by S. J. Bishop
Together, we watched the bus drive away.
“She’s a good kid,” Emil commented.
“Yeah, she is,” I said with a smile. With that, I turned on my heels, heading for the car. “I hope you’re ready.”
“I guess. What choice do I have?”
I smirked. “Evita sent me the details of the mission this morning. We’re headed for the Industrial Zone. Rumor has it that a lot of those buildings are being used to move merchandise.”
“So you want me to bust some of my old friends?” Emil asked, raising an eyebrow in my direction.
“Essentially.”
“And why do you think I would just betray all my contacts like that?”
“Because you did it once before.”
“True. But, that only means I’ve probably lost my respect. Word travels fast among thugs, you know.”
I looked over at him before turning on the engine and driving off. “Well, I guess we’re about to find out.”
The industrial zone hummed with the sound of heavy machinery. The large stone-faced buildings were decorated with boarded-up windows. Occasionally, a shadow would pass across the pane before disappearing.
Emil walked by my side, his hands in his pockets, a nonchalant expression on his face.
“We are looking for a pair,” I explained. “Mavis and Roxanne. Do you know them?”
“Nope.”
I looked at him suspiciously. He had answered that question much too quickly. “Really?”
“Yep.”
“Why do I have the feeling that you’re lying to me?”
“Because I am.”
I ground my teeth in frustration. “Do you really have to make this difficult?”
“Of course,” he said with a grin. “VanGuard is making me their prisoner. I have no idea why they think I would help so willingly.”
“Because if you don’t, we’ll send you to prison. And I doubt you want to go back there. A little rat like you? They’d eat you alive.”
He laughed. “I think I can hold my own.”
“Is that why I had you handcuffed to my bed last night?”
“I allowed that to happen.”
“Sure.” I rolled my eyes. “You keep telling yourself that.”
“And you keep telling yourself that you didn’t just tie me to your bed last night because you thought it was sexy.”
I stopped dead in my tracks and snorted. “Sexy? What are you – insane?”
He turned, looking me straight in the eye. “Then tell me it’s not true.”
As he held my gaze, I felt my heart quicken and my palms become sweaty. I couldn’t deny how unbelievably attractive this man was or that I hadn’t fantasized about what it would feel like to have our bodies pressed together. I bit the inside of my lip, trying to keep my thoughts under control. “It’s not true,” I said, my voice much more confident than I felt.
He stared at me a moment longer. “Alright.” He shrugged and kept walking as if it didn’t matter.
What?
I tilted my head in confusion. Why hadn’t he reacted? Wasn’t he disappointed?
“You coming? Or you enjoying the view?” he asked with a grin, looking over his shoulder.
“You’re the worst, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told.” His grin deepened.
“Does everything have to be a joke to you?” I jogged to catch up with him. “Because this is serious.”
“I am serious.”
I glared at him. “Emil.”
“Cassandra.”
Unable to stand the banter any longer, I stopped talking, my arms crossed over my chest and my lips pressed together.
We kept walking, navigating the abandoned sidewalks. So far, we had yet to see another living soul. It was eerie how lifeless this place was. It was definitely giving me the creeps. I shivered.
“Cold?” Emil asked.
“No.”
Nonetheless, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
I was just about to give it back when his musky smell wrapped around me like a blanket. I breathed it in and smiled ever so slightly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emil smile too.
“So, are you actually taking me where we need to go, or are we just walking in circles?”
“What do you think?” he asked.
I sighed. “We’re walking in circles, aren’t we?”
“Well, maybe if you do me a little favor, I’ll change my mind. I don’t work for free, you know.”
“What do you want?” I asked, exasperated.
Suddenly, he had me pushed against the wall, our hips locked together and our chests pinned. My eyes widened, looking up at him. My heart pounded as his lips got closer and closer to mine.
He had his hand on my cheek, his thumb caressing my skin and his eyes holding me in a trance. “Just one little kiss should satisfy me… for now.”
My lungs burned. I had forgotten how to breathe; my mind was too focused on how close our bodies were. I could feel the heat radiating from his hips, and I wanted nothing more than to let go of my inhibitions and follow the burning desire inside my heart.
But instead, I pushed him away, my temper flaring. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I was about to walk away when he grabbed my wrist and reeled me back, his arms wrapped around my waist.
“Stop pretending, Cassandra,” he whispered in my ear. “You want this just as much as I do. I don’t know why you keep lying to yourself.”
I jabbed my elbow into his side. He let go. Furious, I marched away, too caught up in the moment to pay attention to my surroundings. Quickly, I crossed the street, retracing our steps and heading for the car. It was obvious that this wasn’t going to work out. Emil just didn’t want to cooperate.
But before I could reach the other side, I heard the sound of squelching tires against the asphalt. Looking up, my eyes nearly bugged out of my head.
I froze.
11
Emil
I was just about to go after her when a car came speeding around the corner, heading straight for Cassandra.
She just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights.
My heart tightened with fear, clenching painfully until I could no longer breath.
The world halted into painfully slow motion.
“Cassandra!” I screamed, but still, she did not move.
Instinctually, I rushed out, my feet pounding against the ground, praying I would make it to her on time.
I crashed into her, our bodies tumbling to the ground. A gust of air rushed passed us as the car flew by.
Seconds later, a loud screeching noise echoed through the air as the car came to a halting stop. But I didn’t even pay attention to the car as I looked up at Cassandra, cradled in my arms. “Are you okay?” I asked just as soon as I caught my breath.
Already, my body ached with pain, but I ignored it, holding her tight and waiting for an answer.
She just looked at me, a dazed expression on her face. “I…” She leaned down, pressing her forehead against mine. Faintly, I could feel her warm breath on my lips.
Somehow, I managed to control my urge to kiss her as I rubbed her back. “Cassandra, talk to me.”
She blinked. “Huh?”
“Are you hurt?”
Recognition washed over her features. Blush colored her cheeks as she looked down and saw that our bodies were locked together. “How did we…?”
“The car,” I prompted.
“Car?”
I was starting to worry. Had she hit her head? Why did she seem so confused?
“Fuck,” she growled, scrambling to her feet. “What the hell were we doing?” She brushed the dirt from her clothes, refusing to look at me.
Jeez, I saved a woman’s life, and this is the thanks I got? Why had I even bothered?
Slowly, I got up, pretending not to care, but still, I looked her over for any injuries. As far as I could tell, she looked fine.
&n
bsp; “Now, who was the idiot who almost killed me?” she hissed, marching up to the car.
I grabbed her arm. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
“Let go of me. This maniac is about to get a piece of my mind!”
I held her tighter, pulling her behind my body in a defensive position. I didn’t know why I was going through so much trouble to protect her, but it felt like my duty to keep her safe. I felt like an alpha guarding his mate. Silly, I knew, but it was a feeling I couldn’t ignore.
“Let go of me,” she repeated, her tone icy and cold.
“You’re not going to accomplish anything by barreling over to him and picking a fight. You do that around here, and it’s a surefire way to get yourself killed. Think with your head for once.”
“Are you insulting me?”
Before I could answer, someone stepped out of the car. Leather pants appeared first, followed by a muscular torso clad in a black shirt. With a grin, an old acquaintance of mine took off his glasses and looked at me. “Emil.”
“Mavis.”
“Didn’t think I would find you around here. Don’t you usually work downtown? Last I heard, you had gone MIA. What happened?”
“Some shit.”
Mavis chuckled. “Why did I think I would get a straight answer out of you?” He stepped forward, nibbling on the end of his glasses and looking Cassandra up and down. His lustful gaze almost sent me into a frenzy. I didn’t want this creep looking at her like this. “And who might this be?”
“I’ll tell you –”
I cut her off by taking a step forward. “She’s my girlfriend.”
“I’m not –”
This time I cut her off by stepping on her foot and sending her a subtle glare. Even though she seemed unhappy with me taking control of the situation, she no longer interrupted the conversation.
“Girlfriend?” Mavis had bloodshot eyes. Clearly, he was high. Then again, he was always high. He hadn’t even seemed to notice that Cassandra had said something. Good.
“Yeah, she’s my ride or die bitch,” I answered with a smirk, wrapping my arm around her waist. Before I could stop myself, I kissed her lips. At first, I had intended for the kiss to be nothing more than a convincing act. But as soon as I tasted how sweet she really was, I just couldn’t help myself. I tangled my fingers in her hair, kissing her harder.
To my surprise, she returned the kiss, her lips dancing against mine.
“Alright, alright. I don’t need a whole show,” Mavis said.
Hesitantly, I pulled away, the taste of her lingering. God, I should have kissed her sooner.
“What happened to that Stacey girl you knocked up?”
I tensed up for a moment before laughing. “Got rid of her. She would have dragged me down. Cassandra is different. She was born on the streets. She knows what it’s like.”
“Oh yeah?” He looked at her once more, a grin on his lips. “If that’s the case, then maybe I have a job for you two. Business is booming. We have inventory up to our necks, but no one to move it. So, what do you say? You’ll get 30%.”
“30?” I spat. “Who do you think I am?”
“If you have a problem with that, go talk to Roxanne. I’m sure she’s just dying to see you.”
I growled at the name. “Fuck, you know I can’t stand her.”
“Ha. You and me both.” He snorted. “She’s a tough cookie, though, you can’t deny that.”
“Fine. I’ll take the 30.”
“Great. Meet me at 69th.”
“Got it.”
Before he left, he turned toward Cassandra, grabbed her hand, kissed it, and winked. “I’ll see you around, sweet cheeks.”
12
Cassandra
As soon as the car drove away, I turned and slapped Emil. “What the hell were you thinking? Your girlfriend? Your ride or die bitch? I have half a mind to cut out your tongue!”
Emil just stood there, his right cheek coloring in a soft pink hue.
Looking at it, I started to feel a little guilty, but at the same time, he deserved it.
“And where do you get off kissing me like that?”
Without a word, he took me by the cheeks and kissed me again.
As much as I wanted to protest, it was impossible. I melted against him, my anger fading away. Ever so softly, he kissed me, our lips locking like a couple of puzzle pieces. His arms tightened around my waist, and our hips rubbed together.
My brain was telling me to end it, but my heart wanted this oh so badly. A fire blazed inside of me, getting hotter and hotter the more we kissed. As he tugged at my hair, I almost lost it, my hormones surging.
I wanted him.
Bad.
But I couldn’t have him.
Quickly, I shoved him away. I stumbled back, wiping my lips with the back of my hand and feigning disgust. “What the fuck?” I screamed.
Emil just looked at me.
“Kiss me one more time, and I swear I’ll kill you.”
“It would be worth it,” he mused.
Without another word, I turned on my heels and stormed off. I had half a mind to ditch him, but I didn’t feel like facing Cruz’s wrath if I neglected my charge. Ugh, why had I gotten stuck with this babysitting gig in the first place? They didn’t pay me enough for this shit.
Inside my car, I waited for him to join me. In those few moments, all I could think about was the way he’d kissed me. His lips were intoxicating. Even now, I could still taste him. I traced a finger along my bottom lip, feeling the warm aftermath.
Why was I feeling this way?
It didn’t make any sense.
He was a criminal.
Before I could torture myself with these thoughts, Emil slipped into the passenger seat. “You know, I don’t know why you’re so mad.”
I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white. With my foot on the gas, we lurched forward, peeling through the streets. I turned the corner fast, maybe too fast, the car’s back wheels grinding. I drove recklessly for a while before Emil reached over and took my hand, squeezing it softly. “Cassandra,” he whispered.
“What?” I spat out, jerking my hand away.
“Why are you so against this? Against us?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because the last girlfriend you had, you knocked up and abandoned. I’m sure as hell not letting that happen again.”
“Again?” he questioned, tilting his head.
“Don’t act stupid,” I hissed, venom dripping from every word as I eased onto the highway, weaving through the cars. Usually, I was a level-headed driver, but I had lost myself to my temper.
He was quiet for a moment before he turned to face me. “You were hurt.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious.”
He sighed. “You can’t let that stop you forever. You’ll only be holding yourself back. Be honest with me, you feel it too. The attraction between us.”
I ground my teeth, pushing the car to its limits. “Shut up. I don’t want to talk about this.”
“Fine. But at least don’t be mad at me. I got us the perfect ‘in’ to the black market. Wasn’t that what you wanted all along? If it makes you feel any better, you can just tell yourself that I was playing the part.”
“I don’t know why I agreed to babysit you,” I grumbled under my breath.
I drove for what felt like an eternity, taking the time to settle my thoughts, but even as the afternoon dwindled, they were still just as jumbled.
Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was time to pick up Kimmy. I headed in the direction of her school, doing my best to calm down. I didn’t need her to worry about me.
Emil hadn’t said a word. He’d just sat there, looking out the window, his profile in stark contrast with everything else as the sun filtered into the car. Deep down, I felt a little guilty about snapping at him, but I just couldn’t let myself fall for him.
It wouldn’t end well.
And I couldn’t afford to get hurt again.
So I waited with all of the other parents for school to be let out. As soon as Kimmy saw me, she ran forward, hugging my leg. “Hey, pumpkin, how was school?”
“Good!” She smiled up at me, a precious look of happiness on her face. “I had a lot of fun in art class today.”
“Did you? You’ll have to show me when we get home.”
Kimmy looked around, searching for something. “Where’s your friend?”
I bit my lip. It was obvious that Kimmy had taken a liking to Emil. It made me uncomfortable. Kimmy was such an innocent and trusting little girl; I feared that she would get caught up in this mess if she got too involved. “In the car,” I finally answered. I squatted down beside her, taking her hands in mine, and looked into her eyes. “You really like him, don’t you?”
“He’s nice,” she said with a nod.
“But he’s not going to stay forever, okay?”
“Why not?”
“Because.” I couldn’t come up with a better answer. “Just trust Mommy on this one.”
She frowned. “But I like him.”
“I know, Kimmy.” I paused. “I do, too…”
13
Emil
When we got back to the house, I headed for my room, thinking I had better keep out of sight. There was no persuading Cassandra. She had a thick head, and I didn’t feel like wasting my time.
So I collapsed onto the mattress and closed my eyes. I didn’t even think of escape. What was the point?
As I lay there, all I could think about was the way her lips had felt on mine. It had been the feeling of perfection. Liquid silk. The best dope on the market.
I wanted more. Much more.
But fat chance of that happening.
She’d stubbornly try to hate me, even as our attraction became harder and harder to ignore. Honestly, I didn’t know how I was managing to keep my desire in check. Every time I saw her, all I wanted to do was pounce – to pin her against a wall, take command of her body, and make her moan my name.
Just before my thoughts could take an even naughtier turn, I heard soft footsteps against the hardwood. Looking up, I saw Kimmy standing beside my bed, an expectant look on her face. “Are you busy?” she asked.