Bane (Memphis #1)

by D H Sidebottom

  “Well?” I asked eventually as he tore out of the carpark, his mood darkening with every fast turn of the wheels.

  Glancing at me again, he frowned and sank his teeth into his bottom lip. But all he gave me was a short shake of his head.

  My temper climbed again with his evasiveness, and I bit the tip of my tongue and sighed. “I take it my gift wasn’t so great, then?”

  We ate up the distance as Rik’s boiling wrath gorged on the oxygen in the small space. The silence in the car grew hot and suffocating and I breathed a sigh of relief when he swung the car into the Memphis headquarters’ carpark.

  “Stay here!” he barked as he yanked open his door and slammed it shut behind him without another glance.

  I watched with raised eyebrows as he stormed through the small side door, his finger stabbing at the keypad to allow himself entry into the large building.

  I scoffed to myself and removed my seatbelt. “Yeah, right.”

  And then I followed him in.

  “Where the fuck is he?” Rik seethed as I quietly slipped into the open-plan area where the team discussed whatever case they were working on.

  Everyone stood, wary and shocked at the vehemence in Rik’s voice. The silence was more deafening here than it had been in the car.

  “Where – is – he?” he repeated, turning his glare on Lex.

  Lex shrugged, his eyes narrow on Rik with caution. “I don’t…”

  A door at the back of the room opened and, as if someone suddenly vacuumed the air out of the room, the atmosphere turned from wariness to horror when Dreal slowly walked in.

  “Take it you’re after me, Boss.”

  I watched in fascination, or maybe dread, when Rik’s tall frame froze with undiluted fury. His strong jaw clenched, his hands formed fists and his head shook with his attempt to control whatever his problem with Dreal was.

  “My office. Now,” he growled, turning and stalking down a side corridor before Dreal had a chance to say another word.

  All eyes turned to Dreal and he rolled his eyes. Mine narrowed on him. I was still hidden in the dark area by the entry door. Rik’s attitude with both the gift and then Dreal had the beat of my heart quickening. Whatever the waiter had given him had made Rik dive off the edge of sanity into the dark depths of raw aggression, and somehow I knew it had something to do with me.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Tack asked the rest of the group when Dreal disappeared after Rik.

  “Fucked if I know,” Lex sighed, looking to Grace to see if she had any idea.

  She just shrugged before she turned and spotted me. “Hey.” Her smile was wide and I returned her welcoming grin.

  She motioned for me to move further into the room. “Come on, let me show you the ropes.”

  The place reminded me of all the cop shows I’d watched on TV. A large clear Perspex wall was covered with scribbled writing, pinned photographs and maps. But whereas in the usual shows desks would be scattered around, only one long desk sat to the left of the room. The remainder of the room was taken up with masses of chairs and a few computer stations.

  Grace showed me around the room, grabbing us both a polystyrene cup of coffee from a percolator that sat steaming to the edge of the large desk, and finally we stopped before the Perspex board.

  I stalled and Grace smirked when my eyes widened on a picture of me sat below a photograph of Geoffrey. “Don’t worry,” she chuckled, “You’re not a suspect. Unfortunately, though, you are kind of involved in this case so we have to stick your mugshot up there.”

  I nodded, my gaze fixed on Geoffrey. My heart wouldn’t believe that he was involved in all this. I’d never known a more genuine man, a more loyal and honest person.

  A commotion to the back of the room had both me and Grace swinging around.

  Rik threw a beaten and bloody Dreal into the middle of the floor. The previous silence swiftly morphed into unease and shock as every pair of eyes in the room widened on Dreal. He appeared to be unconscious – or dead.

  “Get him out of here!” Rik snarled before once again vanishing down the corridor.

  Everyone stayed frozen in shock, until Dreal groaned.

  “Shit, mate,” Tack flustered as he rushed over to Dreal. “What the fuck is going on?”

  Dreal shook his head, as much as he could, and accepted Tack’s help up, swinging an arm over his shoulder for support. I watched them both leave through the door I had entered in.

  Hushed murmurs started. But prickles of unease spread over every inch of my body.

  The corridor was quiet and empty as I slipped down when Grace’s attention turned to the others to discuss whatever had just happened. Rik’s office door was open but as I inched inside I found the large room empty.

  My eyes fell to the desk where Rik had fucked me. Images assaulted my mind causing my breath to pause and I swallowed back the erotic memories when my eyes found the open laptop.

  My legs started to shake when I recognised the frozen CCTV image of Geoffrey’s office. When the police had gotten involved after his murder they had taken all the CCTV recordings, and I’d heard nothing more about it. However, it appeared someone had.

  Slowly moving behind the desk, I dropped into the chair.

  And I clicked play.

  Twenty-three

  Bane

  Knox kept his eyes trained on my hands as I washed the blood from my hands. I could sense his apprehension, and sighing loudly, I glanced at him. “Just fucking say it.”

  He grimaced, then frowned. “I’m not so sure you wanna hear it to be honest.”

  Clicking my tongue, I glared at him. “Doesn’t usually stop you.”

  Shrugging, and agreeing with me, he tilted his head in thought. “Did he tell you who?”

  “Nope.” I winced at the sting when I applied soap to the grazes across the backs of my knuckles. “He’s a pro, Knox, he’s trained to be fucking resolute, no matter what the circumstances.”

  “True, but I wondered if he still had a bit of loyalty to you.”

  A pang of sadness bled into the anger still riding me. “It appears not.”

  “And Esther?”

  Unease made me pause, my focus on my hands wavering when the thought of telling Esther made my stomach twist. If I was honest, a part of me wanted her to remain in the dark, to not find out what I just had. But then she deserved to know. It didn’t stop me worrying that she would put the blame on me though.

  “You gonna tell her?” Knox asked when he felt my turmoil.

  “No, not yet.”

  He quirked an eyebrow as I yanked off some paper towel and carefully patted down my wet hands.

  “Is that wise?” he asked as we both walked out of the bathroom and into the hallway.

  “What the fuck am I supposed to say?” I growled, growing irritated with his badgering.

  “The truth…” His voice trailed off when Esther tore from my office and ran down the corridor.

  “Fuck!”

  Although Esther always hated her short legs, I thanked God for them when I quickly caught up with her just as she broke through the outside door.

  “Es!”

  She struggled in my arms when I wrapped them around her from behind and lifted her feet off the ground. “Get the fuck off me, Rik. I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna fucking tear him apart.”

  “Calm the fuck down!”

  “Calm the fuck down?” she raged, her body whipping uncontrollably in my lockdown. I was having difficulty holding on to her and her mettle made me both proud and fucking irritated with her. “He killed Geoffrey! He shot him! And he fucking winked at him as he pulled the trigger!”

  Her pain and grief made my chest tighten, as if I shared her agony, as if my soul was in sync with hers. “I know. I know.”

  She stilled in my hold and I sensed the coldness begin to ripple from her. “Did you know?” she asked so quietly that I had to tilt my head to hear her. “Was it on your order?” Her voice was so tiny and so full of
hope that I instantly shot down the ache taking control of her.

  “No. It wasn’t my order, and no, I didn’t know. Not until now.”

  Closing my eyes with relief when she nodded, accepting my truth, she then lagged in my arms. Turning her, I pulled her head to my chest and bore the brunt of her devastation as she sobbed into my shirt. Her tiny body shook with each broken cry, her anger turning into grief as the death of the man she had so clearly loved played over and over in her mind. I wanted to wipe the last ten minutes from her memory, take away the picture that would forever haunt her. But, then, this would only make her stronger, give her the vigour she needed to find this fucker who was now after her.

  “So, the gift really was a gift then.”

  I nodded. “For you, yes. But I get the feeling it was supposed to be the exact opposite for me. That, when you found out one of my team was involved, you would blame me.”

  She nodded, pulling back from me and looking up at me with red-rimmed eyes. I gently wiped away the tears that scorched her cheeks, the sight of them ripping my gut in two. “Did Dreal tell you who had hired him?”

  “No. But then I didn’t expect him to. If he was covering for me, I would expect the exact same response from him.”

  “And the man who gave me the gift?”

  I pulled in a breath. “I have my tech team on it, see if they can pull anything from the CCTV surrounding the bistro.” I shook my head with annoyance. “Only fucking restaurant I know that doesn’t have bloody surveillance.”

  Esther frowned and bit into her lip. “Do you think it was my father? To get me to suspect you?”

  “It crossed my mind.” Narrowing my eyes on her, I took her hands in mine. “I need you to believe me, Es. What Dreal did was NOT on my order. We were looking into Geoffrey, and his death only hindered our investigation.”

  She flinched at my honesty, but the truth only backed up my vindication. We had needed Geoffrey alive; for one, to tell us why he had sold on sensitive government information. And, for two, to give us the name of who had been by his side. Although Geoffrey had been involved, it was evident he wasn’t behind it. He’d needed money, and some fucker had paid a lot of fucking cash for the information, information that scared the fuck out of me.

  “It doesn’t surprise me that the police ‘lost’ the CCTV. My father had many bent cops that occasionally ‘misplaced’ evidence for him. But I think if we can find out who handed on that footage then it might give us a step in the right direction.”

  No, that didn’t surprise me either, and she was right.

  Pulling her towards the car, I gave her a side glance. “By the way, I thought I told you to stay in the car.”

  She nodded. “You did. I didn’t.” Her answer was so blunt that I couldn’t hold back the chuckle.

  “I swear you’re gonna try me more and more.”

  She nodded again. “I guarantee it, Rik Bane. You know I’ve never been one for taking orders.”

  Pursing my lips, I quirked an eyebrow. “And in the bedroom?”

  She pondered my question, a smirk covering her stunning face. “Well, I suppose, now and again, I can allow you to assert your manliness.”

  “My manliness?”

  Her smirk grew into a grin. “Yeah, your manliness. You know, your cock.” Once again her directness brought a chuckle.

  “So, even though I’m your boss I’m not allowed to give you orders – unless I’m fucking you.”

  I watched her shiver with excitement at my words and my dick roared to life, the desire in her gorgeous blues when she peered up at me making me want to bend her over the bonnet of my car and drive myself deep inside her.

  Her steps sped up and she gripped my hand tighter, practically pulling me to the car. “We should give it a try as soon as possible, you know, just to see how we work together.”

  I smirked, the way she accepted the part of me that was always dominant in the bedroom making my cock harder. “Stop.”

  She stopped instantly, turning to me with a frown.

  I held her gaze for a silent moment, driving her even wilder with desire when I allowed her to see how fucking hot I was for her. She stepped into me instinctively when I took the distance between us with a single stride. A shiver raced through her and her breath caught when I dragged the tip of my thumb over her plump lips. “Are you mine, Esther?”

  She blinked up at me, obviously confused by my sudden insecurity. I hated that I showed it to her, hated that doubt was even ruling my emotions, yet I couldn’t hold it back. I was uncertain when it came to Esther, there was so much that could destroy us, even each other.

  “I’m all yours, Rik. I was always yours.”

  I nodded then kissed her, needing the taste of her on my tongue. The way she kissed me back so deeply fired the need in me to new levels. She moaned softly when I stroked her jaw with my tongue. “Go behind the car and take off your knickers.”

  Her brows lifted but the wicked twinkle in her eye made my mouth dry. She glanced around, checking we were alone, before she did as I ordered and slowly walked over to my car. I watched, standing still and taunting her further when she bent to remove her knickers. A deep groan rumbled in my chest and the dryness in my mouth suddenly vanished when the thought of her bare cunt under her skirt wet my appetite.

  Catching on to my dominance, she held out her underwear in offering when I finally gave in and joined her. The small car park was quiet, the setting sun making the area eerie, but it was perfect for what I had in mind. Taking the pair of black silk knickers from her, I slid them into my pocket. “Turn around.”

  Executing my demand immediately, she swiftly spun around so she was facing the car. She gasped when I dropped to a crouch behind her and settled my hands on the outside of her calves. “You have such hot legs, Es. They were made for wrapping around me, whether it be my waist, or my face.”

  She mumbled something incoherent and I grinned as I slowly slid my hands upwards, bunching her skirt over her hips the higher I got. Her ass cheeks came into view and I sucked in a breath when I imagined parting them and driving my cock deep into her arse.

  The small gasp that left her when I slid my thumb between her buttocks and pressed it against her tight little hole had me clenching my teeth. “This deserves so much more dedication that a quick fuck in a car park. Your ass is mine, Esther, and soon I’ll be driving balls deep inside.”

  “Yes.” Her quick nod and whispered acknowledgement had me sliding my finger down and pushing it into her pussy, her arousal giving me easy access into her heat. Instinctively she pushed back against me, forcing my finger deeper and giving her what she needed when I slid another finger in alongside the first. She squirmed, grinding down onto my knuckles as I tickled her clit with my thumb.

  “Rik.” The choked and desperate way she spoke my name had me quickening my thrusts, my fingers pumping inside her until she was panting and writhing on my hand.

  Unable to resist, I pressed her harder against the car so she was bent at an angle that exposed her little arsehole to me, and then I dipped down, forcing my tongue in as far as I could. She yelped and came almost instantly, her sweet pussy clinging onto my fingers in demand for more stimulation. Her cum flowed down my hand, and still she kept coming, until she was screaming silently and struggling for breath.

  “Fuck!” she panted, holding onto the car for support when her little legs battled to keep her upright. “Fuck!”

  Leaning over her back, I swiped my tongue over her ear. “Now get on your knees, on the gravel, and suck my fucking cock until I explode in your hot little mouth.”

  She didn’t hesitate, swinging herself quickly around and dropping to her knees while her fingers already tugged at the zip of my jeans. I was so hard she struggled to take out my cock, but within seconds of the cold air threatening to prove problematic, the warmth of her mouth destroyed any worries I had about the winter chill killing my hard-on.

  Echoing her expletive, I hissed out a ‘fuck’ and grabb
ed hold of her hair to counteract the uncontrollable need to come straight down her throat without even taking a breath.

  She moved slowly at first, teasing me, taunting me with more goddamn pleasure than I’d ever experienced. She was perfect, right down to the way she flicked her tongue around the end of my cock. I’d dreamed of her, on her knees before me, the pleasure she was giving me reflected in the deep hypnotic gaze of her striking eyes. And here she was, right here, right the way I had pictured her, but even more glorious than I ever could have anticipated.

  For a long moment, I couldn’t concentrate on anything but her, the way she looked up at me with awe, the way she dedicated every stroke of her tongue to my cock, the sheer look of adoration on her beautiful face, and the way she tickled the shaft of my cock with her nails. It was all too much, the sensation making me grip on to her head and force it back so her throat opened to my river of cum. She gulped it down, every single damn drop, her eyes closing with pleasure and a faint tremor riding her body.

  Sliding me out of her mouth, she grinned as she ran her tongue over the tiny drop of stickiness she hadn’t managed to devour with the rest. “You taste so good, Rik Bane.”

  I smiled, guiding my fingertip along the groove of her cheekbone. “You give head so good, Esther Dean.”

  Her grin widened and her eyes twinkled with happiness at my appraisal. “Why, thank you, kind sir.”

  I scoffed. I’d been called many things, but never kind.

  Catching onto my thoughts, Esther chuckled and nodded. “Okay, we’ll settle with just the sir.”

  She melted in to me when I hoisted her up off the ground and slid my arms around her. “Don’t ever forget it.”

  One of her trimmed eyebrows lifted and she stared at me with a look of amusement on her face. “You may be my boss but I’ll never call you sir.”

  A wicked grin spread across my face and I pinched her chin, directing her head back so she was looking directly into my face. “Not on the job, baby. But I can promise that every other minute of the day, with every breath you take, I’ll have you so hot and desperate, so wet and aroused, that you’ll call me any damn name I tell you to.”