by Rye Hart
“Now I’m reminded why I keep working with you,” Kenneth said.
The comment made me nauseous, but I had his trust back now. Which meant he would more than likely follow orders, which would wind up in people not getting hurt.
Specifically, him when he decided to fuck up.
“I’m in for two weeks from Saturday,” Kenneth said.
“Then if Kenneth’s in, I’m in,” Jesse said.
“Good. You guys on the uptick with all the plans?” I asked.
“Yep. Plan A is the perfect one. We drive around back, you do your electrical shit, we come in through the back and I start loading up the vault while you and Jesse keep a handle on the front lobby. After four minutes, Jesse goes back to the car, three minutes after that you come out, we buzz off into the sunset,” Kenneth said.
“Plan B is if we can’t shake the police. I’ll have a random car I’ve hotwired in an alleyway. I’ll buzz through and Ryan takes himself and the money and heads to his place. Kenneth and I shake the police, then we head to Ryan’s house where we sneak down through his basement and into the sewer system of the city to get away,” Jesse said.
“Plan C is if we’re caught in the bank. Make sure to have your fake I.D.’s in your wallets and the passports in the bag with the money. Kenneth and I will make sure Jesse can get free, he takes off with the car and the money and goes to my house to store it. Then he works his magic and gets us free of the holding cell they’ll throw us into,” I said.
“Easy as pie,” Jesse said.
“Plan D is if shit all goes to hell. We funnel them into here near one of the two main sewage pipeline entrances. We slip into the main sewers and split up at the branches before they even know where we went,” Kenneth said.
“Good. All contingencies covered. So two weeks from this Saturday is good?” I asked.
“Yep,” Kenneth said.
“I’ll be there,” Jesse said.
“Then it’s a date,” I said with a grin. “We don’t meet up or approach one another at all until four hours before. We’ll meet at my place. Jason won’t be there, I’ve already got plans for him to be gone, so that’s one less mouth running for or against us depending on the fucking mood he’s in.”
“You sure he won’t be a problem?” Kenneth asked.
“Never has been and never will be. But he is pissed he can’t help. It’s best if I ship him off before any of this goes down to keep all of us sane,” I said.
“You’re a good brother,” Jesse said.
“I try to be. Two weeks from Saturday, my house at nine in the morning. We’ll prepare to hit the bank around one, and if all goes well we’ll be riding for the city line ten minutes later,” I said.
We all shook hands before we parted ways. The plan was set in stone and all we had to do now was wait out the security camera and their logs. It would provide a window of opportunity for Jesse to do what he had to do to get us out if we got caught, and it covered our asses in case the police dug into us further than what I thought they would.
But it didn’t keep me from being nervous.
I was really having doubts about this whole thing. If one thing got messed up, it could jeopardize Jason, myself, and Grace. I wanted to back out, but I was the one who organized this in the first fucking place. It wouldn’t look good on me if I wanted out of this at the last minute, and the two of them now knew too much. They could roll over on me to the police to save themselves and I could get thrown in jail with my father.
No fucking way that was happening. I wouldn’t leave Jason to fend for himself. So, I had to keep my strong facade. Having Kenneth’s respect back was the only thing pushing me forward on this damn job. If he had still been combative, I probably would’ve pulled the plug. But he seemed to be at ease, so that had to be enough.
Getting into my car, I headed back to the house. Jason didn’t know it yet, but I’d set him up for an SAT study session and a practice exam. It would keep him occupied for a full eight hours of the day, long enough for us to pull the job and get back to the house. He wouldn’t be happy about it, but he would be safe. I could take his sulking, even his outbursts, as long as I knew he wasn’t in jeopardy.
I drove back to my house, chanting in my head that this was the last job. The last one before I was out. It had to be. Grace was showing me a way of life that was actually possible for a man like myself. A life with a good woman at my side and a kid who adored me and who I adored in return. The chance to make myself a better person and show Jason there was more to life than crime and quick payoffs. The more I thought about Grace, the more I wanted that kind of life with her. A domestic life where I woke up beside her, helped her with Harper, then went off to work. A life where I came home to a dinner with the two of them and spent Saturdays in the park, and occasionally whisked Grace away on adult weekends while Harper was with her grandmother.
Jason would love having a family like that.
And so would I.
I pulled up into the driveway and saw Jason on the porch. He was rocking in a chair, his eyes running over the pages of a textbook. He looked up at me and smiled and it warmed my gut. If anything, I was getting out of this for him. Even if Grace wasn’t waiting on the other side, I had to get out for Jason.
I had to show him there was a better way of life than this. A stable one. A life where he could make friends and keep them and invite them over without fear of exposing my dirty little secret.
I didn’t want him to have to live in secrecy any longer.
“Hey Jason, can I talk to you for a second?”
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I set you up for a study session and a practice SAT for a week from Saturday. I thought maybe afterward, I’d give you some cash to grab a pizza and a movie with one of your friends. Maybe that Terrance guy that you study with sometimes.”
“You need me out of the way for the job.”
“Jason,” I said.
“I get it. I get it. It’s fine.”
“Good. Though I’m sure you won’t need the practice. Shit, I could have taken a study session every week for a year before the SAT’s and still wouldn’t have passed I bet,” I said.
“
“You talk like you’re an idiot, but you’re really not,” he said.
“Oh yeah?” I asked.
“It takes intelligence to do what you’re doing. You understand how electrical wirings work. You can also take apart and entire car and put it back together. I know you still draw, I’ve seen your sketchbook lying open on the table. Creative abilities take a level of intelligence people don’t realize. With artistry, it takes a natural knowledge of angles and how colors blend together to create the perfect outcome. You tell yourself that you’re stupid, but you’re not.”
I walked up onto the porch and took a seat by my brother.
“You’re the smartest person I know, Ryan.”
“Thanks, Jason.”
“I mean it. That wasn’t just a compliment. I’ve watched you repair anything and everything that breaks down in this house. Plumbing. Sinks. Holes in the walls. Furniture that breaks. The refrigerator. You name it, you can repair it. I’ve seen it. I can read books fast and retain information, but you can do all the practical stuff. All the stuff that matters.”
“Hey, what you do matters.”
“It will when I can apply it to something. But right now, I can’t. Hopefully Forensic Psychology will give me an application, but until then I’m just reciting and regurgitating nonsense.”
“You make it sound like food poisoning,” I said.
“All I’m saying is, don’t let a lack of a college degree hold you back. You’re good at a lot of stuff.”
“Aren’t you only sixteen? Wanna know what I was doing at sixteen?”
“What?” he asked.
“Grace,” I said, with a grin.
“Girls don’t like me.”
“When you get to college and find out you’ll be making the big bucks, they will
,” I said. “Nerds are where it’s at these days.”
“You think so?” he asked.
I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled him close to me.
“I know so,” I said.
CHAPTER 16
GRACE
I was standing on the porch waiting for Ryan as Amy played with Harper out back. I’d already kissed her goodbye and made her promise to be a good girl and listen to Auntie Amy. His car pulled up and I went dashing out to it, where he promptly got out and wrapped me up within his strong arms. Our lips locked together as he pressed me against the open door, our bodies gravitating to one another like we hadn’t seen each other in months.
“Ready to get out of here?” he asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He walked me over to my side of the car and helped me in, then he drove us out of town toward the Blue Heron Vineyard. Our hands were intertwined during the entire drive and the moment we got out of the car we were greeted with a glass of wine.
We started with a wine tasting, and it was decadent. We sat at a mahogany bar and listened to stories of how each wine was made from the vine to the barrel. There were fourteen different wines to taste, and once it was over I was feeling particularly good about things. Ryan and I wrapped ourselves around one another as we were ushered out to the porch, where a wonderful barbecue dinner was to be served for all of the nightly guests.
And of course, there were more wine pairings for us to try.
Everything was perfect. The view of the vineyard from where we sat was breathtaking, and he wine pairing with the barbecue and the dessert was divine. Having Ryan’s feet tangled up within mine underneath the table, I was thankful Amy was able to take Harper for an evening or two. I was excited to be able to spend some quality one-on-one time with Ryan.
Even though the two of us didn’t talk much, the time was still well spent. That was how it had been in high school between us. Sometimes we couldn’t stop talking, and other times we sat and simply enjoyed each other’s presence. Either way, I always walked away feeling like I knew Ryan a little better than I did before.
And dinner was no exception.
“Come on. I still have to show you our cabin,” he said.
He took my hand and led me down a small trail. Our fingers were laced and our steps were uneven, and we kept giggling over the stupidest things. The sun was almost set beyond the vineyard, and I was beginning to wonder where our cabin was.
Then, the dirt path broke into a beautiful clearing and there were cabins peppered everywhere.
“Ours is right there. Come on. We’re close,” Ryan said.
We took off running across the grass, our legs carrying us as fast as we could go. Ryan couldn't get the key into the lock quick enough before the two of us stumbled into the cabin. It was a studio space with a small fireplace and specialty wines from the vineyard stocked for our personal use.
But I couldn't get a good look at it before Ryan shoved me against the door and pressed his lips to mine.
The fireplace was roaring and the flames were illuminating the small cabin. My purse fell to the ground as Ryan yanked my dress over my head. I slid his jacket from his shoulders and worked on his pants, fumbling around with his belt as we stumbled to the bed. The two of us fell to the mattress as we kicked off our clothes, our bodies craving one another as his lips wrapped around my nipple.
“So fucking sexy,” he said. “Fuck, you should see yourself in the firelight.”
He fell between my legs and shoved his tongue between my pussy folds. A few licks in the right place had me moaning and wiggling around on the bed. I grabbed at his hair and lifted my hips off the bed. His tongue raked along my clit as my toes began to curl.
My first orgasm took me by surprise, but his tongue didn’t let up.
I wiggled and squirmed as his lips sucked my clit into his mouth. His tongue was relentless as his fingers slid into my pussy. They crooked against my throbbing walls and sent electricity shooting through my veins. Stars burst in my eyes as my juices dribbled out onto the bed.
“Fuck, Ryan. Shit. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. It’s hap—I’m coming—it’s—”
My heels were planted into the bed and my back arched off the surface. fingers pressed deeply into my pussy and his tongue lapped at my clit with purpose. I choked on my own pleasure as his name got caught in my throat. Stars were bursting behind my eyes as his tongue licked me clean.
Then he pulled his fingers from me and flipped me over by my ankles.
His hands commanded my body as he pulled my hips up to meet his. I could feel his throbbing cock growing with each jiggle of my ass cheeks. He smacked them over and over, watching them move underneath his slaps.
Then he slid his cock into my body, shivering as my pussy swallowed him whole.
He pounded against me as his hands twisted into my hair. The sounds of my moans and groans filled our small cabin as alcohol and electricity set my body on fire. His cock was thick, pulsing against my walls and filling me in ways I’d never felt before. My arms grew weak and my face fell into the bed, causing him to fall with me as he pulled out from my pussy.
He rolled me over and grabbed my ankle, then tossed it over his shoulder. He was spreading me for his viewing pleasure as he slid his cock back into me. His thumb found my clit as a smile crossed his face and I didn’t know if my body could take it. I didn’t know if I could handle the amount of pleasure he was dealing me.
But I wanted it.
I craved it.
I needed it.
“That’s it. Look at me when you come. Open those eyes for me, Grace.”
I tried to keep my eyes open as his thumb circled my clit. I could feel that familiar burning sensation sparking in the pit of my gut. My jaw unhinged and I began to whimper. Ryan’s grin became wider as he pounded into my hips. The distinctive sound of skin slapping skin filled the room as my vision began to blur. I was bucking into him wildly, my juices coating his cock as his balls slapped my ass.
“Ryan. Yes. Yes. Oh—fuck. Ryan. Ryan. Ooooh—Ryan.”
My eyes fluttered closed as I groaned. My pussy clamped around his cock, drawing him in further as his thumb pressed onto my clit. I felt his hips stuttering as my body shook against him. Quaking as wave after wave of mind-numbing ecstasy poured over my body.
I felt myself being hoisted from the bed before my back was pressed into something cool. My nipples puckered and my skin shivered as Ryan’s lips fell to my neck. He kissed and he sucked. His cock filled me again as he pressed me into the wall. Our fingers laced together before he pinned them above my head, rendering me completely helpless to his assault.
“I can’t. I can’t, Ryan. It’s so—it’s too—”
“I know you’ve got one more,” he said. “One more for me. Huh?”
Our foreheads fell together as my eyes fluttered open.
Our eyes connected as his hips thrust against me. My body was so sensitive yet yearned for so much more. His teeth found my shoulder, biting me lightly as my head fell back into the wall. I could feel my fluids dripping down my thigh as his cock throbbed deep inside me.
“You feel so good for me,” Ryan said. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
“I do,” I said breathlessly. “Because you do it to me, too.”
His forehead pressed into my neck as his thrusting became uneven. He rolled his hips deeply, caressing parts of my body I didn’t know to exist. My legs jolted and my arms shivered. My jaw was trembling and my clit was pulsing with unused energy. His hips were grinding into me. Slowly sliding along the tip of my clit as my legs pulled him tighter into me.
“Don’t stop,” I said. “Please don’t stop.”
He thrust shallowly into me, running his pelvis against my clit. Tears began to brew in my eyes as my body began to climb to that peak once more. I felt Ryan’s hips stuttering as his movements became even more uneven. His lips captured mine as our tongues collided, and it rejuvenated the both of us. His
movements became stronger and our hands held one another tighter. My legs pulled him deeper and his cock grew thicker and somehow, some way, I found the strength to roll into him.
We bucked relentlessly against one another, no longer caring what the other thought. I had given my mind and my body over to him completely and he had lost himself in his pleasure. His teeth marked my skin. My breasts. My shoulder and my neck. He released my hands and pulled me from the wall, holding my body against him as his hands cupped my ass. He lifted me and dropped me onto his cock as I clung to him, allowing him to use me in whatever ways he wanted.
Then his cock pulsed one last time before his cum spilled inside of me.
We fell to the bed, my pussy clenching him in a vice grip. I bit into the strength of his chest as he held me close to him. My name fell from his lips through his grunts and groans, his cock pumping so much cum into me I could feel it running out.
I rested against his body, sweat dripping from my forehead onto his strong chest and mingling with his own.
He ran his hands through my hair as our breathing began to even out and our heart rates returned somewhat to normal. The air around us was thick with the scent of our passion and we lay quietly, with nothing but the soft popping of the fire and our breath in the room.
I couldn’t get enough of him.
I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from him.
“You don’t have to move,” Ryan said. “I’ll hold you as long as you want.”
“I have no idea what you just did to me,” I said, breathlessly.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.
His thumb reached out and brushed a bead of sweat off my nose as I settled next to him. Tears sprang to my eyes and I quickly tried to wipe them away before he could see them. I could tell by the concern that clouded his eyes, however, that I had not been successful.
“Yeah. I’m just—I’m not sure where this flood of emotions is coming from. I’m sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be sorry. I just want to make sure I didn’t hurt you.”
“Oh no, it felt good. All of it felt—so good. It’s been—”