by LK Shaw
I didn’t acknowledge his threat, although every nerve ending was on full alert. I didn't relax my guard until I'd escaped the confines of the park and was within sight of Brody and the car. Even then, I was listening intently for the sound of any other footsteps. Darkness lurked around every corner.
I collapsed into the passenger seat, my eyes staring straight ahead. "Drive."
“Did everything—”
“Drive,” I barked.
The car turned over and we pulled away from the curb. Despite the hot air blowing out of the vents, my fingers trembled. Brody pulled out his phone and was speaking, but I couldn't hear anything beyond the buzzing in my ear. The scenery was nothing but a blur. I didn't see any of it. I don't know how long we drove, but suddenly, we were back at the office. I climbed out of the car with my brother silently following behind. We rode the elevator together, and he unlocked our office door, flipping on the light before settling into his chair. I dropped into mine and propped my head against raised fists taking deep breaths.
Cruz’s threat lingered, and the baggie was burning a hole in my pocket.
“Landon and the guys are going to be here in a minute.”
I nodded. Then, I could hear footsteps coming down the hallway. I raised my head, sucked in a final cleansing breath and blew it all out. By the time Landon burst through the door, I’d somehow managed to calm my racing heart and swallow back the nausea that threatened to rise.
“Are you okay?” She rushed over. I stood and she threw her arms around me, not caring about anyone else in the room.
I smiled, making it as genuine as possible. “Of course I am. I told you there was nothing to worry about.”
I reached into my coat pocket, thankful my hands no longer shook and pulled out the baggie. There, stamped in bright purple ink was a set of angel wings.
Chapter 19
“Here you go. Now we know that Felipe is the one dealing Rapture.”
Preston handed me the bag of coke. The way he rubbed his hand down his pant leg made me think he didn’t want to be holding onto that baggie any longer than he had to.
“So, what’s next?” I asked.
Preston nodded in Brody’s direction. “Like I told my brother, now that we have confirmation Felipe is our guy, we’re going to start surveillance. We’ll follow him and Cruz from the club. See where they’re going. Who they’re talking to. See if we can get either of them to lead us to the bigger fish in the pond.”
“How do you know he’s not the biggest fish, already?”
“Felipe?” He laughed. “Not a chance.”
“I’m going to let Brickman and Crawford know we found our guy. I’ll send this to our techs and see if they can get a print or maybe some DNA off it. Find out who either of these guys are.”
Preston nodded. “Sounds good. I wanted to mention something. I could be wrong, it was pretty dark in both places, but there’s a possibility that Cruz and Felipe are related somehow.”
I paused. “What makes you think that?”
“I don’t know. There was a slight resemblance. There was also a small something in their mannerisms. The way they held themselves. They seem similar. Who knows? I could be way off base.”
“Hmmm, that might explain some things. Alright, well if you guys find anything, let me know.”
I needed to get this stuff to my boss in the morning. He'd been harassing me over the last few days, badgering me about the progress of the investigation. I’d told Brickman and Crawford what was going on and they'd been checking on Elliott King. As of our last conversation, they hadn't been able to discover anything on him. Was it possible he wasn’t involved in any of this? My instinct said he was involved, but if he was, he was a lot smarter than I was giving him credit for.
Suddenly, I didn’t care about any of it. Not tonight anyway. I just wanted to be alone with Preston for a little while. Would these people ever leave?
As if reading my thoughts, Brody spoke up. ”Everyone’s tired. Let's all go home. Victor. Pablo. Thank you guys for being there tonight. We really appreciate it.”
They all shoulder bumped each other and left. Brody straggled behind. He opened his mouth a couple time like he wanted to say something, but finally he shut it and then he too walked out the door, closing it behind him without a word.
It was just Preston and I, staring each other.
He broke the silence. “Thank you.”
I hadn’t expected that. “For what?”
“For trusting me.” His voice was soft and uncertain.
“You're welcome."
I didn't want to admit that I'd never felt such fear as I had waiting for him to emerge from the trees. I'd seen him pause for several seconds after he'd picked up the bag off the ground and started walking away. His shoulders had jerked, and the movement had barely been there, but I'd seen it.
"What happened out there?" I sat down in the chair opposite Preston's desk.
His eyes met mine, but then darted away. "What do you mean? I met Cruz, we made the exchange, and then we came back here."
I studied him. “You paused too long before moving again for something not have happened. Did Cruz say something to you?"
Preston wouldn't look me in the eyes, and that scared me. He never hesitated. "Preston?"
He inhaled a shaky breath. “He suspects I'm a cop. Told me he’d figure out my secrets, and when he did," he paused. "He was going to kill me."
I swallowed the pebbles in my throat. "I see. Well, we're just going to have to make sure that doesn't happen. Won't we?"
"You know, I never really feared death. Not really. I mean, I'm honestly surprised I'm still alive actually. But, in that moment, I was terrified." The words came out thready. "For so long, I didn't think anyone would care if I died. I think, in the end, Brody would have been relieved. He would have grieved, of course, he’s my brother. But after it was all said and done, a burden would have been lifted from his shoulders."
I clutched my trembling hands in my lap. Tears threatened to spill, but I was desperately trying to remain strong. For him. Because both of us couldn't break, and I suspected Preston was on the edge.
"But the moment he threatened me, the only thing I could think of was that,”—he raised his head and his eyes met mine—“I didn't want to leave you."
I raised my trembling fingers to cover my lips. Even after our night together a few days ago, I'd still been holding all these feeling back. I kept telling myself I didn't deserve to move on with my life. I deserved the pain. The penance. Hadn’t I been punished enough? Was Preston placed in my path because it was time for me to find some measure of happiness?
"I don't want you to leave me either," I choked out, my voice like gravel. Pressure was building behind my eyes. I blinked it away. "Let's just put tonight behind us. Forget what happened, and deal with it tomorrow. Things will look different in the light of day."
He nodded, but his eyes still held that haunted glare. I rose from my seat and circled around to him. Preston swiveled in his chair and wrapped his arms around my waist pulling me to him. He rested his cheek against my stomach, and I threaded my fingers through his hair, holding him to me trying to lend him whatever strength I could. I don't know how long we stood like that, but it didn't matter. He took in a shaky breath. His hands began to roam, and he pulled away. He tilted his head back and stared up at me. Our gazes remained solely on each other even as Preston unbuttoned my jeans and slowly slid the zipper down. My breath hitched as he tugged them open and leaned forward to press a kiss to my lower belly. He peppered my skin with kiss after kiss, exposing more of my bare skin with each one until the next brush of his lips against me ghosted across the top of my sex.
"I want you," he whispered against me.
Preston didn't wait for a response. He merely yanked my jeans and underwear down to my ankles and then in one fluid movement picked me up and laid me across the top of his desk. I pulled my knees toward my chest, and he jerked my shoes and my bottoms co
mpletely off. He separated my knees, and before I could catch my breath, he buried his face in my pussy, his tongue and lips working together. He licked and nibbled his way to my clit, sucking it into his mouth and gently biting on it, sending a full body tremor through me.
"Yes," I moaned arching up and pressing myself against his face. His fingers tightened their grip on my hips, digging so deep into my skin he'd probably leave a mark.
My fingers tangled in his hair once again, clutching him tightly to me wanting, needing, more.
"Please," I begged.
"What do you want?" Preston whispered against my core, his breath making my skin even hotter.
"I need you inside me."
"Like this?" He slid a finger in, and I pulled him in deeper, but it wasn't enough. I shook my head.
"No. More."
"What about this?" Another finger slid in with the first and Preston pumped them in and out of me, keeping me right on the edge with his tongue nipping at my clit. His movements grew faster and harder. I chased the climax that was building until his teeth clamped down on my clit, and I screamed his name as it burst through me. My whole body tightened and then shook with tremors until slowly I came down. It wasn't enough. My pussy contracted against Preston's fingers still buried in me, but I wanted his cock.
"Not enough."
He withdrew, and I felt the emptiness. Preston quickly wrestled with his own pants and then there was the sound of foil ripping. He lined up with my entrance and pressed himself in. I pulled my knees back further into my chest, and he surged inside, his forearms caging my head. My fingers dug into his ass trying to pull him in deeper. Preston slammed hard against me at the same time his lips clashed against mine. The thrust of his tongue matched the pace of his cock as he pounded inside me. Faster and faster until I couldn't catch my breath.
We both needed to feel alive, Preston especially. I whispered words in his ear, but I wasn’t sure what I was saying. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was we were together and in each other's arms. The world outside didn't exist. It was only Preston and Landon.
He kept up a punishing pace, and I met him thrust for thrust, encouraging him to go faster. Deeper. I wanted him to give me all he had and more.
"Fuck me. Make me yours," I spoke in his ear, biting down on it. He reached between us and furiously rubbed my clit hitting each nerve ending perfectly until my back arched and for the second time screamed out my release. It triggered Preston's and he slammed home a final time, his neck muscles stretched taut as he roared out his climax. Spasms shuddered through my body, as he collapsed against me, our breathing harsh. We remained connected until a shiver danced across my skin despite his body heat.
He brushed a kiss across my lips and then pulled out. I lowered myself off the desk with his help, stumbling a step. While he disposed of the condom, I quietly pulled my underwear and jeans back on, and he did the same. Preston pulled me into his arms, and we held each other tight.
"I can't lose you," he whispered against my hair.
"You won't." I heard the promise in my words. Did he?
Chapter 20
I’d spent the first part of this morning working on a couple of the cases we had, but I was having trouble focusing. All I could do was replay the other night over and over again. And the fact I hadn’t seen Landon since. After she and I had finished dressing, she’d taken me home. I’d almost called Brody, but it had been late, and I hadn’t wanted to disturb him and Ines. With the baby coming in a few months, they needed all the sleep they could get. Besides, since we’d started our surveillance on Felipe and Cruz two nights ago, I didn’t except to be getting much sleep in the near future either.
I glanced over at my brother. “What are you doing over there? You’ve been on your damn phone all day.”
His cheeks took on a ruddy hue. “Just texting Ines.”
Fuck. He probably meant sexting. Ines was a knock out, but I still shuddered. That was not information I needed to know.
“I need to get out of here for a bit. I’m going to walk over to Stan’s and grab a couple sandwiches. What do you want?”
“Get me a pastrami on rye, will ya, please?”
“Sure. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Covered in my black leather jacket, I headed the few blocks over to the small, hole-in-the-wall diner I’d discovered the day we’d looked at the office space. Calling it a diner was pretty generous. In reality, it was more like a grocery store meat department without the rest of the grocery store. And they only sold cold cuts. There was a single two-seat table, but that was the only dining-in option.
The door opened and the bell chimed. A white-haired man with a matching white Sam Elliot mustache wearing an apron glanced up at my arrival.
“Afternoon. What can I get for you?”
“Can I get a pastrami on rye with provolone cheese and a reuben?”
“Coming right up.”
I parked myself against the wall and waited. The door opened just as Stan finished the first sandwich. A young kid, late teens I’d guess, stepped just inside, rubbing his red, and most likely freezing, hands together. I took in his appearance. The large gray hooded sweatshirt almost swallowed him whole. He sniffed a few times and wiped his nose with his shirt sleeve. It was his eyes though... Even from ten feet away I could see his pupils were huge. There was something about the way he twitched and jerked that was familiar. I was also sure I’d seen him before.
“Hey, don’t you play basketball over at the youth center on Randolph Street?”
His gaze darted over to meet mine, and I sensed his hesitation.
“I’m Preston. One of the mentors. My buddy Lucas hangs out over there. I thought I recognized you.”
He produced a shaky smile. “Oh, yeah, I know Lucas. I think I’ve seen you around.”
“You want a sandwich?”
“N—No, thanks. I’m good.” He spun and darted out the door without another word.
I glanced at the man behind the counter whose worried gaze was still focused on where the kid had been standing. “What the hell was that about?”
“I’m not sure, but I can take a guess. I’ve been having some trouble lately.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“A couple break-ins. Stole the small amount of money I keep in the cash register. Then last week a kid walked in off the street and robbed me at gun point. This neighborhood gets more dangerous every day. So many drugs coming through here. It’s just not safe anymore.”
Son of a bitch. There was no doubt that kid had been high as fuck. I just wasn’t sure if, or what, he’d been planning when he’d walked through that door.
“Do you have any type of surveillance equipment?”
He shook his head. “Can’t afford it. I’m losing more and more business each day. Too many people afraid to walk around the streets. This area is mostly old folks. It’s why the drug dealers and criminals have started moving this way. There’s no one to stand up to them.”
I hated how defeated he sounded. There wasn’t much I could do either. Not unless I could help get rid of some of the drugs. Maybe clean up the neighborhood a little. My body jerked. Was this what Brody had felt all those years? This incredible urge to do something good? To make a difference? Jesus, no wonder he’d started working for the D.E.A.
With sandwiches in hand, I made the trek back to the office, that kid’s face staying with me the whole time. What the hell was I going to do?
“We’re close to finding them, Michele, I promise. I’ll talk to you soon.” Brody disconnected the call with a sigh.
I barely noticed. For the last few hours, my mind had been elsewhere. I kept thinking about the kid from earlier today.
“What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting weird ever since you got back from lunch.”
“There was this kid that came into the diner while I was there. High as all get out. I don’t know his name, but I’m sure I’ve seen him the youth center. I talked to him for a mi
nute, and then he bolted. Almost like he’d panicked.” Once again, I pictured the expression on his face. “Stan said there’s been an increase in crimes, including against his shop. He’s worried.”
Brody sat upright. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrugged. “There wasn’t anything to tell you. The kid walked in, we spoke for a minute, and he turned around and walked out. That was it.”
“You just said he was on something. What if he’d wanted your money?”
“Then I would have given it to him.”
I’d been that kid. High, wanting money, and after I’d tried taking it, our mother was dead. The scars on my arms burned.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her. Of what I did.”
His shoulders deflated. “Guilt has a way of digging its claws so far into our soul, it’s a wonder we can ever escape its clutches. I think you’ve been punished enough for what happened.”
I didn’t have any reply. It had been nearly twelve years, and there were nights my mother still visited me in my dreams. She never spoke. There was no anger, but neither was there forgiveness. Maybe it was her way of telling me my punishment would never be over.
I sighed in frustration. “I’ll look for him at the rec center, and if I see him, I’ll try and talk to him. Other than that, there really isn’t much more I can do.”
Doubts continued to creep in that I could do this. Was I really cut out for this kind of life? The one where I potentially “saved” people instead of being the one that needed to be saved. Fuck.
“Hey,” Brody called out softly. “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but whatever it is, you can talk to me. I know it hasn’t always been the case, but you’re my brother, and I’m here for you. We’re in a good place, and I don’t want to lose that.”
His words settled over me, bringing with them a tiny bit of peace. “We won’t lose it. I just need to get used to having my brother again. I’ll get there. Just give me a little time.”