by Piper Stone
“Yeah. I know. Kinda tough to leave,” Snake said quietly.
“Why the hell is that? When my contract ends, I am so outta here.” I nodded toward the bartender, holding up two fingers. A drink was in order. My workload had increased to ten days on, one day off. I was going to make the most of my day away from the routine.
“Think of all the fun we’ve had.” He laughed softly, shaking his head. “You’re going back to Missoula?”
“Not sure there’s anything there to go back to.”
“I know what you mean. Still, I’d like to see the mountains again, maybe go skiing.”
I snorted. “You’ve never skied a damn day in your life.”
He tossed back the rest of his drink, slamming the glass down on the bar. “There’s always a first time. Hell, maybe I’ll open up a restaurant. You know, one of those little barbecue joints.”
Now I glared at him. “Right. You also can’t cook worth shit.”
“Who says I would be doing the cooking?”
As the bartender slid the glasses in our direction, Snake immediately grabbed his, taking a gulp. For some reason, I wanted to tell him to slow down. Then I remembered he’d met a girl during one of our R & R trips the six of us had taken barely a year before. The girl worked in a little restaurant near where we were staying in Italy. “Are you still in contact with that girl you met? What was her name? Sheba.”
He knocked me in the arm, shaking his head. “Shakira. I was, at least up until a couple weeks ago.”
“A couple weeks ago. What the hell happened?”
Snake twisted his glass back and forth, trying to act like he was fine, but I could tell otherwise. The man was a solid romantic and always had been. He shrugged and gave me a grin, but there was sadness in his eyes.
“Nothing much.”
“Bullshit, my friend. What gives?” I asked as I gave him my usual bullshit-o-meter look that drove him nuts.
“She wrote me a long letter. Really beautiful too.” He took another gulp, almost draining the glass. “Anyway. She told me that she’d always love me.”
Love. Shit. I hadn’t realized that they’d gotten into some kind of an actual relationship. Then again, he’d stopped taking trips with his buddies. “Then what?”
“Then,” he said, his arm rising to order another drink as he finished the one in his hand, “she told me she was getting married. It seems arranged marriages still occur in certain countries. Her pops wasn’t too happy with me anyway. The asshole hated ‘Americano pieces of shit,’ as he called us.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, she was unhappy, but what was she supposed to do?” He was almost too quiet after he issued the words, staring straight ahead as if there was anything to see.
“You could steal her away, take her to America with you.”
He rolled his eyes, grinning once again. “Right. I can see this cowboy trying to steal her out of her family’s house now. My guess is that her pops owns one big fat rifle.”
Boom!
Jerked out of a dense fog, I blinked several times. What the hell? I struggled to sit up, taking several deep breaths. Then my foggy brain kicked in. I immediately reached for my gun, realizing it wasn’t on my lap or the floor. Fuck me.
I managed to stand, still reeling from the damn dream, stumbling toward the bedroom where she was sleeping. The second I opened the door, I growled. Mitch was nowhere to be seen. Damn it.
I raced out of the room and toward the front door, not bothering to grab a damn coat. When I threw it open, the cold chill was biting as fuck, but at least the snow had stopped. I could easily see footprints in the hard crunch of ice. They were leading to the small enclosure where my freaking truck was.
At that second, I heard the sound of the engine starting.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” The little brat had not only stolen my gun, she was attempting to steal my freaking truck. Oh, she was so going to get it.
I trudged through the snow just as she drove out of the enclosure, almost running me over. I managed to jerk to the side, falling and rolling in the snow. Barely three seconds later, I heard the sound of the door opening, the crunch-crunch her boots made as she raced around the side.
“Oh, my God. Did I hit you? Are you hurt?” She crouched down beside me, pressing her gloved hand against my face.
I pretended to play dead. What the hell? The girl needed to learn a lesson.
“Oh, no. No. No!” She slammed her hands against my chest, as if that would help.
Patience. I had none. I wrapped my hands around the edges of her coat, dragging her down until our lips were almost touching. “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”
Her eyes opened wide, a stunned look forming on her face. “You’re okay.”
I shifted, jerking to a partial sitting position. “Oh, I’m fine. It’s you that will hurt from your ridiculous behavior.” I wrapped my hands around her arms, digging my fingers in. Then I rolled her over onto the snow, crushing my mouth over hers. I had no idea why the barbarian inside of me had no ability to resist her but as I thrust my tongue past her lips, dominating her tongue, she continued to undulate under me.
Forcing my hardened cock against my tight jeans.
Creating a wave of electric desire that became overwhelming.
The taste of her was a mixture of sugar and spice, reminding me of the sweetest candy.
Even if she was a can of gasoline ready to explode.
She struggled in my hold, wrapping her legs around me in a weak attempt to roll me over.
Fat chance in hell.
I dragged first one arm then the other over her head, grinding my hips against her. Within seconds, she moaned into the kiss, further igniting the raging hunger burning within. Goddamn, this woman had a way of getting to me.
Arrogant.
Rebellious.
Provocative.
A dangerous combination.
When I lifted my head a couple of inches, I could swear I heard a purr erupting from her throat. Grinning, I continued to shift my hips back and forth, making certain she knew what I would do to her.
Again.
Mitch let off several far too seductive moans, squirming in my hold, managing to get one of her arms free. “You asshole. I thought you were hurt.”
“Yeah? Well, it would seem you were trying to steal my truck as well as my gun. What does that make you?”
Her nostrils flared as she opened then closed her mouth as if rethinking the obvious nasty spew of hatred that she was ready to share. The light in her eyes shimmered from her arrogance, as if she was going to get the upper hand. “I need to get the hell out of here.”
“So, being a thief doesn’t matter.”
She did everything she could to smack her hand against my chest, fighting to get out of my hold. A formidable hunger raced through my system, the kind that refused to be denied. I shoved her hard against the snow. She gasped, her eyes lighting up like a rocket launcher.
“You are such a fucking bastard!” she challenged.
“I think you’ve already said that, sweetheart. You made a deal with me, but you went back on it within a few hours. In my mind, that doesn’t make you trustworthy. Here’s how we are going to play this. You’re going to do everything I command. Plus, you’re going to be disciplined for even the smallest infraction, no matter how often and your punishment will be harsh. If you don’t learn after that, then all I can say is God help you. You got it?”
Mitch’s mouth twisted again, her defiance still evident by the way she dug her fingers into my chest. “Such a bastard.”
“That might be true, but I could just leave you out here in the snow. Maybe I will do that.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” She managed to jerk her other arm free, pummeling both hands against my arms. The poor girl had no idea what kind of a man she was dealing with.
I ground my hips against her, my cock throbbing. “You wanna push me? You’re going to lose, I assure you.”
&nb
sp; “I…” She huffed a few select words of hatred under her breath.
I laughed softly, enjoying the way her body reacted. “So, do we have a deal?”
She moaned and groaned, undulating beneath me. “Fine. Okay? Fine.”
“Good girl.” I kept my face hovering over hers, my hunger just as invasive and full of fire as before. I couldn’t help but desire this girl, no matter the circumstances. As I lowered my head, pressing my lips against hers for a second time, she moaned and refused to stop fighting. But as I captured her mouth, thrusting my tongue inside, she melded into me, her body finally acquiescing after a full minute.
The feel of her was just as amazing as before, my entire body electrified. While the cold burrowed deep into every muscle, the heat of her body was explosive. Breaking the kiss, I gave her a dominating look, ensuring that she understood she would be required to follow my every command.
Her moans were exquisite, driving my desire to an insatiable point. I couldn’t seem to get enough of her. I shifted onto my knees, immediately turning her over in the snow. While she slammed her hands against the frozen ground, I brought my hand down in rapid succession several times against her backside.
“Oh. My. God. Stop spanking me!” she exclaimed.
“I intend on doing so until you learn to obey.” I smacked her bottom several additional times, envisioning tossing her naked body over my knees for one solid round of punishment. The harsh action was exactly what she deserved. I’d had enough of her bratty attitude and her continual push against my command. No one challenged me.
She clawed to get onto all fours, tossing first one arm then the other behind her in some crazy effort to get me to stop.
I fisted her hair, keeping her in place as I continued the spanking, the exertion from the intense cold leaving us both exhausted and gasping for air.
“Stop. Just stop. I’ll try and be good,” she huffed.
“Uh-huh. That’s exactly what you told me before. Do you honestly think I can believe you?”
“I don’t lie!”
“Right. You’re coming inside and I’m going to tan your hide.”
“God, I hate you. You’re just a horrible person. Horrible,” she spouted.
Before I had a chance to respond, the ground beneath us seemed to vibrate. A volley of birds suddenly appeared overhead, cawing frantically as they flapped their wings. What. The. Fuck?
Boom!
Every cell in my body reacted to the intense noise, my training kicking in. While the sound was at least a quarter mile away, it was far too close.
And it was gunfire.
There was no fucking away a hunter was out preparing for a kill. None.
I pushed her away a few inches, homing in on the continued echoing sound as I shifted around to face the forest, scanning the trees. I could smell an intruder, my instincts kicking in.
We’d been compromised.
God fucking damn it.
“What is that?” she asked, her entire body shaking.
“The kind of danger you worried about.” I shoved her away, scrambling to my feet and pulling her up by her hand. After taking a deep whiff, I confirmed what we’d heard was gunfire. I took several deep breaths, the chill in the air sliding into every tendon and muscle. I took calculated steps, jogging away from the cabin.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked, trailing behind me.
I didn’t answer her at first, concentrating on studying the fallen snow. “Stay here.” My voice was half whispered and gruff and the damn girl had better follow my instructions. To her credit, she did. I shifted closer to the forest, scanning the snow. Within seconds, I was able to see recent footprints.
Jesus Christ.
Tipping my head, I listened for any additional sounds, only hearing the slight breeze licking through the tree canopy. But I knew. There’d been someone searching the area recently, likely during the last two hours. Snarling, I doubled back, grabbing her by the arm. “Where is my weapon?”
“In the truck. Why?”
“Because we are getting the hell out of here,” I said as softly as I thought she could understand. “And you are going to do everything I tell you to do. Go get in the truck.”
“What is going on?”
“Now!”
Mitch darted her eyes toward the forest then nodded, attempting to take long strides toward the truck. While the last thing I wanted to do was leave the cabin unattended, I felt there was no choice. The bastard attempting to end her life could have found us. I trudged through the snow, ignoring the fact my body had started to shake from the cold.
I jumped into the truck, immediately starting the engine, yanking the gun from where she’d placed it on the seat. There was a limited chance we’d be able to get the hell out of here, but it was the only thing that made any sense. I certainly couldn’t fight an entire group of assholes determined to kill her. At least I knew my way down the mountain.
If only I could stay on the road.
Christ. There was one way down the main portion, which meant if the bastards who’d found the cabin were wise, they’d be waiting at the end of the road. While my Dodge was powerful, I wasn’t certain I wanted to challenge it against a line of men.
But what the fuck? I’d do so if necessary.
“Put your seatbelt on,” I snapped, my grip on the steering wheel firm.
“Then you do the same.”
I shifted my gaze briefly in her direction, hissing before yanking the belt over my lap, struggling to engage one piece to the other. She dragged the belt out of my hand, securing it tightly.
“Where the hell are we going?” she asked, her breath skipping.
“Out of here.” My words were terse. I was still trying to control my adrenaline as snow flew over the front of the truck. I could feel the tires slipping on the ice. There wasn’t a four-wheel drive on the planet that navigated well on slick surfaces.
As the truck pitched back and forth, I continued to dart glances into the rearview mirror. While I’d yet to see anyone who might be after Mitch, my gut told me the assholes were out there.
“It’s freezing in here,” she muttered as she toyed with the heating system.
For some reason, I didn’t feel the cold on any level. I was far too hyped, the blood flowing like wildfire through my system. As the truck’s tires continued to shimmy back and forth across the ice, my instinct kicked into overdrive motion, doing everything I could to steady the steering wheel.
“Where are we going?” she asked as she gripped the dashboard.
I wasn’t even entirely certain how to answer her question. “Missoula.”
“They’ll find us anywhere. You don’t know Dante Giordani.”
“Not as long as I’m alive and I know his type, Mitch.” We’d gone less than a half mile, the snow deep enough it would take us hours to get to the freaking main road. My anger was at the boiling point, every muscle in my body tense.
“But you’re not worried?” she asked, her voice strained.
I lifted the weapon into my hand. “They have no clue who the hell I am or what I can do.”
The road was barely passable, the snow drifts becoming worse after only half a mile. When the tires hit another patch of ice, the truck was tossed to the side. The blur of snow drifting over the hood was blinding, everything around us becoming a blur. Suddenly, it was as if slow motion took over, my gut forcing me to turn my head toward the side window.
Pop! Pop!
The hard thud as one of the bullets went through the frame of the truck was jarring, but not nearly as much as the two assholes appearing only fifty yards in front.
“Look out!” Mitch screamed as she threw out her arm, pointing out the ice-covered windshield.
There was little time to react, even less time to avoid hitting the two assholes. Another spray of snow pelted against the grille as I gunned the engine.
“No. No. No!”
Her screams echoed in my ears as I plowed my way through. Out o
f the corner of my eye, I noticed the two assholes managing to jump to the side, which was an extreme feat given the depth of snow. My guess was that there were more than just two of them. Unfortunately, I hadn’t caught sight of their vehicle.
“Where the hell is the truck you brought up the mountain?” I asked, shifting my gaze from the rearview mirror out both sides. Thank God, the damn bullet hadn’t hit the gas tank, which was what the assailant was going for.
“I don’t know! Everything looks the same. I know I rolled into a tree.”
Huffing, I knew we’d gone just a little over a mile. Her truck had to be around here somewhere.
I couldn’t waste any additional time.
“Oh, my God. What are you going to do?” she asked, gasping for air.
“Drive, sweetheart. Drive.” I continued rolling down the road, knowing at any time I’d see their vehicle. When I did, the Range Rover barely off the road with no occupants, I took a chance, one I knew might save our lives.
I eased the truck to a stop.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Her demanding tone was laced with fear.
“Doing what’s necessary in order to keep us alive. And don’t you dare think about getting out of this truck.” I grabbed the weapon, checking the clip. Thank God there were several bullets remaining. As I stepped out of the truck, I heard her stilted yet beautiful voice behind me.
“Be careful, Reaper.”
Careful. As if I’d ever been that way my entire life.
The wind was even more biting, cutting through the thin shirt I was wearing, the snow deep enough that even the few steps I took were laborious. As I held the weapon in both hands, I listened for any tell-tale signs one of the others was close by. Other than the whistling wind, ice pellets skipping over the hood of the truck, the quiet was almost eerie.
I took aim, popping off two shots, catching both tires exactly where I wanted. That would keep the fuckers from going anywhere. However, we had no time to waste. While communication efforts were dead on the mountain, my guess was they’d need to check in. That would give us a few hours.