Her eyes closed as her head pressed back into the pillow, the sensations taking her closer and closer to the edge. Her lashes lay on her blushing cheeks, her lips were making a silent “O” as she was surrounded by his body. She lifted her knees, opening herself up more to him, allowing him to plunge deeper and deeper.
He felt his balls tighten and knew he was close. She recognized it also, feeling his cock grow even thicker than imaginable. Reaching down to her clit, he tweaked the swollen bud bringing the desired result. Her pussy grabbed his shaft, squeezing it in a rhythm as she cried out his name. With a few more thrusts he emptied himself into her, his muscles corded in strain as he felt the orgasm down to his toes.
His arms shook with the intensity of his release and just as they gave out, he summoned enough presence of mind to roll to the side so as not to crush her. He immediately pulled her body into his, not willing for an inch of space to separate their heartbeats.
For several minutes they lay, legs tangled in the sheets and each other, the coolness of the night slowly penetrating their warm bodies.
Wife. She’s truly, irrevocably mine. Mine to love. Mine to protect. His hand moved slowly down her body, resting on her stomach, fingers splaying out. And so are you, little one.
Pulling the sheets over their bodies, he tucked her in tightly to his side. Kissing her lips once more, he whispered, “Sleep, doll. We’ve only just begun.”
She did just that and fell asleep a few minutes later. And then later in the night, he woke her again…continuing to worship her body until the morning light peeked through the windows.
Chapter 21
Two weeks later, Mackenna sat down with the women from the New Beginnings Center and informed them of their impending move. Her excitement was infectious and they all began talking at once.
Mackenna laughed and quieted them down as she explained the new facility and the moving process.
“It’s a large house, with five big bedrooms. We’ll still utilize the bunk beds though because we want to have at least ten women there at a time. The kitchen also has room for a large table so the dining room will become another classroom. We should be able to get another teacher in as well. I will do the counseling and we’ll have another administrator that will take over the day to day plans.”
“I’m definitely going with you all,” Rose said, smiling at the women around the table.
“Is it far from here?” Paulina asked. “I’ll need to be able to get to the library.”
“There’s public transportation right down the street and it’ll be able to get you to your job, but you may have to cut back hours until you’re closer to graduation and that won’t be for another two months,” Mackenna answered. She noticed Paulina’s worried expression but leaned over to pat the girl’s hand. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
“What about the escorts?” another girl asked.
“Well, Alvarez Security will still oversee our security until we move, but it’s my hope that in the new location we’ll all be safe. It’s on the outskirts of town and, while anything could happen, it should be out of sight and out of mind of any of your former gangs. But to be on the safe side, they will be taking the security cameras from here and putting them in the new facility.”
Looking around, she said, “I checked on Carla and she’s doing well in her new apartment and with her job in the restaurant. Jenita will be leaving us this week so she’ll be the last to transition out from this location.” She smiled at the young woman who was beaming at the others.
“Jerika, you have only about two more weeks to go, so you should be the first to graduate from our program in our new home. You’ll be able to make the city bus route work for you as you get to your job. So that leaves Gabby, Tina, Yesenia, and Paulina for right now making the move. As soon as we’re in, I’ll have three more women brought into the program as well.”
They discussed the actual move for a few more minutes before the meeting disbanded and Rose took her group to the computers. Paulina hung back, her eyes darting toward Mackenna.
“What’s up?” Mackenna asked.
“I’m just wondering about whether or not to make the move with you,” she said, her eyes now darting to the side, not making eye contact.
Mackenna watched the girl carefully, contemplating what was going through her mind. Paulina seemed scared, but Mackenna wanted to hear what the young woman had to say. “I’m listening,” she said.
“You got no idea what it’s like, Ms. Dunn.”
Mackenna did not correct her on the name, knowing that the last thing the women needed was to be reminded of her wedded happiness. “You’re right, I don’t. But I do know that if you go back, your life expectancy will be much shorter than it would be if you stay out. Your chance of an unwanted pregnancy will also increase. The same with illness, injury, venereal disease, and ending up in jail.”
Paulina sucked in a huge breath, then slowly let it out. “Yeah, I know,” she said, defeat leaking into her words.
“I know it’s hard now. You’ve only been with us a couple of weeks. But give it time. In another month, you’ll be able to transition to a full-time job and then things will seem better.”
Paulina nodded, but her expression gave away her doubts. Standing, she started to walk down the hall toward the classroom. Suddenly turning, she ran back, throwing herself in Mackenna’s arms for a hug. “I’m sorry,” Paulina said, her face buried in Mackenna’s neck.
“Oh honey, you have nothing to be sorry for!” Mackenna assured her. “Once we get the move over with, you’ll feel so much better.”
A little later Mackenna finished up and decided to meet Jennifer for lunch. Walking toward the front, she heard Rose speaking to someone on the phone.
“It needs to be soon. We’re moving next week. Yes, we’ll be at a different location.”
Mackenna’s keys rattled in her hand as she turned the corner, and by the time she came into view, Rose was putting her cell phone back in her purse. Looking up, she asked, “Oh, are you leaving now?”
“I’m heading out to meet Jennifer.” She hesitated, wondering if Rose would tell her who she had been calling. When Rose said nothing, Mackenna nodded awkwardly, then headed on out of the building, letting Doug drive her downtown.
*
The riverfront was dark, the dim streetlights unable to penetrate the inky blackness of a cloudy night. They only gave partial illumination to the water that was swirling past the anchored boats. This time Tito came to the old warehouse to oversee the arrival of the shipment of new guns.
As Jazzie and Waldo moved toward the boats to assist with the unloading and inspection, Tito stayed back with Tank. Eying the large Hispanic, he said, “You never talk much. Like that about you. And you’re loyal. Like that too.”
Tank just nodded, his eyes sharp on the procedure in front of him.
“You got plans for moving up?” Tito asked.
Tank nodded again, “Yeah.” His eyes never wavered from Jazzie and Waldo.
Tito followed his line of sight and turned back, asking, “You got a reason to be suspicious? Something I should know?”
Tank allowed his gaze to drop to Tito, answering, “No reason, no proof. Just figure anyone close to you bears watching.”
Tito turned back, now wondering if there was not something that Jazzie or Waldo had been saying…or planning. The transaction in front of them was concluded, payment and arms transferred without any problems. The Kings had skulked away like river rats and the boat crew slid their crafts back into the river’s current, moving out of sight in the inky waters. Jazzie and Waldo, laughing together as they pushed the cargo toward the vans, never noticed Tito’s intense focus now on them. He had no reason to be suspicious of their loyalty…but maybe it was worth keeping an eye on them.
“Watch them,” Tito said quietly. He did not have to look at the big man next to him to know that he had been heard, and that Tank had nodded as usual.
*
Jobe met with Tony and the others as they discussed the New Beginnings transition. “We need to get the new building’s security set up before they move in,” he said.
Tony nodded and asked, “They move on…?”
“Thursday,” he replied. “So we’ve got two days.”
“No problem,” Tony said. “Vinny, you’ve been out there. Do you have a list of what we’ll need?”
Vinny turned to Lily, who flashed the equipment list up on the white screen on the wall. “Shouldn’t be a problem. Most of it’s the same as what we have in place now. We’ll just duplicate it and then remove what’s at the old building on Friday.”
“Equipment issues?” Tony asked Gabe.
“Shouldn’t be. We’ve got most of it in stock, except parts for a few of the cameras. That shipment is coming in tomorrow, so we’re good to go.”
“Any news from Matt or Shane?” Jobe asked.
“Latest I heard was that they know for sure that the Sixers are running guns as well as drugs. They even know where the Sixers are getting the shipments in—some warehouse on the King’s riverfront.”
“If they know where the fuckers are landing and buying this shit from, then why in the hell don’t they shut it down?”
Tony shook his head. “I know. Let’s face it, we’d go in the middle of the night and deal quickly and get this taken care of.”
“If you tell me bureaucratic bullshit is the reason—”
Tony threw up his hand, silencing the group. “Here’s what I’ve been told. The guns they’re buying? From the military. And not just stolen off of the bases, but actually someone in the military selling them to whoever will pay the highest.”
For the men sitting at the table who had served in the military, they simultaneously reared back, appalled at what Tony had said.
While the others cursed, Jobe tried to choke back his rage. “That’s why the FBI won’t move against Montalvo. They want to figure out who’s selling him military guns.” The room was silent for just a second, before erupting into rounds of cursing once again.
Tony let the men get out their frustrations before adding, “Jack’s on it.” That brought silence, as they turned their attention back to him. “His group’s been asked to infiltrate and find out who’s selling the guns from the inside.”
Gabe and Vinny nodded as Gabe said, “Well, if anyone can ferret out the asshole, Jack’ll be able to.”
Jobe pinned him with a stare. “Yeah, but in the meantime, Montalvo’s still after my woman’s place of business.”
“He won’t get her, man,” they all vowed. “Not on our watch.”
*
Jazzie and Waldo unpacked the crates inside the storage area that Tito had indicated. Underneath an unoccupied building near his uncle’s grocery, it provided a safe location until the guns could be re-sold.
“You thought any more about doing something to that bitch?” Waldo asked.
“Which one?” Jazzie asked. “We got lots of bitches.”
“Tito’s distraction.”
Jazzie was quiet for a few minutes as they continued to work. “Don’t know. He’s been focused since working on the deal with the F10s, but if they get picky about him not taking care of his business, then we may need to step in.”
Waldo worked silently, willing to let Jazzie work the problem and take the lead.
“I got news. The bitches are moving day after tomorrow. Thought it’d be a good thing, getting Gabby out of Tito’s reach. Now…if the F10s want a clean house then maybe we ought to give it to them,” Jazzie said after a few minutes.
“Tito’ll be pissed,” Waldo warned.
As they finished the work, they covered the crates before moving toward the door, missing the person who had been listening on the other side. Tank, quietly observant as always, slithered out of sight.
“If we do it right, then maybe he won’t have to be,” Jazzie continued.
“Right?”
Jazzie stopped, turning toward Waldo. “Yeah, we kill that white bitch, then hey? Gabby gets in the way and gets it too, then that’s on her.”
Waldo smirked. “Like the way you think, Jaz-man.”
The two walked out of the building and into the dark alley. Jazzie looked over his shoulder before turning back to his companion. “Just takin’ care of business, man. That’s all. Just takin’ care of business.”
*
Lying in bed that night, Jobe held Mackenna as the bliss of their love-making lasted long after their bodies cooled.
“Always heard about pregnancy hormones making a woman horny,” he joked, “but you’re amazing.”
Grinning, she pushed back her long hair, damp around her forehead, and asked, “Where’d you hear about pregnancy hormones?”
“Seriously? Between BJ, Matt, Shane, and Tony, I’ve heard plenty about the subject. I’m just waiting for Gabe and Vinny to start in with it.”
She placed her hands on his pecs and gave a slight shove back. “Hmmph. You men sit around and talk about sex with your wives?”
Laughing, Jobe answered, “And what do you and your girlfriends talk about? Never talked about us men?”
“Oh…well, when you put it that way,” she said, blushing. “We do talk, just a little.”
“So if it makes you feel better, men don’t go into details about their wives. But I admit that the words pregnancy hormones and sex have been heard around the office.”
Mackenna just smiled, the relaxation almost sending her into sleep. She scooted back closer, allowing him to tuck her in tightly. She loved the feeling of falling asleep with his hand on her stomach.
“Baby?”
“Hmm?”
“The next couple of days are going to be busy. I want you to take it easy and let others do the hard work.”
“Uhh-hmm,” she replied, sleep pulling her in.
He gave her a little squeeze, saying, “I want to hear you agree, doll.”
“Mmmkay. I’ll take it easy,” she promised, just before her breathing slowed and slumber finally won out.
Jobe lay there a few more minutes, his mind going over the tasks of the security for the transfer. Should be smooth. We’ve got this.
Chapter 22
Mackenna sat in her office at DSS, a tension headache causing her to rub the back of her neck as she dialed Jobe.
“Hey, babe,” he answered jovially.
“Honey, we’ve got problems.”
His voice immediately became serious. “What kind of problems? Hang on, I’ve got the group here so I’m putting you on speaker.”
“My supervisor said that everything is scheduled properly for the move tomorrow, but that the security system has to be in place first. That caveat was added to the grant due to the problems we’ve had with gang threats. I know you all were starting tomorrow but weren’t going to finish until the next day when you could get some of the cameras from the old place.”
Jobe heard the worry in her voice and immediately reassured her that they’d be ready. “Let us work the problem here for a bit, and I’ll call you back. Meanwhile, take care of yourself. Go home if you have to.”
Jobe hung up, looking at the Alvarez group for answers and support. “What do ya’ll think?”
Tony turned to Vinny. “Can we get new cameras in over at the new location and then just recycle the ones we take down tomorrow at the old place?”
Vinny nodded, “Yeah, the new ones should be coming in today.”
“Guys, I hate to be the downer, but we’ve got more problems,” Lily said, hanging up her phone. “BJ can’t come in today. One of the twins has the croup and they are taking him to the hospital now. It’s not serious, but they want him checked out. We can’t use him today to check the new feeds.”
Tony took out his cell and immediately sent a text to BJ. “I’m telling him to let us know the minute he hears anything and to not worry about us.” The others around the table nodded, understanding the parental fears of a sick child. Looking over to Lily, he asked,
“Can you do it?”
Lily bit her lip nervously, answering, “Truthfully? Yeah, I’m sure I can figure out what he does, but never having done that type of programing or checking before, I’ll want BJ to re-check it as soon as he can.”
Tony nodded, irritation evident on his face.
“I’m sorry, Tony,” Lily added.
His gaze jerked to hers, noting her concern. “Lily, I’m not upset with you at all. I’m upset with myself.”
Seeing the confusion on the faces of those around the table, he replied, “In SF, we had a medic but we also had a backup medic. We had someone trained in communications, but a backup. Same with sharp-shooter.”
The others nodded in understanding, but Tony continued, “Most of you are trained in multiple areas so that we can pick up the slack in any situation, but I’ve only used BJ to go out into the field and that was poor management on my part.”
Everyone clamored to contradict Tony’s assessment, but he raised his hand. “No, this is on me. But Lily,” he said, turning to her, “we’ll definitely use you today and I’m having the office manager start looking for another programmer we can hire.”
“You know,” Gabe added, “Just installing the cameras outside of the new place will be a deterrent until we can have BJ test them out.”
“Good point,” Tony conceded.
“Oh, no.”
All eyes at the table turned toward Lily, seeing her dismay.
“The shipment of new equipment that was coming today won’t be coming in after all. The shipping company is on strike so the dealer is now sending them through the Post Office, but they won’t get here for three more days.”
“Goddamnit,” Jobe shouted, his jaw tight with frustration.
“Okay folks, work the mission,” Tony ordered.
After another hour, the group had their assignments. Deciding that they did not want to delay the move, Jobe, Vinny, and Gabe would start removing the cameras from the current New Beginnings location and install them today at the new home. Lily would go with them when the systems were in place to provide the video-feed check. The bars would remain on the bottom floor windows of the current location and they would have Terrance spend the night at the old location along with Little John, to provide more security.
Jobe: Alvarez Security Series Page 21