and I grin as I take a moment to peel off the rest of the frosting after my first bite.
I shake my head, finishing half my cupcake in a single bite. “I'm kinda making this shit up as I go now. I had a plan, but that was before. From when you opened your eyes on that desk, I've been barely thinking more than two or three hours ahead of what's going on now.”
“You're not the only one,” Mandy says. “So what's your plan?”
I look at her, seeing the sick resignation on her face. She thinks that no matter what, that her father's too powerful, that he's never going to let this go. And the truth of the matter is... she's right. If I even got out of the city alive with or without Mandy, Henry Johnson would never let someone who got away with ten million dollars of his own money walk.
And... “Fuck it. There won't be a handoff.”
“What?” Mandy asks, her jade green eyes almost clearing. “What about the money?”
I take a deep breath and shake my head. “We never got around to it, but I never threatened your father with ransom. Even that first night, I knew you were more important than money. So... I threatened him with this.”
I reach into my pocket and pull out the USB drive, handing it to Mandy, who looks at it questioningly. “What is it?”
“It was in the smaller safe, I think your father had it because he wanted an insurance policy. On it there's enough shit to send your father and at least a dozen other men to jail, possibly for life. E-mails, a few pictures of him with important people in compromising situations, a lot more. So when I called him, I told him that I'd sell the stick back to him. I never mentioned you. I didn't want to involve you.”
Mandy gulps, then nods, handing me back the stick. I set it on the bed between us, where it rests like an explosive blue sapphire. “So... why not sell it to him?”
“Because I have what I need,” I say, getting to my knees on the bed and looking at her. “I don't know how, I don't know where, but we can make it. You were a Christmas miracle who, just after midnight this morning, gave me the greatest birthday gift I could ever ask for. You took away my anger. You made it disappear because you love me. And Mandy, I love you, too. So there won't be any handoff. Go away with me. Let's just get on my shitty Yamaha and go. Where we end up, we end up. Wherever it is, I'll be happy because I'll have you. And you're more precious than any amount of money.”
Mandy gulps again, then reaches across the gap between us, taking my hand. “Yes, Jaxon. I'll go with you. But we don't have to go empty-handed. And there's something else I want, too.”
“What's that?” I ask.
Mandy goes over to her bag and pulls out her wallet, taking out a credit card, grinning. I've heard of these, but holding the thin titanium card, I'm shocked. “Amex Business Black?”
“With a million dollar daily withdrawal limit,” Mandy says. “You gotta do it at certain main branches of the banks, but New York isn't that far from here, and it's a safe town.”
“New York, huh?” I ask, thinking. I pick up the USB stick, smiling. “I've never been to the Big Apple. I could make a short stop there. You know, the New York Times and CNN both have offices there. How about we drop this off after we make a stop at the bank? I've got you, and with this I can get the next most important thing.”
Mandy nods, folding my fingers over the stick and clasping her hands around mine. “Justice. Happy Birthday, Jaxon.”
She surges into my arms, kissing me hard before she pulls back, grinning. “Come on, we've got miles to burn on the road. Oh, and I want a late Christmas gift.”
“What's that?”
She tosses her silver oak hair over her shoulder, giving me a saucy smile. “A tattoo. I want us to match.”
I laugh, getting off the bed to grab my backpack. “God I love you.”
Epilogue
Mandy
The house is simple, but that's okay. Our nest egg is growing, and really, a double-wide isn't all that bad. Nobody around here wonders why exactly we have a shotgun, a rifle, and two pistols. Just in case. Best of all, we've got fantastic views, four acres of land, and it's a lot more pleasant here in winter than it is back home.
Check that. This place is home now. I stretch my arms overhead, admiring my just-finished left arm tattoo before grunting as I rub my eyes. When my next check comes in, I'm investing in a better monitor for this computer, simple as that. Jaxon can get me that for my birthday. There's no way that I can be expected to finish my online degree and do my work on the computer with the glare this thing provides.
“Hey beautiful,” Jaxon says, coming in. He's sweaty, but then again, late summer isn't always cool around these parts. At least we aren't in Texas, they're broiling this year. “Did you see the news?”
“No, I was just finishing up,” I reply. “I gotta say, I never expected to be making a living on the internet economy a year ago.”
“I never expected to be living in a place with deer a year ago,” Jaxon says with a laugh. “But to be honest, I like it here. A lot more peaceful. And the shop isn't too bad.”
“So what's the news?” I ask, and Jaxon sets his pack down. We've still got the Yamaha, after taking us across the country we just couldn't bear to part with it, but around here, a pickup truck fits in a lot more for daily use. “Don't keep me in suspense.”
“Henry Johnson's trial finished. He cut a deal.”
I raise my eyebrow, surprised. “He did? What's the deal?”
“Twenty years for him to flip on Senator Harrison and Governor Redman. No chance of parole.”
I think, nodding. Jaxon watches me carefully as I get up, grabbing my old cell phone. It's charged, we've made sure of that, but I've intentionally kep
t it turned off. Today though, I need it. “Gimme ten minutes, honey. I need to wrap my head around this.”
Jaxon says nothing as I leave the trailer and walk down the long driveway to the county road that is now our official address. We don't get cell reception at the house, the internet's expensive enough as it is without paying for the craziness of getting a cell repeater installed.
I dial, and the number rings four times before it's picked up, and I hear a voice that I haven't in a long time. “Hello, Mom.”
“Mandy... I thought I wouldn't be hearing from you again. After that last call, right after the news broke in the papers,” Mom starts, her voice tight. It's been a hard couple of months for her, I understand. “So, is 'anonymous source' calling to gloat?”
“No Mom,” I reply. I've done a lot of thinking since Christmas, and I've let my anger go. “I was calling to see how you're doing. I heard about Dad.”
“I'm... I'm making it,” she admits. “The feds are letting me keep Whitechapel and some of the money. Not all of Henry's investments were dirty it seems. It was part of the deal. I won't be taking a vacation to Majorca this year, that's for damn sure though.”
“You'll make it,” I say. “Mom... I called to say thank you. I'm sure you've helped keep Dad's associates off my trail.”
“Somewhat. I don't think they're concerned about you or Jaxon anymore though. I've spent more time trying to keep them off Henry's ass. Thankfully there were more skeletons in closets than just what was on that drive,” Mom says before her voice cracks and softens. “Mandy, I've missed you.”
“I've missed you too, Mom. We'll see each other again, but not yet.”
“I see,” Mom says. “Well, at least tell me... you're safe?”
“And happy. Jaxon's a wonderful man. He's good to me.”
I see a semi coming down the road, the damn loggers never paying attention to the speed limit. It roars by, obliterating what Mom says, and she repeats it when it's quiet again. “I said that's what's most important, honey. I love you. Happy Birthday.”