“Condom,” he muttered.
She groaned.
Yeah, that was a lot how he felt right now.
Trevor scooped her off the table and carried her boneless body across the cabin to the bed. He lay her down gently. They might each be raw, but that only meant he had to be extra careful. If they left marks now, they could scar. He didn’t want to add to her collection, and he doubted he was anywhere near as strong as she was.
He grabbed his bag, glad he’d thought to toss some extra items in, which included condoms. He ripped a packet off the strip and tossed it up on the bed.
Dina sat up her messy bun extra messy and her gaze wild. She reached down and wiggled the dress off, leaving her in her bra, the straps wrapped around her torso. He reached forward and hooked his finger in a strap low on her ribs. She arched her back, thrusting her breasts forward.
Now this had potential.
He grinned and lowered his head to kiss her mouth.
Her hands fumbled with his belt.
He dipped his free fingers into the cup of her bra, finding her nipples stiff. She panted and for a moment she froze.
Trevor grasped the whole bra contraption and pulled her up to her knees, deepening the kiss. She got the catch of his belt free and yanked at the button. Her hand wiggled past his underwear. He groaned as her fingers brushed his erection.
He pulled away and eased his zipper down. It felt as though there were marks on his stiff flesh.
Dina grabbed the condom from where he’d tossed it and ripped it open. He wasn’t the only one eager for sex. He held his cock, and she rolled it on, her cheeks turning pink.
He pitched forward, forcing her to her back as he covered her body. They kissed, her hands slid over him and her legs fastened around his hips. His cock slid along her pussy, the warmth of her heating him further.
Trevor levered up and looked down at her. Dina lay on her back, cheeks flushed, reaching for him. She was so damn beautiful.
He thrust into her and she groaned.
He grasped the bra and thrust, her back arching. Her breasts slid from the cups as he worked deeper, using the band around her ribs for leverage. Her heels drove him deep and her hips worked in time with his.
Dina’s eyes rolled up, and she tipped her chin back.
There.
He thrust again and slid his thumb over her clit.
“Dear—Trevor!”
He felt her come apart around him, squeezing his cock. The blood roared past his ears and the base of his spine prickled moments before his release unfurled in him.
He collapsed forward, wrapping himself around her and rolling until they were somewhat on the bed properly. He flicked the blanket over them and closed his eyes, breathing her in, the rightness of it all settling inside of him.
There was a reason their brief night together had stuck with him. He hadn’t been able to give up looking for her, figuring out why she’d run, until he knew all there was to know about her. And even then it had left more questions. Still, he’d known in his gut he couldn’t move on yet.
Maybe this was why.
He bent his head and kissed her hair while stroking her arms. The scars created a different kind of sensation, a texture. Smoother and yet the ripples permanently burned into her told a story in a language he didn’t understand. He wanted to, but now wasn’t the time.
“Does everyone know we’re out here?” she asked.
“No.”
“Is it strange that everyone around you knows every move you make?”
“The people here can be nosey, but they aren’t that bad.”
“Really?” She arched a brow and looked up at him.
“Really.” He leaned his head back. “I went away for college, determined I didn’t want to be here. I spent four years lost in the crowd at A&M down in College Station. I couldn’t wait to get home. It was lonely.”
“I see.”
Trevor was willing to bet she knew a few things about being lonely.
She studied his face, her thoughts hidden from him.
“When did you get that scar? On your forehead?” she asked.
“Christ.” He groaned. “There was a guy one morning about six months back. He got drunk and was carrying on in the park, wearing nothing but his underwear. I went to get him off the tire swing, it came up, hit me here and cut me to there.”
Dina stifled a laugh. He didn’t blame her. It was a funny story.
She reached up and smoothed her thumb over the line.
“It will fade,” she said.
“Does it make me look dashing? Dangerous?”
“It helps.”
He wanted to ask her about her scars, how they’d happened, but he didn’t dare. She’d told him the bare bones about what her mother and father had done to her. He could fill in the blanks with the rest. She didn’t need to relive those memories. She’d had enough pain for a lifetime. He wanted to give her something better, something nicer.
13.
DOMINICK PEERED OUT the window onto the street shrouded in darkness.
The same dark-colored sedan had been parked across the street and partially covered by the neighbor’s hedges for going on a day and a half. The most telling thing was that there was always someone inside and the steady stream of exhaust coming out of the tailpipe.
There were two explanations.
The cops were watching him.
Or, the scarier option, the family was watching him.
With the cops he had plausible deniability. He had an alibi and had never touched the body. If Little Tony was stupid enough to kill a pig, Dominick wasn’t going down with him.
The family wasn’t as clear cut. There were rules, but they changed given who held sway at the moment. There were plenty who wanted Dominick’s turf, so to speak. The old timers knew the digital scams were the new way, but they didn’t know how to get started. Dominick had built his gambling business from the ground up, just him. He wasn’t going to give up his business to anyone.
He stepped back from the window, feeling the walls of his own home close in around him.
This wasn’t right.
It wasn’t fucking right.
He paced through the darkened rooms to his workstation with his wall of monitors. From here he could keep an eye on all the gambling sites and boards he managed. Watching the dollars roll in was cold comfort in the face of what was barreling toward him.
Dominick needed results.
He picked his cell phone up off the desk and hit dial.
The line rang a few times.
Where the hell was Phillip?
“Hey, boss.” Little Tony’s deep baritone wasn’t what he expected.
“LT. What’s going on?”
“Talking to some guys,” Little Tony responded.
“Have you found her?” Dominick said slowly. Little Tony knew why Dominick was calling. Didn’t he? Or had his last brain cell finally died?
“She’s still here.”
“Here? Here where? Where are you?”
“We’re at the restaurant right now. Hold on. Phillip is back.”
There was a moment of rustling as the phone exchanged hands.
“Hey, D. Sorry about that.” Phillip’s tone was downright cheerful.
“Take a walk,” Dominick said.
“Hey, I can barely hear you in here. I’m going to walk outside, okay?” Phillip infused his words with a chuckle. “Nah, you stay here. I’m just going to catch him up on everything.”
Dominick listened to the background noise fade away and Phillip’s breathing.
“Hey, sorry about that,” he said.
“First, where are we with finding Dina?”
“We thought she’d run, but it turns out she’s looking for us. She’s been to two of our contact’s place of business today. Judging by the plates of the vehicle she was in, I think she’s working with the local cops.”
“Shit,” Dominick muttered.
“They’re country bumpkins
. Idiots. We can handle them. I know how important it is to you.”
Phillip’s tone was placating. He was trying to put Dominick’s mind at ease. Because he realized the hot water he was in?
“We need to talk about LT,” Dominick said.
Phillip sighed. No surprised questions, no outright denial. He knew this was coming.
“He killed a lead when we got here,” he said quietly. “I didn’t want to tell you, but...something’s up with him.”
“He’s become a liability. My ass is on the line over the last clean-up. I’ve got a car sitting outside my house. You heard anything?”
“No.” Genuine surprise laced Phillip’s voice.
“Okay.” That eased Dominick’s nerves. Phillip was well-liked and traveled in many circles. If someone hadn’t given him the heads up about a leadership change that could bode well for Dominick. “We’re going to have to do something. I just don’t know what yet.”
“Me either.”
They stood there in silence. The three of them had grown up together. When Dominick had struggled to take over his father’s piece of the business, both Phillip and Little Tony were right there willing to help him. The idea of going forward without one of them wasn’t something Dominick had ever imagined, but here they were.
Not everyone was cut out for this business, and others were more suited to it. Little Tony would have done well in the seventies or eighties, but not now. The tide had changed and Cosa Nostra was a different animal now. There wasn’t room for someone with his tendencies in their midst. He would have to be put down, like a rabid dog.
Dominick would do it. He couldn’t ask Phillip to.
“Hey?” Dominick tuned toward the stairs. “I’m going out. Text me any updates.”
DINA HAD NEVER VENTURED inside the charming Ransom Library. She avoided public places whenever possible as a rule. The quaint wooden building looked like something out of a story book with its wide veranda, domed roofs and the tall clock tower that chimed the hour. It was the kind of place that didn’t seem real.
Trevor pulled up to the curb and leaned toward her. The wrinkle between his brows hadn’t eased since they’d woken up to the reality that normal life held sway now. He still had to work and she couldn’t do nothing.
“I’ll come by at lunch, bring you something, then be back around five to pick you up.”
“Okay.”
“I called Mimy, and she knows you’ll be here.”
“Setting the grandma gang out to watch my back?” It was a funny mental image until she recalled just how big Little Tony had grown up to be. The L.O.L. Gang wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
“You can call or text me if you need anything. In fact, I’d appreciate an update every now and then.” He nodded at the burner phone they’d driven to the next town to purchase since no one in Ransom sold them.
“I’ll order a replacement for mine today. Where do you think I should have it sent to?” She also needed a new laptop, among other things.
“Send it to the station. Address it to me.”
“Okay.”
Trevor’s radio chirruped, and he winced.
“Got to go?” she asked.
“Yeah. I don’t want to, but...”
“You have to. I understand.”
He reached for her, cupping her face, running his thumb over her cheek. She held perfectly still, savoring the sweetness. It couldn’t last, but she could remember it. Trevor leaned in and kissed her. She sighed and drank him in.
They had no guaranteed moments together. Tonight she might not even be here. She hadn’t yet made up her mind.
“Go,” he said in a rough voice. “Go, before I take you back to the cabin.”
She laughed and opened the passenger door.
Dina grabbed the bag with her external drive and a few other odds and ends she’d scurried away then closed the door before Trevor made good on his threat. Or was that a promise? She stepped up onto the curb and waved. He wiggled his fingers back at her, then turned the SUV back toward the road.
She was on her own.
Her house, car and clothes were about four miles away. This was as cool as it was going to get today. She could make the trek over there, load up and be gone before Trevor was back with lunch. But that would be running, and she was done with that. She didn’t know where they were going or if she had a future here, but she wasn’t running from Dominick, Phillip or Little Tony. That wasn’t the life she’d dreamed of when she went to the feds.
Things with Trevor were still weird. She cared for him. She still wanted him. But she couldn’t totally trust her emotions for him, either. He kept saying things between them were different that he wasn’t adding another trophy to his collection for helping a woman in trouble. From the sound of it, this was exactly what he’d always done. She couldn’t trust him to know the difference even if his heart was in the right pace.
She turned toward the library and took a deep breath.
Here went nothing.
No matter what came next, Dina had to protect her income and that meant being available or setting up someone to cover for her over the weekend. She was lucky enough to work with a large pool of talent and had covered for enough people that someone could throw her a bone and return the favor.
She climbed the stairs and crossed to the heavy wood and glass front doors. The gold foil seal proclaimed the building a historic Texas site. That she could totally believe. In the entry a six foot tall and four foot wide metal plaque caught her eye. Flames licked out of the flat surface while matchstick looking homes went up in fire.
We Stand Stronger Together stood out in stark relief on a banner waving over the flames.
A little note card mounted next to the display said, In memory of the 1968 fire.
It was a wonder the library was still standing considering it appeared to be a mostly wooden structure.
Dina pushed into the library proper and stopped, taking in the place.
She’d assumed the inside of the building was as interesting as the outside. It wasn’t disappointing.
Stained glass windows reminiscent of a Catholic church cast colorful light display on the shelves. Old oil lanterns were still mounted to the walls, but instead of candles they sported flickering bulbs that were more ambiance than functional. Overhead lighting had been carefully tucked into the ornate ceiling and instead of a chandelier, a half globe served as the sun for this little universe.
“Hello.” A woman about Dina’s age approached her. She had light brown hair braided over her shoulder and a cheerful smile. “May I help you?”
“Yes. Is there a computer room? I was told I could use the internet here.”
“They’re right over here. My name’s Elisabeth. Come on.” She gestured for Dina to follow her around the built-in circulation desk to the left of the entrance. In the first alcove half a dozen computers were set up, each at an antique desk.
“Wow.” Dina hefted her bag higher up on her shoulder.
“Are you new to Ransom?” Elisabeth asked.
“Oh, no. I’ve just never been in here.”
“I see.” Elisabeth clasped her hands in front of her and turned toward the shelves. “I’ve lived here my whole life and this place still seems...”
“Magical?”
“That’s the word.” She smiled and nodded.
“I would have never imagined such a neat place in a small town.” Dina turned to look at the rest of the library. There wasn’t anything modern or manufactured about a thing.
“Well, that’s because of the old White family. In the early 1900s they got very self-important, built what’s called The Mansion and decided to gift the city with a library. It took about three years for the whole thing to be built and outfitted. By 1915 the family had lost all their money. According to the town history the last White left in the 1920s.”
“Wow.”
“I’m sorry, you’re here to use the computers, not get a history lesson.” Elisabeth held
up her hands.
“No, that was interesting. Thanks.” Dina turned in a circle, still taking it all in. “This place is insane.”
“I know. When I was little, I used to pretend it was the library in Beauty and the Beast. You’ll have to go upstairs and see the meeting area. Or not. I’m sure you’re busy.”
Dina was intrigued now.
“What’s special about upstairs?” she asked.
“You have to see it.” Elisabeth shook her head, eyes closed, her smile hinting at something wonderful.
“I’ve got all day.”
Dina met Elisabeth’s gaze. For a moment they stared at each other.
“Okay. Come on. Want to leave your bag behind the counter?” she asked.
“I’d better keep it with me.” Dina wasn’t crazy about carrying it, but her livelihood was on these drives.
“Okay. Come on.” Elisabeth gestured at a staircase situated against the back wall. “What brought you to Ransom? Family?”
“No, I was starting over,” she said slowly. “I needed a fresh start.”
“Wow. That must have been hard. I keep thinking I should move away, somewhere no one knows me, but my roots are here. I can’t seem to get away.” Elisabeth didn’t seem happy by that situation.
“You could, you know? Leave. It’s scary, but after a while you find yourself. But, I am more of an introvert. I also have no family to worry about, which makes it easier.”
“I don’t know.”
There was a story there, something plaguing Elisabeth. Dina had been haunted by her past enough that she knew how that felt and she didn’t want to see anyone else go through that.
They climbed to the top of the stairs and stopped.
“Wow,” Dina whispered.
There were still rows of bookshelves to her right and left, but the main area was empty save for some couches and armchairs. More shelves were built into the walls and she spied at least one of those rolling ladders. The ceiling rose away from them while the windows here were less painted, allowing in the bright morning light. The whole space seemed to glow.
“We get a lot of people in here that want to take pictures now. Back when I was a kid and my dad would drop me off here, it was pretty empty. I got into so much trouble playing on the ladders.” Elisabeth chuckled.
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