“I don’t even know if I can drive,” she whispered.
I pulled her to her feet and wrapped her into my arms. “You don’t have to. We will leave your car here. I’m assuming you know how to ride on the back of a bike.”
Rosa nodded. “One of the few good things running with Collins and his crew taught me.”
“Let’s get out of here then,” I said to her as we slipped out the back.
I gave her my helmet and we hit the road. I made short work of the drive, not wanting to be out in public any longer than needed. Collins was worse of a man than I ever could have expected. As we pulled into the driveway, I felt my heart sink a little. She had her arms wrapped around my waist and I didn’t want to move. Having her near me was like being in my own personal heaven. Unfortunately, we still had hell to face before everything could settle down.
“You go ahead and go inside. I need to make a phone call,” I said to her. She looked worried, though. I pulled her closer to me and kissed her cheek. “I promise I will be right in. I have a friend in the area and I want to talk to him.”
“Okay,” she muttered.
I called Kane. “Do you have anything?”
“Not yet, man. It’s only been an hour! You’ve got to give me a little time. This is a delicate situation.”
“Yeah, more so than I first thought. It was Collins who went after Shannon, not that poor sap he threw under the bus.”
The line was silent. “Kane? Are you there?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, man. What do you want me to do? Meet you back at the apartment?”
“No,” I muttered. “I need you to come to Rosa’s place. I’ll send you the address, and make it fast.”
“Sure,” he muttered before hanging up.
Something seemed off about Kane but I didn’t push the issue. I needed to be with Rosa and find out everything that I could from her. Plus, I wanted to spend some time with her alone. It felt like ages since we could talk about things. Now that all the cards were on the table, we could really talk to each other. I walked into the house and smiled. It felt like home to me. Rosa wrapped her arms around me again and I held on tightly to her.
“I have someone coming over here. He’s a very old friend, one we can trust. He’s going to help me put an end to all of this.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, this is my home. I don’t want them to know where I live.”
“Once they find out who you are, they will all know anyway. With his help, I can stop Collins before he ever gets the chance to lock in your location. Do you trust me?”
She held me tighter and nodded. “Yes, I do.”
I took her chin in my hand and tilted her head up to me. Looking down at her, I gently kissed her lips, letting my tongue play in her mouth for just a brief second. I was acutely aware of my throbbing erection restricted against my jeans, but there was nothing I could do about it right now. She moaned into my mouth and I thought I would lose control. Kane could wait, couldn’t he?
“Let’s go upstairs,” she whispered seductively to me.
I chuckled softly. “I would love to take you up on that, but Kane is just a few minutes away by now. I want to take my time with you and really taste that sweetness I’ve grown so fond of.”
She cocked her head. “Your friend is Kane? I remember him. Scrawny little guy who was always at Collins’s beck and call.”
“Not anymore. After Collins went to jail, Kane saw just how much trouble he was and put a good bit of distance between them. Now he mostly works for the elders, keeping books and staying lower on the chain. He doesn’t like the mayhem. I don’t think he was ever really cut out for the chaos of mafia life.”
As we talked about him, I heard his motorcycle as it pulled into the driveway. Looking out at the landscape to make sure he wasn’t followed, I opened the door and nodded for him to come inside. Rosa stood further back, her wary eyes still unsure of the man from her past.
“Brandi, it’s good to see you again. You look well,” stammered Kane. “Do you think I could talk to you outside for a second, Peyton?”
I watched Rosa wince at the use of her old name and nodded to Kane. “Her name is Rosa, Kane.”
“Right,” he muttered as we walked through the house to the secluded back yard.
The last thing I needed was some thug of Collins seeing us on her porch. “What have you got?”
“Nothing yet, but there’s something that I need to tell you,” he said as he avoided eye contact.
“Spit it out then. I don’t want to push Collins any more than we already have.”
“I knew that it was Collins who raped Shannon. I knew the entire time.”
Out of pure instinct, I grabbed ahold of his throat and slammed his against the back door. The force shook the small house. I would have held him there, watching the life slowly drain from his eyes, but Rosa opened the door and we both went tumbling through. Kane rolled away from me, coughing and watching me rise with fear in his eyes. Rosa stood in front of him, a look of shock and anger on her face.
“What the hell is going on?” she screamed at me.
“That son of a bitch knew that Collins raped my sister!” I boomed. “I want him dead!”
“Peyton!” she hissed. “Everyone seemed to know it was him except you! And out of all of them, he’s the one here helping us now. He told you he knew, and the way you reward that honesty is by trying to kill him?”
I glared at her, pissed off because I knew she was right. Looking past her, I steadied my gaze on Kane. “Why in the hell didn’t you tell me?”
He shook his head. “If you’d have known, then Shannon and you both would have died. Sure, you might have gotten to Collins first, but the elders would have fought back. I was a coward. I didn’t want to die beside my best friend and his sister.”
I took a step closer to him but Rosa stood between us. As soon as my eyes locked onto hers, they softened. She had stopped me from killing one of my closest friends in a moment of pure rage. How could I ever stay angry at her for that? I put my hand on her shoulder before letting it slide down and intertwine with her fingers.
“It’s okay,” I promised her before turning back to Kane. “You want to make this right?”
He nodded his head. “Of course I do. I’ve never felt so shitty in my life. I let you down. I let Shannon down. All because I was nothing but a coward.”
“Then find a way for me to destroy Collins and find it fast. You have twenty-four hours.”
“You’ve got it. I’m sorry Br—Rosa. I will fix this, I promise,” he said before trotting out the front door.
“Do you think he’ll be back?” she asked.
I nodded my head. “I do.”
Trust him?
Rosa
“I can’t stay,” Peyton whispered.
“Just a little while longer?”
He shook his head. “If you are right and Shannon is still being held at that address, I need to get to her. There’s no telling how long it will take Collins to figure out that Kane is here helping me.”
“You said you couldn’t leave for a few more hours until Kane double-checks the address for activity, right?”
“Right,” he muttered, a sly grin on his face. “I guess I do have just a little bit of extra time. Any thoughts on what we should do?”
“We could play scrabble?” I offered.
Peyton rolled his eyes. “Unless that’s a new slang word for wild and kinky sex, then I’ll pass. You know what I want.”
“Tell me,” I whispered to him seductively.
He pressed against me. “I want to fuck you. I want to feel my cock inside that tight little pussy of yours. I want to taste your juice and lap it up like a dog until there is nothing left. I want to make you scream and feel you come on my dick.”
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t speak.
“That’s what I thought. Now let’s go play a game,” he whispered.
I blushed a deep red and grinn
ed at him. Taking his hand, I led him into the living room. The bedroom was always fun, but this was something new. He was silent as I pushed him down into a seated position on the couch. If this was the last time we had together for a while, I wanted to make it special. I slowly pulled my shirt over my head, keeping my eyes locked onto his the whole time. Then, slowly and seductively, I pulled down my pants, revealing a set of lace underwear. He licked his lips and reached out for me but I playfully slapped away his hand.
“No touching, not yet,” I said.
He sat back. “Okay, but you didn’t say anything about touching myself.”
My mouth dropped open as he unbuckled his pants and pulled out his large erection. The sight of it made me wet with desire. Moving my eyes back up to his, I let my fingers slide down my stomach and into my panties. His eyes followed the movement as he slowly stroked his cock. I felt my wetness just as I reached my clitoris. My eyes closed as my fingers slipped past my clit and into my ripe body. I stood there for several minutes, just letting Peyton watch me until I heard him moan.
“You are going to kill me if you keep it up. I want you so badly.”
I pulled myself out of the trance and grinned at him, licking my finger like a dirty woman. “Not yet, baby.”
I dropped down onto the ground in front of him as he let go of his shaft. Wrapping my hand around the thick base, I slid my tongue over the tip, tasting his salty precum before kissing it again. Opening my mouth, I slowly moved it down the length of his shaft until I couldn’t take any more. His hand moved to the back of my head, tugging on my hair and pumping my head up and down on his cock. It grew in my mouth and I knew he was going to explode, but I wasn’t letting him off the hook so easily.
I quickly pulled myself away, falling backward as he growled in frustration. “You are such a cock tease.”
“You know you love it,” I said.
Spreading my legs further apart as I sat on the carpet, I beckoned him over with my finger. He didn’t even stop to take off his pants as he dove between my legs like a starving animal seeing food. His tongue plunged into me and I lost all control. Just as he had done, I tangled my fingers through his hair and crushed him against my wet pussy. He lapped up my nectar before sticking two fingers inside my tight body. He spread them apart, making me groan at the sweet pain and pleasure. What had started as my tormenting him had quickly turned into a frenzied need for each other.
I shoved him away, taking control again and pushing him back onto the ground. His pants were still on but it didn’t matter. I could get to what I needed. Taking his cock in my hand, I straddled him and stuck the tip inside my body. He held his breath, but I didn’t sit—not yet. I moved my hands up his chest underneath his shirt and leaned down to kiss him passionately. His hands moved up my legs, taking hold of my hips.
Without warning, he bucked, thrusting his engorged member into me as I screamed out against his lips. He held onto me tightly like a wild animal. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I begged him to make me come. It didn’t take long. When his load exploded inside my body, I screamed out his name and let the ecstasy take over, my orgasm shattering my strength and crippling me as waves of pleasure shot through my every vein until I collapsed on top of him, spent.
He held me for a minute longer before looking at his watch. “Rosa.”
“I know, you have to go,” I whispered, trying not to cry. “When will you be back?”
“I can’t be sure, but hopefully by tomorrow, if she is still there.”
“What if something goes wrong and you can’t find her or Collins gets to you? What then?”
“If you don’t hear from me by Saturday, then I need you to run. Pack what you can and leave town without telling anyone where you’re going. Don’t even tell Mary that you’re leaving. You have no idea how ruthless he can be.”
“Actually, I have a better idea than most,” I muttered to him as a reminder.
He winced. “I’m sorry. You’re right. You do know what kind of an animal he is. Which means that you should know how careful we need to be. See if Mary can run the shop for a few days. Tell her we’re going out of town or something.”
I shook my head. “I can’t do that. If it looks like I already ran, then Collins could get spooked. If Shannon is still alive, he could kill her. I’m going to go back to work tomorrow and act like everything is normal.”
He shook his head vigorously. “I don’t like that idea. It puts you in danger.”
“My life has always been in danger, especially for the last three years. I know how to look out for myself, Peyton. You asked me to trust you, and now I need you to do the same.”
“I still don’t like it,” he grumbled.
I pulled away from him, smiling as I grabbed my shirt off the floor. I knew that everything would be okay. I couldn’t think about there being any other possible outcome. If I did, I would never let him leave.
“You trust Kane, right?”
“Yeah. He’s a coward, but he’s my coward. I know where his loyalty lies, and it’s with us.”
“Then you need to get out there and figure this out. I will be fine, okay? Check in with me whenever you can, though, and tell me if I need to make alternate arrangements.”
“I hate that I have to leave,” he said softly as he brushed a strand of hair from my cheek.
I felt the tears starting to prickle my eyes. “I know, but it’s the only way. We must save Shannon. I owe her that much and more.”
“Hey, it wasn’t your fault that she stayed behind, okay? We will get her back and everything will work out in the end.”
“Then go,” I whispered. “Before I change my mind and keep you locked up here forever.”
“There could be some fun in that, you know,” he said with a wink.
Peyton smiled at me as he pulled me to my feet. I quickly pulled on my jeans again and followed him to the door. His hand slipped away from me and the first teardrop rolled down my cheek. I couldn’t fight it anymore. I’d been an emotional basketcase recently, and today was no exception to the rule. He brushed it away, kissing my moist cheek and promising me once again that he would be back before shutting the door and disappearing.
With the sound of the latch, I sank down to the floor with my arms tightly wrapped around my knees. The floodgates opened and the tears fell down my face and onto the wood floor. I didn’t want to move. I couldn’t move. The only thing that I could think about was never seeing Peyton again if things didn’t go as planned. Even if I had to flee town again, it was nothing compared to the crippling fear I felt for his life.
Finding Her
Peyton
Leaving Rosa behind was the hardest thing I’d done in many years, second only to giving up the search for Shannon years prior. It wasn’t until I was on the road that I realized just how much I would miss holding her at night for the next few days. If everything went as planned, it would be the last time I had to leave her side. I was going to meet Kane and a few others he’d rounded up on the outskirts of town. After talking to Rosa, I had an address for where Shannon was located up until they lost contact a few years ago.
I saw them immediately as I rounded the corner. Four bikes sat on the side of the road. I recognized all four of them including Kane. They dwarfed my friend in size. From another generation, the men were old mafia. The three had since moved on to less deadly work, but when the call was put out that we were going to take on Collins, a surprising number of people supported us. I didn’t want bloodshed, though, and I didn’t want the elders on my back for the rest of my life either.
Pulling off and holding out my hand, I shook each of theirs in turn. “Thanks for coming out, fellas. Hopefully, we won’t need any bronze at all.”
“Better safe than sorry,” said Eli. “How did this place even show up on your radar? Collins had men scouring the country for her.”
I shook my head. “I got the tip from Collins. Someone inside the FBI leaked her location, and I plan on finding out who, b
ut that’s another day. Right now, we have intel that leads us to a house about an hour south of here.”
“You really think she’s still alive?” asked Caleb.
I nodded. “I do. This was the address where Rosa last saw her. It’s an old safe house of Collins’s. If he wanted to keep her off the grid, this is where he would go.”
“All right, this is your dog and pony show. What do you want us to do?”
“Split up,” I said. “I want two of you back on Rosa’s house. She is a stubborn woman and refused to hide. Keep your distance so she doesn’t get spooked. The others can come with me. I don’t know if we’re walking into a fight or not, so like you said, better safe than sorry.”
Eli and Caleb nodded before Kane spoke. “You two head back to town. You’ve been out of the game long enough that whomever Collins sends after her might not recognize you. Mark and I will go with Peyton.”
“Thanks’ again, guys. Remember to stay clear of her. She is a feisty one,” I reminded them.
Kane laughed. “You always did like the wild ones.”
“Yeah, well this one is different. Keep her safe. We’ll see you in a few days, okay?”
The men nodded as they headed back toward town. I watched them go before turning back to Mark and Kane. The quiet giant had his attention trained on me. Mark was a sniper, a dead shot with any weapon he could get his hands on. His sharp eyes would come in handy as we closed in on the house. Silently, we mounted our bikes and rode in the opposite direction of the other men. My heart was racing as I thought about seeing Shannon again.
“There it is,” Kane whispered. “It’s gotta be the place. There isn’t another house for miles around, but I don’t see any bikes, do you?”
I shook my head, my heart sinking. “You’d think if they still ran the place then they would keep it guarded.”
“What should we do?” asked Kane.
“I don’t want to go anywhere until we know if they are there or not. We need to get a closer look.”
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