by Rhonda Lott
“That’s right D, give her a break.” Alex got up from the floor and perched next to Alana. “Don’t mind her, she’s always in a snit. Alana you don’t have to be afraid. David and Ace will take excellent care of you.”
“I’m not afraid for myself. I’m pretty much done for.” She shrugged. “I need you to save, Ace and my kids.” Alana lifted her head to lock eyes with Alex.
“Your Kids?” Ace stepped away from her, dropping his hand from her shoulder as if she was on fire. “You got Kids?”
“Yes, they're not my biological children, but I’m responsible for them just the same.” Alana explained.
“Maybe you should start at the beginning, Alana.” David commented in his ultra-calm voice. Ace recognized that tone. David used that one when he wanted to disarm a person and then drain them for info.
Alana wrapped her arms around herself as if holding her body together. She obviously didn’t enjoy being the focus of so much attention. Her naturally tan skin grew flushed, her eyes darting from face to face. Ace felt for her. Damn, but she was pretty, not in the knock your socks off way D was or the naturally beautiful way Alex was. Alana was, what some might call plain, but she had a wholesome quality that appealed to him. So bright and clean. Not a blemish, no make-up for enhancement, simply, honest to goodness woman. He traced her form with his eyes, healthy, exquisite body, with ample breast, sweet indentation of a waist and full sensual hips. Ace felt his dick rise in response to his visual caress of her body.
Alana glanced his way, her wide hazel eyes asking him something he didn’t understand. What she was about to say would change things for her and for him. They were strangers pulled together by circumstance, but there was also this growing connection. They stumbled upon something that felt deeply important, different, and real. By the look on her face, her story was going to obliterate that connection.
“I am a director of a group home for foster children.” There was a noticeable shock zip through the room. How was it possible that a children’s group home director got caught up in Esteban’s world.
“We ran the home together, my best friend Rosa and me. Neither of us had any family to take us in when our parents died, so we were placed in Ms. Kate’s foster home around the same time. Ms. Kate was very much a mother to us. When we transitioned out of her care we both ended up staying and helped her run the house.”
“That was sweet of you two.” Alex said.
“It was our home by then and Ms. Kate our mom. When she passed away, she left the home to us.” Alana was staring past Ace. Dawn clutched her hand. Alana smiled at that.
“I’m sorry about your loss. I lost my Dad and I know how that can tear you down.” Dawn told her.
“Thank you.” Ace watched her squeeze Dawn’s hand. Sweet woman.
“Rosa and I were as close as sisters and we did a wonderful job taking care of the girls. Rosa was always the paranoid type. She carried mace. She bought color-changing nail polish that detected the date rape drug, she forced me to take up martial arts with her. Rosa was over the moon when she started dating a cop. She believed he would protect her.”
“It was Bates wasn’t it?” Ace asked.
“Yeah, it was Mason Bates. They were together for only a couple of weeks, then one night something woke me from my sleep. I saw him sitting in the chair across from my bed.” Alana paused, taking a breath. “At his feet was the dead body of my friend and in my hand the bloody knife that killed her.” Her voice cracked.
Ace moved quickly to her side, shooing Alex over. He placed one arm around Alana’s shoulders. He felt her shaking and it ripped at his heart. That fucker Bates was going down for this shit. A prison cell was too good for him.
“That’s why you became his informant in Blanco’s organization because he was framing you for your friend’s murder?” David was sitting in a chair facing the couch, one long leg crossed on top of his knee.
“He knew that Blanco had plans to cut the Atlanta cops out of any future deals. Esteban was going to find another way to get his supplies of drugs and women from Miami to Georgia. Bates and his superior wanted me to monitor Esteban. I don’t know how, but Bates got me hired on as Esteban’s assistant. I went to Miami and I stuck to Esteban and Mac Blanco reporting to Bates their every move. Mac and Esteban treated me like a piece of furniture. That was the only time in my life I was glad to be heavy and plain.”
Ace placed his finger under her chin and lifted her face to him. “You’re not plain sweetheart. You’re a beautiful woman.”
Alana smiled that wide knee-weakening smile of hers. Ace forgot himself for a moment, forgot the others in the room and kissed her quickly. She tasted of sweet peppermints and he wanted more.
“Get a room, bro.” Kane joked.
Ace pulled back. Then kissed her again quickly, just because.
“What happened next?” Ace urged her on.
Alana covered her pink cheeks with her hands briefly, composing herself. “I worked closely with Esteban. Bates wanted someone who could translate Spanish. He chose Rosa, I suspect she was too afraid to do what he needed done so he killed her then turned to me as his next victim. Esteban took me everywhere he went. I watched as he hurt women, children, anyone weaker than him. I saw the evil that the man was. He and his son terrified me. Bates made me wear a hair clip that was in reality a video recorder. After Mac’s death, Esteban fixated on killing Kane and cut Bates off from the drugs and the money, the cop was furious. That night at the rundown house, I wasn’t supposed to be there, but Esteban talked about taking Dawn there. I was desperate not to let them kill another woman. Visions of the horror he inflicted played in an endless loop in my mind. I had to do something.”
Tears rolled down Dawn and Alex’s faces. “Thank you.” Dawn said. A simple thank you, holding within it emotions Dawn rarely revealed.
“I stood by and watched horrific things being done to people and wasn’t able to do shit about it. I remembered that Ace and Kane worked together from the background information compiled on Ace. I called him in hopes he would be able to get to you in time.”
“Who killed Esteban?” David leaned forward, his gray eyes searching her face. “Was it Bates, was he there?”
Alana closed her eyes for a long moment. When she opened them, the truth was there. Ace knew her answer and an icy chill brushed across his skin.
“No, I killed him. I killed Esteban.”
CHAPTER THREE
ACE
“Running away, Bro?” David asked from the top of the staircase. David’s sprawling office/study encompassed the entire upper floor. Ace was loading Alana’s flash drive into the computer.
“I needed time to process this and figure out what to do, David. She confessed to murder, I’m a cop for fuck's sake.” Ace gritted out.
Kane joins them. He stretched his huge body out in a chair by the window. “I’m glad the man’s dead. Esteban’s life revolved around killing Dawn.”
“How do I overlook vigilante justice? Yet, how do I hand her over to the same cops that are out to kill her? This shit is too much.” Ace slammed his fist into the wall.
“Stop fucking up my shit. Sit down.” David commanded, as he crossed to his desk. “You’re going to let her tell you exactly what happened that night and then make a rational decision. We’re going to watch this video, then figure out the next step we need to take to eliminate this threat to you.” David sat behind his desk and punched the keys on his computer.
The video began in a darken vehicle, the recording device in Alana’s hair clip picked up Esteban’s face and then swung to two men in the front seat. The car pulled into what appeared to be an abandoned airplane hangar. Esteban exited the car. The video followed him to where Bates stood waiting. The two men shook hands and exchanged a few words, then Esteban gestured Alana over with a wave. As the hidden camera grew closer, Ace scoped out a dark sedan behind Bates.
“Give him the case.” Esteban instructed.
“Don’t forget what w
e planned, McAdams and Jackson, you cover your end and we will take care of ours.” Bates said. His eyes slid over to Alana, taking in her face before settling on the camera, as if he had forgotten or was surprised to see her wearing it. His upper lip curled and he gave her a long stare before checking the briefcase. Bates nodded, then handed Esteban an envelope.
“Tell your boss this is the last time I will need your assistance. After I take care of Kane McAdams, I am out. You will have to deal with Jackson on your own. My ties are severed with the cartel and so your services are no longer needed.” Esteban stated blandly, and stepped away.
Bates grabbed his arm. Guns clacked in the background and the camera swung around. Esteban’s men were aiming their weapons at Bates. He dropped Esteban’s arm, raised his palms in the air and took a step back.
“We have a good thing going here man, at the very least; hook us up with someone else from the cartel. They made a shit load of money in Atlanta. Cutting off our protection would be a mistake.” Bates’ voice came out loud and whiny. His face was red and a thick vein pulsed in his neck.
“The cartel cut me off completely, refusing to help me avenge my son, kicking me out, why should I do shit for a family that abandoned me. You and your handler are free to go back to being honest public servants. You have enough money to do what the fuck you want.” With that last statement, Esteban strolled back to the car.
Alana must have remained where she was, the camera picking up the image of Bates enraged face. He gave her one last heated glare, then stomped back to the sedan. With a low hum, the tinted window slowly slid down. A hand reached out and grabbed hold of the briefcase. The man was African American but other than that, there were no distinguishing marks on the hand. The golden shine of a ring flashed from his index finger. A large ring, with a black stone setting.
“Ruiz move it.” One of the guards shouted and then the picture went black.
Silence settled over the office, each man raking over in their minds what they just witnessed. Ace had Bates for taking bribes from a crime syndicate but all the tape showed was an exchange nothing about what the exchange signified. Without more evidence, a competent lawyer might get the piece of shit off. Bates was rotten like his brother. The fact that he met with the cartel and an exchange took place would lead to an investigation. Bates and the man behind the ring couldn’t afford that.
“It’s not enough evidence to stick the bastard is it?” Kane put forth the question on everyone’s mind.
“I don’t think so, bro.” Ace leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. “The way Bates reacted to Alana’s hair clip means he’s going to want to get his hands on that flash drive. The information on it might not stick in court, but it would launch an investigation.”
“I’ll come up with something,” David nodded. “For now, I’m sending Alana up here to you. Find out how Esteban ended up dead, and then we go from there.”
The brothers headed for the stairs. Kane paused. “I like her man. Stop being a cop for a second and give her a chance. Help her and you might end up helping yourself.”
Ace stared at Kane’s back as he descended the stairs. He knew he was in trouble when Kane’s advice made perfect sense.
ALANA
Ace stood by the window. The solitary lamp on the desk glowed a flickering light that fought to cut through the darkness of the room. Alana stole a moment to strengthen herself. An imposing figure of masculine power was Ace Jackson, standing motionless, with the moonlight seeking him out to caress his beautiful brown skin. He was too damn handsome for her, too damn confident and brave for a coward like her. Yet, the longing for him remained. He wasn’t just some random man, some momentary distraction. Deep down there was no doubt, he was the one she had been waiting for, aching for in her lonely heart. Unfortunately, he would detest her now. The decision to trust Ace was a difficult one. One that held the possibility of disaster, defeat, and prison. Would he understand the circumstances, keep an open mind and maybe help her clear her name?
“Will you arrest me now?”
His body stiffened, but he continued to stare out the window.
“Hand you over to the same cops that are currently chasing you and want to kill me? No, can’t do that.”
A glimmer of hope flickered. “Then what?”
Alana bit her bottom lip, running her hands up and down her arms. She wished he would face her. It was impossible to judge his feelings from the back. Afraid to witness his disgust for her, and yet, she needed to see his face. Be brave girl.
Stepping over to him, Alana placed her hand on his shoulder. Ace tilted his head towards her and the moonlight caught in his brown eyes. Alana’s heart jumped, his face revealed stark anguish. Had she done that to him, but how?
“Tell me what happened that night.” Ace pulled her in front of him. His chest warm against her back, his embrace tender and safe. The world outside the window sat covered in darkness with only a few street lights illuminating the cars and the park across the street. A freight train’s whistle sung sadly in the distance.
“Dawn was screaming, pleading for help. I rushed towards the house without even being aware of pulling my small gun out. The thing was tiny and I only had it for protection, but the sound of Dawn screams broke something within me.” Alana took a deep breath. Ace pulled her tighter into his hard chest.
“Then what?”
“Esteban came flying out the back door, saw me with the gun and rushed me. He had a crazed wild look in his eyes, screaming at me, ‘you too bitch’. Everything happened so damn fast it was like a dream. One minute he was charging right at me and the next he was on the ground bleeding. I swear I didn’t intend to kill him, I just wanted to help Dawn.”
Ace turned her around. His eyes scanning her face, searching for the truth. “Don’t lie to me Alana.” Behind that deep southern drawl lived a warning. Ace would not tolerate betrayal.
“I am not lying. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
Ace pressed her back against the window, his huge body encompassing hers. “That remains to be seen, firecracker.”
“Firecracker?”
“You remind me of a firecracker; all wrapped up in an unassuming package, but underneath it all, there’s an explosion waiting to go off.” He brushed his fingertips along her collarbone then up to her cheeks, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Well, that’s different. No one has ever used those words to describe me. I’m as dull as dishwater.” Alana sighed, his closeness making rational thought difficult.
“I call bullshit on that statement. I see you, Ms. Ruize, beautiful, sexy, vibrant you.” Ace angled his head and kissed her.
That first kiss in his kitchen had been hot and desperate. This kiss was tantalizingly slow, a deliberate sensual assault on all her senses. Ace’s arms banded her in steel, moving his hard body against her in gentle pulses. His tongue teased and rolled along hers, shooting excitement through her. Alana reached up and grabbed his neck, pressing as tightly to him as possible.
Ace groaned a velvety deep, delicious sound. Picking her up, he carried her over and placed her on the edge of David’s large desk. The light from down stairs distant and dim. Alana feared for a split second that someone might see them. That worry evaporated as Ace hooked his hands behind her thighs and pulled her legs open, placing her hot core against the bulge in his jeans. The impact awoke a primal desire within her that snapped her control. Need pulsed between her thighs with every roll of his hips, every moan into her mouth. His taste was exquisite, a sinful delight, she instantly craved. If she had her way, his lips would stay pressed to hers continually. Who the hell needed to talk when they could spend eternity kissing Ace?
The slow pace of his seduction was ripping her apart cell by cell. A sizzling heat possessed her body and she wanted more of him, all of him. The thundering of their combined heartbeats drowned out all other sounds. His hands roamed her body, a soft touch to her waist, an erotic trace of his fingers under her breast. Everything about him
excited her. The beat of her heart flew, her body tingled and her insides clenched.
Ace grasped her ass and thrust his hips up as his lips trailed down her neck, setting fire as he went. He nudged down the collar of her blouse with his chin, stopping to admire her pulsing breast over the top of her black bra. Ace leaned, his tongue tracing the trembling flesh spilling from the lace. Alana threw her head back, hair trailing down to her butt where his hands gripped and molded to her. She was incapable of stopping the groans and gasps that escaped her now as she rode his hardness. Her pussy contracted in waves as her climax hit with the explosive impact of a fireball. A downpour of heat washed over her. Ace bit her nipple through the material of her shirt and bra. Alana’s body bucked, straining upwards as her orgasm continued to roll through her. Ace gathered her cries with his lips. The rapid thump of Ace’s heartbeat pumped against her chest. Alana drew air into her lungs as her heart rate slowed down. Wrapping herself around Ace, Alana kept her face averted. She’d rode his dick like a mad woman and came hard from dry humping him. He must think she was the most desperate creature on the planet.
Ace gave her a tight squeeze, “Come on firecracker, everyone’s waiting for us downstairs.” He placed her back on her feet.
“Oh shit, did they hear me?” Alana whispered.
Ace grinned. “Nobody heard anything, I promise, but this boner will be a dead giveaway.”
Alana eyes traveled down. The outline of his thick member visible. Her eyes stretched wide, and a wicked grin tugged at her lips, “Damn Mr. Jackson that is… noticeable.”
“Yup, so you might want to keep that ass of yours right here.” He gripped her, and positioned her in front of him. “A few minutes of conversation with the family, then we are out, we have a busy day tomorrow and you’ve been through a lot tonight.”