“Sis, no one thought you’d call. Are you okay?”
No one thought I’d call? I didn’t have friends. This confirmed my worst thought. Bane nodded for me to continue. “Yes. I’m sorry I haven’t called since the incident in the hotel room. I’ve had to lay low.”
“I know. Where are you at?”
Bane shook his head as a reminder and I sidestepped the question. “Are you still in Atlanta?”
“No … I mean … yes.”
That was enough to confirm that Frankie was indeed lying to me after all the time we’d spent together. “Hey, I need to stay low for a little bit longer. I snuck away for a bit to make sure you got the money I wired to pay Tommy Tricks. It went into your account.”
Silence.
More Silence.
Then, Frankie erupted on the other end. “You fucker! You said there hadn’t been any money. I want what’s mine. I told you I’d help get that asshole.”
There was a shuffle and a commotion.
Then another voice came across the line. “Eric—”
The line went dead. I stared at the phone with sadness and empty feelings. Tears flowed freely down my face. Frankie hadn’t cared about me at all. What happened? A sob broke free. I couldn’t take it anymore.
Air.
I needed air.
Now.
What happened to our brotherly-sisterly love? Gasping, I leapt out of the vehicle as my stomach heaved, expelling everything into the pure white snow. I wanted my innocence and purity back from childhood. Bane was at my side in an instant.
“I’m here, angel.” I had to be strong. This was not a time to break.
Bane held my hair as I continued to be sick. Why, Frankie, why? My hands shook uncontrollably as I worked on getting control. Calm down, Maren. This isn’t news. Deep breaths, helped the heaves subside. I held up my hand. “I’m okay. I needed a second.”
I looked at Bane and he looked murderous. From his touch, I would have never known.
“What’s wrong?”
A chill went through me as Bane’s steel voice cut through the air. “The voice that said Eric’s name at the end of the call, I think is a colleague of mine.”
“Who?”
“Hampton.”
I’D KNOW THAT voice anywhere.
Fucking traitor.
I trusted that motherfucker and he betrayed me. My insides shook with rage. Hampton played me. That lying sack-of-shit played me for who knows how long. I wouldn’t know for sure until I cross-analyzed the voice on the phone with his. I’d recorded our conversation the other day in the cabin. Felicia was at the hospital. I’d verified the admittance records.
Motherfucker.
Maren leaned back over as dry heaves racked her body. I felt ill for her, knowing how the sting of betrayal felt from your own flesh and blood. My mom had been the worst. As a kid, she’d forced me to con women out of money or I’d be beaten black and blue for days. That was until I stood up for myself at fifteen. After that, she never laid a finger on me again. But, I was still called bastard until I left for the Marines.
Standing, Maren turned into me and sobbed. I hated this for her and felt like the bastard I was for suggesting she call. There wasn’t a breath of space between us as she clung to me. My body craved to be the comfort she needed, but my heart fought it knowing this was going to all come to an end sooner or later.
Crack.
My mind went into defense mode as I watched the branch on the nearby tree fall to the ground. We were exposed out in the open like this. One well-placed sniper and either one of us could be taken out if someone had been tracking us. “Maren, I need us to get back in the vehicle. We need to get back to the cabin.”
Shopping would have to wait until I further assessed the situation.
Nodding, I swooped her up and rapidly got us in the vehicle. Scanning the streets, nothing seemed out of place. There was hardly anyone out on the road which made identifying possible tails easy. There was no way they’d know I was in Colorado, but it wasn’t worth the chance if somehow I overlooked something. Maren looked out the window as silent tears came down her face.
She needed comfort and I wanted to give it to her.
The tree snapping brought too many memories of Jasmine dying back. It was too close to feeling like a gunshot. So many unanswered questions as to what was actually going on. Guilt plagued me for getting Maren into this situation.
As we drove, my mind tried to fit the pieces together as to what was going on. An involuntary shudder went through her body.
“Maren, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I came into your life and caused all this.”
She sniffled and looked my way. “I’m not.”
I was rendered speechless and something thawed within me. Focus, Bane. History cannot repeat itself. Jasmine and Faith came to mind as I remembered what it felt like as my baby fought to survive. My heart ached. Had Hampton been involved with Eric’s survival? Or was something else at play? Hampton had never seemed like a traitor and there’d been pure satisfaction in his eyes when Eric had been executed. What did they have on Hampton? Or had I completely misread him as a person?
Hell, I needed answers and all I was getting was more fucking questions.
I glanced at Maren again. She needed space to process as she watched out the window. Sarge sent me files the day after we’d talked as promised with a detailed dossier of his experience.
Eric Thornhill was a fucking thorn.
A few days after our conversation, a detailed brief had been uploaded with all of Eric’s whereabouts for the last six years. He’d been living in Mexico under the identity of David Churchill for the last five years. A year ago, he came back to the states.
Sarge believed he was closing in on Eric’s location in the Midwest. I assumed Hampton and Frankie were with him. Being centrally located meant that if they found me, they’d have a better chance of getting to me quicker.
For now, I wasn’t disclosing to Sarge that I’d heard Hampton there. Something deep within me … call it instinct, kept me from going there. If I was wrong, Hampton would pay the price.
When Eric was located, I was meeting up with the Black Division for one last hurrah. It would be surprising if anyone was still there that I’d worked with considering the survival rate. This time, when we located that son of a bitch, I was going to be the one to put a bullet in Eric Thornhill.
Maren didn’t know about these plans. I’d make sure she was safe before I left.
“Bane, how do you get past the hurt?” Her voice caught as she spoke.
Maren knew from my nightmare alone that I had issues. I looked at her and her red rimmed eyes softened me. “For me it was time and revenge.”
“Did revenge help?”
Had it helped completely? No. Hell what did I know about healing. “Probably not. But it gave me something to focus on. Maybe it never goes away but only dulls with time.”
“Have you tried forgiveness?”
“Forgiveness?”
Turning my way, Maren watched me, truly curious. “Yes, forgiving yourself for what happened to cause your nightmares. You’re a good man, Bane.”
“Some things aren’t worth forgiving. Would you forgive Frankie after all he’s done? He tried to whore you out for money.”
My words caused her to flinch and I regretted them, but couldn’t retract them. Maren challenged the very core of my existence. “Yes, I would. I’d forgive but never forget.”
Well hell, I had no words as we drove the rest of the way to the cabin in silence. Her words made me reflect. Forgiveness from the unforgivable. Was it deserved?
Maren knew I needed the silence as we got out of the vehicle and made our way into the cabin. I needed to make sure it was Hampton’s voice I heard on the other line before I threw out any accusations. I got my laptop and sat it on the arm of the couch as I downloaded the voice into my recognition software. Grabbing a blanket, Maren laid across my lap. The touch brought me comfort.
The screen flashed green.
I clicked and it was one hundred percent confirmed to be Hampton.
Son. Of. A. Bitch.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I had no idea how far this rabbit hole actually went. Glancing down at Maren, her eyes moved behind her eyelids rapidly. A grimace came on her face, then relaxed. Simply she whispered, “Choose me.”
If only I could.
Another week passed. Eric was either in Missouri, Kansas, or Arkansas.
The more I thought about Hampton, I wondered if they had something on him. Maybe they were forcing him somehow. The only problem was … Hampton hadn’t used any of our code phrases when we talked the last time.
I’d never expected Eric to still be alive, so I guess that proved my judgment lacked in this case. Why after all this time? Putting your faith into anyone always fucked a person over.
Of course, I assumed that Eric and Hampton were still together. It was a gamble, but it was the best I had to go on.
Yesterday, Sarge confirmed they were in Kansas. The team combed through the state to find his exact location. It was only a matter of days before hell rained down on all of them.
Initial briefings were rolling in as the mission was defined. As soon as the location was found, I was going to meet Sarge and a group of Black Division Ops to kill them. There was a no-kill order as the Black Division wanted to question Eric and his team. But accidents happened and I planned on there being no survivors.
Trying to keep Maren unknown to the Black Division hindered my movement. I had to move slower and take fewer risks. If I didn’t survive this, I needed to make sure that Maren was set and able to disappear. Nearly all the pieces were in place.
And maybe, just maybe, part of me didn’t want my time to end with her. I enjoyed this semblance of a life we’d created. Fucked up, I know. Last night, I’d uploaded the possible locations I thought Eric could be to the secure server. It was untraceable from both ends in case someone was compromised.
Against my chest, Maren purred, “Morning, handsome.”
“Morning, angel. I think we definitely have to make it to the grocery store today.” It’d been a week since our attempt to go. I should have waited until we had the food to call Frank, but I wanted answers.
Honestly, I don’t think Maren wanted to leave. She liked the escape the cabin provided. Even through all the stress, I’d been able to provide her what I’d promised. And hell, I was fine with that. She moved to straddle me. “Tell the truth, is it because we noticed we were running dangerously low on condoms last night?” Her tight heat slid down my body.
My dick sought her. “That may be a huge driving force. If I could keep you here naked I would.”
The words were out of my mouth before I thought about them. The tip of her pussy touched my dick. “Would that make me your sex slave?”
Thank goodness she hadn’t gotten those crazy in love eyes with what I’d said. “I think I could make that work.”
Slightly pushing against Maren, I felt the inside of her. Fucking amazing. I needed more. I went deeper.
Maren gasped. “That feels amazing.” Then, she went stiff probably realizing I wasn’t wearing a condom. “I won’t come inside you, angel. But this feels incredible. I’ll stop if you want me to.”
“No, don’t stop.”
A slow rhythm consumed us as I memorized her pussy clenching around me—skin on skin. Hell, I wanted this. Flipping us over, I drove into her harder. Once, just once, I’d have her come around me without a condom on. Maren writhed beneath me.
“Faster.”
I pushed into her at a relenting pace. And then that look of euphoria passed over Maren’s face as she moaned. With my balls drawing up and the tingly feeling spreading out at the base, I knew I was about to come. I wanted to mark the inside of Maren, but I’d promised. Pulling out, I poured my come out onto her stomach.
Best. Damn. Experience. Ever.
I collapsed to the side, completely wrung out. After a few minutes Maren propped up on her elbows. She giggled. “You’re all over me.”
“I like being all over you.”
“Me too.”
Again, we became silent as we approached the precipice that we knew was coming at some point. This would be ending and we’d never see each other again. Stretching, Maren got up. “I’m going to take a shower before we head into town.”
“Sounds good.”
I let her go alone so I could get a hold of all the confusing thoughts going on in my head.
Groceries were put away. Maren was inside reading a book I’d asked the grocer to add. Some new romance book. The grocer said his wife loved it. I knew cabin life had to get old without any entertainment, but Maren was a trooper and never complained. Today, I was going to do something hopefully she’d enjoy.
Picking up the walkie talkie, I radioed Maren. “Hey, angel. Can you meet me out in the shed? Dress warm.”
Within ten seconds, she responded. “Sure thing. Need anything else?”
“No. I’ve got it all.”
About ten minutes later, Maren came through the doors in her heavy gear. She looked adorable as only her nose and mouth showed. “It’s so cold. For future note, you should make any safe houses you have in warmer climates.”
I chuckled. “I do have a couple in warmer climates.” Her mouth gaped open. “It’s harder for someone to check the place out. With the constant fresh snow there’s no way not to leave footprints and because of the echo from the mountain it’s nearly impossible to approach by air without being heard.”
“Yeah … I’ll leave the super-agent stuff up to you. What did you want? My book was getting good.”
Shaking my head, I responded, “I thought we could take the snow mobile out and look around.”
Maren’s eyes lit up like I knew they would. She’d asked several times, but I hadn’t felt comfortable leaving. With things coming to an end in a week, I wanted us to have this memory. She jumped and clapped. “Where do I sit?”
“In front of me. Hop on the right one. I’ll grab the backpack.”
Donning the backpack, I sat behind Maren and pulled her flat against my chest. “Put these glasses on.”
“Okay.” Maren’s face was now completely protected.
Cranking the snow mobile, we left the confines of the shed. The machine roared to life as I let her go full open. Maren chortled as she held on to my legs. We were free of all the bullshit and strings life attached to us. If I could freeze this moment, it would be one of those perfect times to stay suspended in.
Coming to the cliff, the sun crested before its final descent, sending beautiful rays of red and purples across the sky. “Oh, Bane. This is perfect.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “It is.”
“I’ll always remember this moment. Just like this. The sun setting, you wrapped around me. Thank you.”
“Me too, angel. Thank you.”
For the first time in a long time, I felt complete and the memories of the past were at peace.
WE’D BEEN AT the cabin for a month. It had been a week since our snow mobile experience. I was certain in that moment something changed between us, but Bane hadn’t told me that we’d try to make it work after all the drama was over.
It was the middle of the night. Bane left the bed about an hour ago to check some things on the computer. For most of the night, I’d tossed and turned feeling out of sorts and like Bane was withholding something from me. Deep down I knew our time was coming to an end.
Turning over, I looked at the red glowing numbers.
I tried to think warm happy thoughts, but I was jittery. At
dinner, I’d barely eaten anything from the weird feeling pulsating through me. Bane read something on the computer this afternoon and became more quiet than usual. For some reason, I hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask him about it. Hell, I knew it was going to be something I wouldn’t like.
The door creaked open. “Bane?”
“Yeah, angel. Did I wake you?”
I was going to miss that warm soothing voice. “No, I can’t sleep.”
Cocooning himself against me, I grabbed him around the waist. “Can you tell me what’s going on? I know something changed today.”
He took a big breath. “They’ve located Eric Thornhill. A mission is being put together to take him out tomorrow evening. I’ll be leaving at noon to meet up with the team. You’ll be safe here.”
My heart caught in my throat. “Afterward, what will happen?”
An awkward silence filled the air and I dreaded the next words that I knew loomed ahead. “I’ll find a safe place for you to live. Get you a new identity. You’ll be set and never have to worry about money again.”
The words were like a knife to my chest. I wasn’t supposed to fall for Bane. I had tried to safeguard my heart.
I had failed.
My chest tightened. This was ending. Tears threatened to make their presence known. I had to remain strong. We were in our final days together.
Our relationship was over. Wait, we never had a relationship. In Bane’s touch I felt something deeper. He cared for me. I knew it. Whatever happened to Bane had a death grip on him.
Pushing away reality, I responded, “Sounds good. We can talk about it when you get back.”
Nothing else was said. Bane tightened his grip on me and kissed my forehead. A restless sleep ensued while I tried to sear into my mind what it felt like to be in Bane’s protective embrace before it ended.
Bane slept peacefully beside me and my stomach roiled with nerves. I was going to be sick. All night long I’d thought about us and how I could tell Bane I wanted a shot to see what this could be. It wasn’t fair that I was going back on my promise to Bane.
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