by Raquel Belle
“YES!
He starts pummeling me.
“JACK I’M COMING!”
“Wait.”
“PLEASE!”
“On three,” he says, “ONE.”
“NO!” I’m there, I shut my eyes and feel my body give in.
“TWO.”
I gasp and start the ride to ecstasy. I can barely hold myself up, I start to shake. He’s got me by the hips and he keeps going, I’m just a fuck-toy right now. I’m seeing stars.
“THREE!”
He slams in to me and holds himself there. I feel him jerk as his cum explodes out of him. I pant breathlessly and wait for him to finish. I hear him let out a growl of satisfaction. He pulls out and I fall over like I’m dead.
Jack laughs at me, he takes a short moment to recover then slaps my ass. “Come on, get up, that was probably a little longer than we wanted.”
I hear myself give a half chuckle mixed with a moan…then I grab my pants.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jack
We walk back to the take-off spot holding hands, both looking like the cat that ate the canary. As we approach Charlotte, she narrows her eyes and gives us a suspicious look. It might be because of the way Deanna is walking. I’ve noticed that her gait is different after she’s given a proper fucking. It’s a dead giveaway.
I can’t help it, when I see the look on Charlotte’s face I start laughing. She chuckles and shakes her head. Deanna nervously bites her lip and tries to hide an embarrassed smile.
We throw our gear in the Otter and make our way up to the house.
“That opening was close to suicide,” Charlotte says.
“I know, right?” Deanna says.
“I’ve done better than that,” I say, “after yesterday, I sort of wanted to see if I could pull it off. It was only 300 feet. I did 200 once.”
“Well, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. It’s not safe,” Charlotte says.
“No need to worry, I’m not going to have to do that again anytime soon, it’s just nice to know that I can, should the situation arise.”
“Should the situation arise,” Charlotte echoes.
***
When we get back to the house I go up to Deanna’s and my room and grab the files that Anton gave me. I come back down and lay out the plans for the Konquest building on the table for Charlotte. I quickly explain what I’ll need her to build for me.
Deanna sits patiently, waiting for us. We bounce around some options, types of polymers, open rates, things like that…
“Light, no metal, no backup, and a good kick on the open,” I finish.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’ll need a few hours.”
“What are you going to do in the meantime?” Deanna asks me.
“I’ll hit the target range. I already did this morning, but practice makes perfect. I have to be ready for anything, so I need my reflexes sharp.”
“Okay,” she puts her hand over Charlotte’s, “since we’ve eaten Charlotte near out of house and home, I guess I’ll take the car into town and do some grocery shopping and bring something back for lunch.”
“Thanks,” Charlotte says. She smiles, it’s honest. I think they’re going to be friends. I’d really like that.
“Alright then,” I say, “you’ve got your assignments, let’s get to it people,” I clap my hands.
Both of them say, “Yes boss!”
I laugh. Yeah, they’re going to be friends.
***
Deanna
I changed back into the blue dress before heading out. It’s really hot today so I need the ventilation. Not that I’m a sweaty person or something…I’m motivated by comfort. Anyway, girls don’t sweat, we glisten.
I’ve cranked up the AC in the Escalade, I’ve got some good tunes on and I’m heading north towards town—Parker.
When I think about how I ended up here all those years ago it still leaves my brain running in an endless loop. Did I zig when I should’ve zagged?
No, little voice told me to.
Stupid voice.
There’s almost nothing out here. There’s a dam and it feels a bit touristy but it’s really not.
It was only supposed to be a pitstop for me.
I was passing through and I was running low on cash. It looked like a decent enough place. The little voice told me this was the spot. I thought I’d spend a month, check out the joint, make some cash, maybe some new friends, and then I’d move on.
I couldn’t have imagined how this place would fuck me up.
I wonder if I should be in therapy?
When I was in rehab we had group sessions, but even there I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it. I kept my shares to my habits and the recent past—I never once talked about the root cause and where it all started. Somehow I felt that if I said it out loud…that would make it real…and then I’d never be able to get away. I’d never be able to outrun it. It was better to pretend that it’d never happened.
I tried, but it didn’t work.
Maybe that’s what this whole thing has been about—meeting Jack. Maybe it was so I could end up here and confront what happened. If that’s the reason fate made our paths collide then I think it’s all been worth it. For the first time since everything went down, I feel vindicated. The weight is finally off me.
But does this mean our journey has come to an end?
I don’t want it to.
I laugh out loud thinking about Jack—we’re just getting started pretty waitress.
Jack seems to want more out of this, but does he really? Or is this just a reason? You know what they say—people come in to your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. I’m not going to kid myself, no matter what’s happened…I’m still the Deanna in this story. There’s no happily ever after for the Deanna. I’m just going to enjoy it while it lasts.
I’m not naïve and I’m not stupid…and there’s also Charlotte to consider.
I know there’s some kind of history there—it’s the way she looks at him, but this morning at breakfast she changed my life.
What a difference a day makes.
I was dead set on hating her but she seems to be a genuinely good person. I suspect that the moment we had in the kitchen this morning was more about her feeling me out than anything else. She dropped the issue pretty quick. She’s probably just looking out for Jack. I’d do the same in her situation.
Everyone has history—I wasn’t living in a convent before Jack came along and I’m damn sure he was no monk. I’m not even going to ask him about what’s between him and Charlotte. What right do I have? They’ve known each other for years, I’ve known him days.
Everything’s been happening so fast—anyone on the outside looking in must think we’re batshit crazy.
Maybe that’s why I’m so convinced that what’s between me and Jack isn’t real—even though I want more than anything for that to be the case. It’s all the adrenaline from this rollercoaster of a week. Heck, if that’s the point then…rollercoasters are still fun.
Just walk away when it’s over.
Stop it Deanna!
Why is it that I’m always preparing myself to lose? Why is it that I never want to hope? Maybe that’s really the thing that Ben took away from me—he took away the feeling that there’s a tomorrow…that maybe I matter.
I arrive in downtown Parker and spot the grocery store. There’ll be time to let my thoughts drive me nuts later.
***
Jack
I’m on my fourth run-through of the course. What Charlotte has put together here is amazing. Everything is controlled by computer and it’s randomized so each time you do the course it’s different. There are also seven different points of entry so you’re never going to get the same experience twice—not in one day at least.
I’m in a concrete maze, there are spots for cover and concealment everywhere. Targets dressed as bad guys, civilians, hostage situations…you name it, she’s got it�
��they pop out at you and you know never what’s coming next.
You also have to stay in cover because the bad guys fire rubber bullets at you. They hurt like hell, but they won’t do any serious damage. It’s just a great reminder not to screw up.
When you get to the end the computer gives you your score. My kills have all been one-hundred percent accurate, what I’ve been working on is shaving down my time.
I’ve worked my way from an initial six minutes to just over five. I can do better.
I’m going to keep going till I do.
***
Deanna
The shopping cart is full, I bought the whole store. Fruit, vegetables, coffee, cereals, canned stuff, juices, beers, meats, cheeses, bread, eggs…and everything in between.
It’s the least we can do for Charlotte. She took us in without a thought and she’s helping Jack and I so much. I also got some olives and anchovies, I wonder if everyone likes Puttanesca? Might be a bit of a long shot, but if they don’t, I can make us all some hero sandwiches instead.
I’m offloading my cart into the Escalade’s trunk when a car passes behind me and pulls in to the spot next to mine. It’s an old model Nissan Maxima. I pay it no mind and keep going. A moment later I feel like I’m being watched. I get this creepy feeling and turn around.
It’s a brunette with a mom-cut, one hand on her hip, a cigarette in the other. She’s wearing jeans, sneakers and a Metallica t-shirt. I thought she’d be in jail—I guess she cooperated.
“Well, well, well. Deanna Madison. Nice ride. Who’d you fuck to get a set of wheels like that?”
“Mel.” I’ve got nothing to say to her. I was hoping I’d never see this two-faced ho ever again. I turn back and put another bag in the trunk.
“What? Can’t say hello to an old friend?”
I look at her, “Mel, I think we both know that you were no kind of friend to me.”
She takes a drag of her cigarette and laughs, “You found out huh? Is that why you left?”
I don’t bother with a reply, I keep putting the shopping bags in the car.
“Larry,” she calls, “come meet a member of the crew from the good old days.” I feel her eyes on my back. “So, what’re you doing back in town? Do you still like to party?”
I turn to face her, “No. A friend and I are visiting with Ben’s sister, Charlotte, at the Barracks.”
I see the blood drain out of her face just as Larry steps up holding a kid in his arms. The kid looks to be a little over two years old. Larry is a lanky ginger in jeans and a t-shirt. He looks like a pleasant sort of person. The kid looks nothing like him. He’s got dark hair and blue eyes. He looks like Ben’s spawn.
“Hey,” Larry says and offers me his hand.
“This is my husband Larry and our son Nicholas,” she emphasizes our. I think it’s unintentional, but it’s a total giveaway.
“He’s a good-looking boy,” I say, and give him a playful pat on the nose. He smiles. Yeah, that’s definitely not Larry’s kid.
“Well, I don’t want to keep you, we’ve got shopping to do,” Mel says.
I don’t indulge in pleasantries with her. “Goodbye Mel,” I say, then turn to the baby and stroke his cheek, “bye-bye cutie,” he looks like a happy baby, but I have a feeling that’s not due to any effort from Mel.
I nod to Larry and they’re off. I watch them walk away, Larry turns back for a last glance—Mel’s going to have some explaining to do.
***
I debate with myself on the drive back about whether or not I should tell Charlotte, but then decide that she and Ben have a right to know. Maybe they already do.
When I get back to the Barracks, I see Charlotte walking towards the house from the hangar area. She meets me as soon as I pop the trunk.
“Need a hand?” she asks, and slings the pack she’s holding over her shoulder.
“Yeah, please,” I say, “grab whatever you can.”
“This is a lot of stuff, you guys planning on moving in?”
I laugh, “Just thought I’d stock you up.”
“Thanks, I guess…”
We get everything into the kitchen and then we get to work unpacking. I used this kitchen for a while and everything still goes where it went back then. This has probably been the case since Charlotte’s mother was still alive.
While we work I ask, “What happened with Ben? I never did get the whole story when it was done.”
She sighs. “He’s in for fifteen. I tried to make him take a deal but there was nothing that wouldn’t involve jailtime. He told me and his lawyer that there was some low-level guy in the Sinaloa Cartel that he could offer them, but the DA’s office wouldn’t let him off scot-free because there was the attempted murder charge. The lawyer managed to make the case that Ben was in fear for his own life from the Cartel, so we got it down to fifteen, they were going for multiple counts at twenty. I was pushing for him to give up the name and maybe even get him in to WITSEC, but the Sinaloa guy wasn’t important enough. Ben knew that if he was going to be in jail and he gave up the name that he was as good as dead. They can get to anyone. He’d get shanked in the yard or something. So…he’s just going to serve his time and keep his mouth shut.”
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“For what?”
“My role in all of this.”
“He was on drugs, Deanna. He was transporting it, working with distributors, profiting from hurting people, and that’s only the things we know about. He was going to kill people. I know he’s my brother, but he got what was coming to him. I still have to love him because he’s my family, I can only hope that he comes out a better person and wants to live a decent life with what’s left when he does.
I nod.
“I don’t blame you at all, if you hadn’t stopped them…who knows where it would have all ended up?” Charlotte holds my shoulder.
I can’t do much more but nod again…and then I ask, “Does he know about his son?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Deanna
“Come again?” Charlotte looks at me with her eyes narrowed.
“Maybe you’d better sit down,” I say.
We go and seat ourselves opposite each other at the breakfast bar. “Alright, spill.”
“Okay, I can’t prove any of this, so keep in mind that this is just a theory.”
“Sure.”
“Mel found me outside the grocery store earlier. She has a son who looks absolutely nothing like his father, but he does look an awful lot like Ben. When I mentioned that I was here at the Barracks with you the look on her face said it all.”
“You’re going to have to do better than that, Deanna.”
“The kid looks like he’s just over two years old. Add up the time for a full-term pregnancy and when Ben got pinched and that’s just about the right age. What I think happened is that Mel and Ben were going at it like rabbits, Ben goes away, Mel finds out she’s pregnant, so then she finds the nicest, most sexually deprived guy who’s got a steady job and screws his brains out. Then she tells him that he’s the father and she takes it from there. Shotgun wedding, she moves in to his life and they live happily ever after.”
“You think she’s capable of that?”
“I know she is. Mel has always been out for herself and no one else. She’s the kind of person to take any problem she’s got and make it someone else’s. Shacking up with Judd was because she wanted a free ride, moving on to Ben was because he was the leader…more free drugs, money and presents. She gets herself knocked up and she’s not going to tell a guy with fifteen years hard time in front of him that he’s going to be a dad. Heck, the kid’s going to be almost an adult by the time he’s out. How is he going to help pay for anything? She needs someone to help her raise the kid so she finds a patsy. Someone who’s going to take the news in good faith and not going to ask for a paternity test.”
“Fuck,” Charlotte says. “How did the kid look?”
“Honestly, he looked like
a happy baby, but that seems to be more because of the father, Larry, than Mel. Mel was smoking a cigarette and asked me if I still liked to party. I’m going to take that as a sign that she still does and Larry is the one picking up all the slack.”
Charlotte massages her forehead, “This is a lot.” She lets a breath out, “What do I do now?”
“Well, we can start lunch and talk it out and see what to do about it. Puttanesca or Hero Sandwiches?” I stand up.
“Sandwiches,” she looks down at the table morosely.
I put a hand on her arm, “I’m sorry Charlotte, I didn’t mean to upset you, I just thought you should know.”
“You were right to tell me,” she puts her hand over mine and nods.
I put some tomatoes and a head of lettuce in front of her. “Wash, slice, tear,” I say. She just sits there, she obviously needs a minute—I know I would.
I get some chicken breasts out of the fridge and begin to slice them length ways so they’ll cover more surface on the sandwiches.
“Am I supposed to sue for custody?” She gets up and takes the vegetables over to the sink.
“That’s not going to work, the courts will always favor the mother and the baby is happy, what would be the point? You’re only the aunt.”
“But that’s my brother’s kid, doesn’t he have rights?”
“Probably, but he’s in jail and like I said, the courts will take her side. If the child is well looked after and she and Ben weren’t married when the child was conceived, I don’t think there much of a case. I’m no lawyer though, so I don’t really know for sure.”
“But she’s lying to this guy…Larry wasn’t it?”
I season the chicken and butter up the slices, then pop them in the oven. “I don’t know if she’s lying to him but the way she introduced him and baby makes me think that she is.”