Without Law 12

by Eric Vall

  I chuckled to myself and called for Paige and Tara to move the jeeps out of the way. We needed to be ready for the next group of patrols that came through, and to keep the element of surprise we needed to make it look like there was nothing out of the ordinary.

  The girls moved the vehicles, and I got a sip of water, but I caught Brody staring at me, so I gave him a smile and a wave, but he just took another drag from his cigarette and turned away from me.

  I suddenly got the feeling that Burlington might be fun after all.

  Chapter 10

  It was well after dark when we got home that night. We parked the jeeps that were filled with supplies, and then I told all the girls to head inside, we could offload everything in the morning.

  As we were walking up to the dorm building Winchester ran out to greet us. He happily hopped around us and whined for pets.

  “Hey, boy,” I said as I stroked his black head.

  “Thought that was you,” Rolly said from the doorway.

  “Yup, just us,” I sighed.

  “You all look beat,” the old man said with a frown.

  “We are,” Anna said, and she stripped off her gear and plopped down on the couch by Betty. “It was hot as hell out there today.”

  “I hope you all drank plenty of water,” Betty said.

  “We did,” I assured her, “but between the heat and the energy expelled we’re all a little drained.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re leaving for Burlington first thing in the morning,” Rolly said.

  “No,” I told him with a shake of my head. “We’re going the day after tomorrow. I wanted to give us a day to recuperate.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Betty said.

  “Here,” Rolly said as he retrieved a bottle of bourbon and some glasses. “Drink this.”

  “Thanks,” I told him as I reached for one of the glasses he had poured and gulped it down.

  “That kind of day, huh,” he chuckled and refilled mine.

  “Afraid so,” I laughed.

  “How’s Sophia?” Tara asked.

  “She’s doing well,” Betty said. “I spoke with Marla earlier, and she said she’s improving.”

  “Did you see her today?” Anna asked.

  “For a while,” Betty said. “I brought her some lunch and some books so she could read while she’s in there. I didn’t want to pressure her to come out, but I thought she could use something to keep busy.”

  “That was nice of you,” Paige said with a smile at the old woman.

  “She looked good to me,” Betty said. “Her cheeks were red, so I don’t think the blood loss affected her too much, but I trust Marla’s opinion more than my own eyes.”

  “True,” Paige said. “But there’s a lot you can tell from how someone looks, and it makes me feel better knowing that her cheeks were flushed.”

  “Yeah, me, too,” Tara said. “Thanks, Betty. I know we put a lot on you when we just bring people home, but we really appreciate all you do.”

  “We appreciate what you all do,” Betty said with a soft smile. “But speaking of bringing people home, where are the women from the outpost?”

  “They decided not to come with us,” I sighed.

  “They were alright, though?” Rolly asked.

  “They were as alright as could be expected,” Paige said.

  “I don’t understand,” Betty said. “Why wouldn’t they want to come here?”

  “I think they just wanted to be on their own,” Bailey said, and then she took a large swig of bourbon.

  “They headed south,” Anna said.

  “We gave them the name of the college and told them they were always welcome here,” I said. “But I don’t think they’ll come back to Vermont again.”

  “I can’t say I blame them.” Betty let out a long sigh and looked down at the ground for a moment.

  “Hell, I wouldn’t come back here after that, either,” Rolly said, and he held his glass of bourbon up. “Good luck to them on their journey, wherever it takes them.”

  “Good luck to them,” I said and I clinked my glass against his.

  Everyone else followed suit, and we took a drink from our bourbon, but then it grew quiet. Not only were my team and I exhausted, but I knew everyone, including Rolly and Betty, were upset that the women had chosen to leave.

  Still, we had done all we could. It had been a long day, and we had dealt with Brody’s bullshit, taken out numerous enemies, and loaded five jeeps full of supplies to bring home. A little bit of quiet was welcome as far as I was concerned.

  I leaned my head against the back of the couch and closed my eyes, but then the sound of someone falling on the stairs drew my attention.

  I whipped my head around to see Kimmy in the stairwell on her knees. She wore a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, and her curly hair was up in a bun on top of her head.

  “Kimmy?” I asked. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” she breathed as she stood up and dusted herself off.

  “Did you need something, dear?” Betty asked.

  “Oh, I just came down for a drink,” she said, “but I heard you all down here, so I decided I’d head back upstairs, but I was trying to be quiet and I fell, so here we are.”

  It was cute how awkward she appeared as she looked down and tried to explain what had happened. There really was no need, none of us thought that she was trying to spy on us. She had no reason to do that, but still, it was funny that she felt the need to explain her presence in a place that was as much her home as it was the rest of ours.

  “Do you want a drink?” Tara asked, and she held up the bourbon.

  “Oh, no, that’s okay,” Kimmy said, and she held up her hands to decline. “I’m just going to head back upstairs.”

  “Are you sure?” Anna asked. “We really don’t mind.”

  “Yeah,” Paige said. “We’d love for you to have a drink with us.”

  “That’s alright,” Kimmy said. “I was just going to take it back upstairs anyway.”

  “Well, here,” I said as I walked over to the pantry and grabbed her a cup. “At least take a glass with you, then.”

  “Oh, thank you,” she said as she took the full glass from me.

  “Night, Kimmy,” Tara called with a devilish smile.

  Kimmy waved and headed upstairs, and I returned to my seat and saw smirks from all of the girls.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Oh, nothing,” Tara said, and she looked away.

  “What is it?” I repeated, but the girls just giggled.

  “Let me get you your dinner,” Betty said with a smirk, and she headed toward the laundry room.

  “Are you not going to tell me?” I asked.

  “Oh, come on,” Tara said with an eye roll. “You’re a smart guy. You know why we’re laughing.”

  “I see nothing funny about the situation,” I said, and I turned to Rolly for confirmation, but I noticed that he was stifling a laugh behind his hand. “Not you, too, Rolly.”

  “I said nothing,” the old man replied, and he lifted his hands up in surrender.

  “Yeah yeah,” I said, and I took another drink of bourbon while the girls continued to giggle amongst themselves.

  Betty returned a moment later with lasagna that smelled so delicious I heard my stomach growl as soon as the aroma hit my nose.

  “You must be hungry,” the old woman laughed.

  “I never realize how hungry I am until you put food in front of me,” I told her. “That smells delicious.”

  “It really does,” Paige said. “My mouth is watering just looking at it.”

  “Good,” Betty laughed. “I made you all your own pan.”

  “Thanks, Betty,” Tara said.

  “Yes, thank you,” Bailey added.

  “Of course,” Betty said, and she smiled and dished each of us up large pieces and handed them out.

  I cut into the lasagna and got myself the largest bite possible, then shoved it into my
mouth. My eyes closed and I leaned back and sighed at the flavor. The dish was still warm from the oven, and the tomato sauce was zesty and delicious.

  “Wait,” Paige said through a mouthful of food, “I know there can’t be any cheese in this, how does it taste like there’s cheese in it?”

  “There were some cashews in the stuff that you brought back from the resort a while back,” Betty said.

  “Yes, and?” Tara pushed when the old woman didn’t continue.

  “Oh,” Betty chuckled. “I thought Bailey would take over.”

  “Wha?” Bailey asked, and she looked up from her plate with noodles halfway out of her mouth.

  “I guess not,” Betty laughed.

  “Sorry,” Bailey said through a mouthful, then she swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “What’s going on?”

  “Tell us about the cheese,” Tara said, but it sounded more like a threat than anything.

  “What cheese?” Bailey asked, and she scooted away from Tara.

  “How does the lasagna taste like there’s cheese in it?” Paige asked.

  “Betty said something about cashews,” Tara added.

  “Oh, did you make cashew cheese?” Bailey asked the old woman. “It’s really good.”

  “For the love of god, Bailey, tell us about the cheese!” Tara exclaimed, and she shook the blonde hippie playfully by the shoulders.

  “Alright, alright,” Bailey laughed. “Well, if she made it like I’ve seen it done before then it’s really easy. It’s just cashews and nutritional yeast, then you add some spices.”

  “How do the cashews turn into cheese, Bailey?” Paige pushed.

  “You soak them,” the blonde explained. “Then you run them through a food processor along with all your other stuff.”

  “Right,” Betty said with a nod. “Then you drain them with a cheesecloth.”

  “Dang,” Anna said. “So you must have planned this meal out a couple days ago.”

  “Oh, it doesn’t take quite that long,” Betty said with a wave of her hand. “Especially if you boil the cashews to soften them instead of soaking overnight. I saw them in the gym this morning, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

  “It’s delicious,” I mumbled through another bite.

  “Thank you,” Betty chuckled.

  “I was surprised as hell about it, too,” Rolly said. “Glad I’m not the only one. She let me taste it before she put it in the lasagna, and even by itself it was quite good.”

  “All I’m hearing is that we can have cheese again,” Tara said, and she put her hand to her chest as if she was overcome by emotion. “I think I might cry.”

  “Oh, come on,” Anna said with an eye roll.

  “I’m just so happy,” Paige said at the same time, and she and Tara clutched one another and began to fake sob.

  “You two are ridiculous,” Bailey laughed.

  “I don’t want to hear from you,” Tara said with a playful glare. “You were holding out on us.”

  “What?” Bailey scoffed. “How?”

  “You knew about the cheese,” Paige accused. “And you told nobody.”

  “Nobody,” Tara repeated.

  “I’m suddenly very uncomfortable,” Bailey chuckled, and she got up and moved to sit next to me.

  “That’s right, go over there, you traitor,” Tara said.

  “Ridiculous,” Anna laughed.

  “Oh, my god,” Bailey giggled. “You guys are crazy.”

  “I certainly didn’t mean to cause a war over cheese,” Betty chuckled.

  “I think it’s too late for that,” I told her.

  “Next time I’ll show you and Paige how to make it,” Betty promised.

  “That’d be amazing,” Tara said through a bite of lasagna. “Thanks, Betty.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Paige added.

  I finished my plate of lasagna, then I took another drink of bourbon and stretched out.

  Soon after we had finished eating, Betty and Rolly headed to bed, but the girls and I sat downstairs a while longer and drank. Tara and Paige talked about everything they could do with cheese now added to our diets, and they questioned Bailey about everything that she knew about vegan cheese. It seemed that it didn’t matter if the cheese was vegan or not, as long as it tasted good the girls were happy, and it really did taste good.

  I was happy to see them so chipper after the day that we just had. They deserved to take their minds off of things for a while. Anna was the only one who wasn’t part of the conversation, but she appeared content to sit and drink and let them chat, so I didn’t question her about it. After all, how could I when I was in the same headspace?

  I poured myself another glass of bourbon and stretched, but as I did I smelled myself and realized that I was in desperate need of a shower.

  “Alright,” I said as I stood up. “I’m gonna go get a shower before bed. You guys good here?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Tara said, and she turned her attention back to Bailey. “So you can make cheese from any nut?”

  I shook my head at their conversation and headed upstairs.

  Everyone else in the building was asleep as far as I knew, so I tried to be as quiet as possible as I headed to the bathroom that was on the floor the girls and I shared. Once I stepped inside I went right over to the mirror to see if I looked as drained as I felt.

  There was a fine layer of dirt on me from running around and shooting all day, and I had a few new bumps and bruises, but otherwise I looked alright. My hair was still shaggy as hell, though, and I definitely needed a trim. I scratched my beard and watched as little bits of rubble fell out from it from being on the ground earlier.

  I flipped on the shower, grabbed a towel from the rack, and took another drink of bourbon while I waited for the water to warm up.

  After a minute, I reached my hand into the shower stall and felt the temperature of the water. It was nice and hot so I undressed, tossed my dirty clothes into a hamper, and stepped into the stream of water.

  I leaned back and let the warmth rush over me, then I rolled my neck around in circles and stretched my arms out in front of me. I hadn’t realized how tense my muscles were until I felt them relax from the feel of the water. The day itself hadn’t been much different than most other times that we planned and executed an attack on an outpost, but I think that the extra stress of having Brody there had taken its toll. With my girls, I felt confident enough in them to allow them to complete their task on their own, but with Brody and his team, I felt that every move needed to be monitored closely. He couldn’t be trusted, and that meant that I spent part of the day checking where he was and making sure that he wasn’t up to no good.

  Babysitting was a tiresome job.

  I grabbed the loofa and lathered it up with some soap before I started to scrub my arms first, then my chest.

  “Tav?” I heard a voice that I thought was Anna’s come from outside the shower stall.

  “Yeah?” I asked as I pulled the stall door back to reveal the redhead, fully naked in front of me.

  I hadn’t expected to see that, and I felt my cock twitch in anticipation.

  “Can I come in?” she asked. Her long, red hair hung down to her waist in loose waves, and her toned body was on full display. Her small, pink nipples were already taut, and I admired the gentle curve of her waist that pulled inward, then widened at her hips. She bit her full, pouty bottom lip and stared at me with hungry green eyes.

  “Uh, of course,” I stammered and moved aside for her to step into the stall.

  Her lean, muscular body fit next to mine easily, though I took up most of the space in the stall on my own. I followed the gentle curve of her neck down to her collarbone and noticed that some of her hair now clung to her body. Part of me wanted to reach out and peel it away so that I could see her skin unobstructed, but the other part of me wanted to be that hair, to cling to her body so tightly.

  I reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and she
looked up at me through her lashes.

  My body grew tense as we stared at each other, and it was only when my erection pressed up against her abdomen that I became astutely aware of its presence.

  “Here,” Anna said as she reached around me, her chest just inches from my own, “let me wash you.”

  She retrieved the loofa and lathered it up once more before she began to slowly rub it across my body. I closed my eyes and savored the feel of her hands on me as she used one hand to wash my chest and ran the other hand down my right arm.

  Anna was more than thorough as she washed every inch of my chest first, then she got on her knees and started to wash my thighs and shins. I stared at her and how close her face was to my cock, which twitched inadvertently when I pictured her mouth on me.

  Her eyes lit up when I twitched for her, so I did it again, and she bit her lip and looked up at me.

  Fuck I wanted her so bad. I wanted to be in her however I could.

  “You look so good,” she purred as she reached one hand up to scratch down my chest. She wrapped her other hand around my erection, then she looked up at me, batted her eyelashes, and slowly took me into her mouth inch by inch.

  My breath caught with each additional inch that she took in, and by the time she was at the base I couldn’t breathe at all. Then she suddenly pulled back and a small pop sounded as she released my cock from her mouth.

  “Fuck,” I groaned.

  “Do you like that?” she asked, and she licked her lips. Her hair was soaked, then, and it clung to her body all over in long red strands, and water dripped down her face and fell from her perfect lips onto the tip of my erection.

  “Oooh, you’re bad,” I chuckled.

  “I can be worse,” she told me with a seductive smile before she slipped my whole erection down her throat and started to move forward and back on it.

  I threw my head back and gasped at the sudden feel of her mouth around me, and my hands instinctively reached out to cling to the shower wall.

  Anna brought me right to the brink, then she licked me from base to tip and giggled at my weak knees.