Drilled

by Cole, Cassie

  “Ja?”

  “Sure. You probably have PTSD. Talking to someone won’t fix everything, but it might help.”

  “Perhaps…”

  “You won’t know unless you try.” He was still on the fence, so I said, “I’ll even go with you, if you want. So you’re not alone. But only if you want.”

  He twisted to face me. His crystal blue eyes were surprised, but happy. “I would love that, Lexa.”

  “Okay then.”

  He wrapped his arm around me, and I rested my head on his shoulder. There was nothing romantic about it; just two comrades who had had a really, really bad day together, but who had managed to come out relatively unscathed.

  The police arrived half an hour later and spoke to everyone, especially Cas and the others. Kai got up and gave them his statement. Remembering what I’d stolen that morning, I gave them Bryson’s laptop.

  “There’s email proof that he sent Doug to cause an accident,” I said.

  Cas smiled politely. “We actually already got that on Doug’s phone.”

  “Oh,” I said, unable to hide my disappointment.

  “But think of all the other info on that laptop,” Cas quickly said. He looked around, then lowered his voice. “Granted, you stole it, so you might have broken some laws… But we’ll worry about that later. Just know that you did good, Lexa.”

  I did good. It was a simple, almost patronizing comment, but it made me feel like all this trouble had been worth it.

  They finished up with the police soon after and led me to their car—a rental, which explained why I hadn’t seen their Jeep parked at the site. I was too exhausted to drive back; I left my car at the site and decided I would worry about picking it up later. We drove back to their hotel and swapped it out for the Jeep, then hopped back on the interstate heading east.

  I was wedged in the middle seat between Tex and Jason, their shoulders holding me firmly in place. It made me feel safe. I held their hands, and they gripped mine tightly, and everything began feeling normal again.

  “Wait!” I said, jerking awake suddenly. “Bryson! We have to make sure he doesn’t get away.”

  “It’s taken care of,” Cas said from the driver seat.

  “But…”

  Tex gave my hand a squeeze. “It’s all handled already. Don’t worry. You’ve done enough, Lexa.”

  His words were enough to settle my fears. Finally relaxed enough, I drifted to sleep on the way home.

  I woke to find us approaching downtown Bismarck, which was a welcome sight after the day we’d had. But Cas drove past my condo and stopped when we reached Blackrock Energy. Half a dozen cop cars were outside the huge black-glass building, and most of the employees were standing outside in the cold as if it were a fire drill. Cas parked on the street and we went inside, drawing everyone’s gaze as we went.

  Two cops stood behind the front desk while a third man in plain clothes worked on the computer. One cop saw us, came around the desk, and said, “Detective O’Rourke is in the conference room. I’ll take you to him.”

  It was strange walking into the conference room where it all began. Where Bryson had first met with the auditors, and where I’d slipped Cas a far-too-conspicuous note underneath a stack of napkins. It felt like years ago.

  So much had happened since then.

  Bryson sat at the head of the conference room table, one leg crossed over the other and his hands clasped over the knee. He looked as smug as could be until he saw us. Then all the color drained from his face.

  “Didn’t expect us to return?” Tex said.

  “No,” he stammered, eyes locking onto me. Rage flashed behind them for a brief instant. “I, uhh…” He turned to the detective, who was seated in the chair directly to his right. “I want my lawyer now.”

  “Oh?” the man said sarcastically. “Because you said you had nothing to hide, and that you’d cooperate fully. Something about these five change your mind?”

  Bryson stared past me at a point on the wall. “I’m not saying another word until my lawyer gets here.”

  I don’t know what happened next. I saw red. My legs took over and I strode forward, pulled back my right arm, and swung sideways as hard as I could. My slap caught him across the cheek and almost knocked him out of his chair.

  He whirled, and appeared like he wanted to retaliate against me, but then visibly regained his composure. “You gunna let this bitch do that to me?”

  Detective O’Rourke shrugged. “I didn’t see anything. At least, not until your lawyer gets here.”

  I leaned in until Bryson had to turn to face me. As soon as his eyes locked onto mine I said, “Go fuck yourself,” then walked away.

  Outside in the hall, the others burst into laughter. “Is that the first time you’ve ever cursed?” Cas asked.

  “I like to save it for special occasions.”

  Tex was almost hyperventilating from laughing so hard. “Ya sure made it count!”

  Back in the lobby, Cas paused to speak with the cops behind the desk. Apparently they were running data harvesting software on the computer. On all the computers, soon enough. The entire building was a crime scene.

  Cas returned to us and said, “They’ve got it handled from here. The statements we gave at drill site 181 are fine until we give our full audit write-up.”

  “Good, ‘cause I’m sick of talkin’ to people,” Tex said.

  Cas spread his hands. “I have a proposition. How about we get cleaned up, then go out to celebrate a job well done? Or, at least, celebrate the fact that we’re all alive to drink at all.”

  “There are not enough beers in North Dakota,” Kai joked.

  Celebrate. They were finished here, but they wanted to celebrate.

  Even though they were leaving.

  As we returned home to get cleaned up and changed into clothes that weren’t covered in soot, my sour mood became obvious. “What’s wrong?” Cas asked when we were alone in the kitchen. “If everything that happened today was too much, we can order in instead…”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s just…” I sighed. Might as well let it out now. “You’re done here. All of you. That means you’re going to leave.”

  The realization hit his face. Then guilt at celebrating something that was so clearly a sad moment for me. “So that’s what you’ve been thinking about.”

  “How could I not? You’re gunna head back to Fargo what, tomorrow? The day after?”

  “Yes,” he admitted. “We have to leave.”

  The words were like a punch to the gut. Even though I’d known, hearing him confirm it made it worse. Made it just a little bit more real.

  Our little fantasy was ending. I guess it had always been destined to end. A five-person relationship could never last.

  Tex, who was drinking water by the fridge, nodded. “Yep. Gunna have a lot of work to do back in Fargo.”

  “It was nice while it lasted,” Cas added.

  Jason’s mouth hung open. “Bro, you gunna keep torturing her like that? Or are you gunna tell her?”

  “It’s fun teasing it out,” Cas said.

  “No it’s fucken not! Look at her face! She thinks you’re serious!”

  “Tell me what?” I demanded. “Tell me what!” Behind Jason, Kai had a huge grin on his face.

  “The auditing company we work for is in Fargo, sure,” Cas said. “But here’s the thing: half their business these days are in the western part of the state. And with the oil boom still going strong, that’s not likely to change any time soon.”

  “It seems to me the convenient thing to do would be to open a second headquarters farther west,” Tex said. “Maybe in downtown Bismarck…”

  All four of them grinned as they waited for my reaction.

  “You’ll have to find a building to work in,” I said.

  Kai laughed. “Is this your only reservation, Lexa? The office building we choose?”

  “Cut me some slack. My brain is too smoky to think clearly.”

&
nbsp; “How about we go get dinner and talk about it some more?” Cas said. “Maybe it will all make more sense after some drinks.”

  *

  I went upstairs and stripped in the bathroom. Somehow, even my skin underneath my blouse was covered in grey soot. The hot water of the shower was scalding, and seemed to wash away everything that happened: dirt, smoke, and even fear.

  It was okay. Everything was okay.

  There was a soft knock on my bathroom door, then it opened. “You’re gunna use up all the hot water,” Cas said.

  “It’s my condo, so I’ll do what I want,” I teased. “But if you’re worried, there’s room for two in here…”

  He did exactly that: through the bubbled shower door I watched him strip his clothes, then he slipped inside. He tried to wrap me in a hug but I put a hand on his chest and kept him at arm’s length.

  “You’re filthy,” I said. “Get clean before you touch me.”

  “Hey, I’m here for the hot water, not you,” he said as he slipped under the stream. I watched as he sighed and rinsed his hair out, a gesture that showed off the muscles in his chest and arms.

  When he was reasonably clean, I shouldered my way back under the steamy water. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, every inch of him slick and hard.

  “This feels nice,” he whispered into my ear.

  “Mmm hmm.” I felt safe in his arms. I never wanted him to leave.

  Slowly, his hand glided down my belly to the place between my legs. It was exactly what I needed at that moment so I widened my stance, opening myself to him.

  “I can’t believe I almost lost you,” he said.

  “I should be saying the same thing to you!”

  My comment turned into a sigh as he touched my special place, going farther to rub along my outer lips. I’d never liked shower sex, but this felt wonderfully relaxing. Like an intimate massage.

  He kissed my neck while rubbing me down there. My deep exhaustion made it easy for me to surrender to the feel of his calloused fingers rubbing in a circle, faster and faster. His hardness pressed into my butt, a slick cylinder which was evidence of his lust for me.

  Enveloping me with his body, he quickly brought me to a shivering, shuddering orgasm. I gasped and inhaled the steam until he was practically holding me up in the shower.

  “Don’t fall!” he said with a laugh.

  “You make my legs weak.” I turned around to kiss him on the lips, then began to lower myself to him. But Cas grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back up.

  “This was just for you,” he said. “No need to reciprocate, love.”

  I kissed him again, savoring his wet lips. “We’ll see about that later.”

  “Later is good. I like later.” He kissed me one last time then bumped me sideways with his hip. “Now get out so I can properly wash myself. I swear, I’m going to need to use half your shampoo to get the smell of smoke out of my hair.”

  I smacked him on the butt, which made a satisfyingly loud sound. “Think of how bad it would be if you still had it long and in a ponytail!”

  I slipped out of the shower, stealing one last glance at his wet body before he closed the door.

  Ahh. A girl could get used to this.

  Epilogue

  Lexa

  Milton Bryson, the CEO and founder of Blackrock Energy, was charged with four counts of attempted murder, 18 counts of fraud, and 482 violations of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement charter. Bryson was destined to spend the next two years in and out of court, fighting the charges in spite of the overwhelming evidence against him. Some guys were too arrogant to know when they were screwed.

  On that note, I lost my job. I’d expected to, but it still sucked to see my name put back into the temp agency pool. I doubted I would be offered any temp work any time soon. Nobody wanted to hire the woman who’d helped take down a huge corporation. Honestly? I couldn’t blame them. That was like inviting someone to throw a hand grenade into their office building.

  The boys did return to Fargo. It was a sad four days while they were gone and my condo was cold and empty again. When Cas finally called and said they were on their way back, I made sure the fridge was stocked with beer and that I was watching out my window. The moment I saw their Jeep turn the corner two blocks up the street I ran down to meet them.

  “So?” I said the moment they parked out front. “Why wouldn’t you tell me on the phone? Will you guys be opening a headquarters here, or not?”

  “Well…” Kai said. He was wearing overalls, though he had a dress shirt on underneath.

  I could tell from their sad faces instantly. “Oh no.”

  “Just hold on a sec,” Tex protested. “Cant we get some hugs before we give you the news?”

  They took turns embracing me. And kissing me, in Cas’s and Jason’s cases. Jason squeezed me extra long like he’d missed me more than the rest. He seemed to have a brighter attitude now that Blackrock had been taken down.

  “So what’s the deal?” I asked.

  “Our manager didn’t approve our idea for a secondary HQ,” Cas admitted.

  “Oh no!”

  “Yeah, she was kind of a jerk about it,” Tex said. “Even though we just broke this big case against Blackrock.”

  “They want us working out of Fargo, no wiggle room,” Jason said.

  “So why are you smiling?” I said. “This visit isn’t permanent. You’ll be returning soon, right?”

  Kai quickly took me in his arms. “Lexa, do not despair! We have good news to accompany the bad.”

  “And the good news is much bigger than the bad news,” Tex said.

  “Then out with it!” I insisted.

  “We’re going to work for a new company,” Case said. “FPMML Consulting.”

  “I’ve never heard of them,” I said.

  “That’s ‘cause they don’t exist,” Tex said simply.

  I stared at each of them in turn. They all seemed pleased with themselves. “Is this a riddle? I don’t like riddles.”

  “Lexa,” Cas said, “we’re starting our own company. FPMML Consulting. The letters are our names.”

  Of course: Floyd, Padmore, Mendelssohn, and Matthews. But the last initial…

  “Lewis?” I said. “You want me to start it with you?”

  “Only if you’re up for it,” Jason said. “We’ve got all the start-up capital already.

  “Here’s the thing,” Cas said. “So much of what we do is English intensive. Especially writing up safety audit reports at the end of a job.”

  “Those reports sometimes get references in court,” Jason added. “So it’s important for them to be as clear and flawless as possible, otherwise the lawyers tear them apart.”

  “I…” I said. “This is a lot to accept all of a sudden.”

  Tex stepped forward. “Alexandra Lewis.” He got down on one knee and pulled a document from his jacket pocket, then held it out ceremonially. “Will you form a company with us?”

  I laughed. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!”

  “Oh thank God,” Cas said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I wasn’t sure if you’d go for it.”

  “It wasn’t what I expected,” I admitted. “But it’s even better.”

  *

  The next few weeks were the most exciting of my life.

  Getting a new business up and running from scratch took a lot of work, but the guys handled most of it. We joked about renting out the first floor of the soon-to-be vacant Blackrock Energy building, but the investigators had frozen all of their assets until the court cases were through. Which was probably for the best, because I didn’t have great memories of that place. Better to start somewhere fresh.

  Instead, we found another office space only a little farther from my condo. It was only 2,000 square feet, but it had seven offices and a conference room, which was more than enough for our needs. And it was close enough to walk to from the condo, especially now that the weather was finally turning warm.

/>   I took Kai to a therapist. He was resistant at first, but once we got inside the big German opened up like a can of Vienna Sausage. He didn’t even need me in the room with him; I waited out in the lobby while he and the therapist were alone.

  Afterwards he seemed more vibrant and energetic than ever before. He wrapped the therapist in a big hug—a hilarious juxtaposition because she was a tiny little woman—and thanked her profusely. Then he took my hand and led me outside.

  “Lexa, thank you so very much for this,” he said. “Deep down I knew this was what I had to do, but I needed someone to push me to do it. This is the help I should have gotten a month ago.”

  “I’m really glad,” I said. “But you know it’s not just one visit, right?”

  “I will be returning every two weeks!” he said cheerfully. “Thursdays at 11:00. It may take a while before I am back to normal, if ever. But this is a very good start.”

  I smiled as he opened the car door for me like a perfect gentleman. Then, while I was grinning up at him, he kissed me.

  It took my breath away, that’s how surprised I was. The good kind of surprised. The two of us had been taking things slow, and this was our first kiss. I sighed as the kiss ended and he waited for my reaction.

  “You’re a good kisser,” I said.

  “You are not…” he cleared his throat.

  “I’m not?” I said.

  “No! I was going to say you are not bad yourself!”

  “I see how it is.”

  “I promise!” he said with an adorable amount of embarrassment. Like a teenager experiencing this for the first time. “You kiss very well!”

  I giggled and touched his cheek. The bristles felt nice underneath my palm. “You don’t need to say anything. Just take me to lunch.”

  “I can do that.” He closed the door after I ducked inside.

  The business was up and running a few days after that. Moving into the new office didn’t take long, but getting the business license required extra signatures from someone in a government building somewhere. Finally we gathered at the office building, took the elevator to the fourth floor, and stood in front of the door. The letters FPMML were in gold stencil above the doorway.