by May Gordon
“Cleo?” My voice is full of love and wonder. I look up at her and she has the most wonderful smile on her face.
“I’m about four months.” She places her hands on her belly as I lean down and kiss it, amazed we created a life together, and that she’s tied to me forever. The thought of her suffering through what she has while being pregnant this whole time makes me want to paint the walls with blood.
“Please Lawson, I need you.” She takes me out of my murdering thoughts.
“I love you Cleo, and our child too. So much.” I kiss her passionately.
She wraps her hands around my neck bringing us closer together. My control has long passed, so I quickly undo my jeans and shove them down letting my hard cock spring free. I thrust into her in one movement and we moan in unison.
“God how I missed you.” I kiss down her neck, breathing her in. I stop when I realize something. “What about the baby? Will I hurt him?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No, the baby will be fine, and it could be a girl.”
“Dear god help me,” I mutter and start to move again. It doesn’t take long for us to reach our climax, and we find bliss together. I stay inside her and roll so she’s laying on top of me as we try to catch our breath. She puts her head on my chest, stroking my skin. “You can’t ever leave me again, I won’t survive it,” I whisper into her ear. She looks at me and I see her eyes fill with sadness.
“I’m never going to. I tried everything to get back, you have to believe me.” She rests her forehead on mine.
“I do, and I’m not letting you go. Ever.” I kiss her, pulling her closer. I have no idea what is going to happen next, but what I do know is that Cleo will never leave my side again.
Chapter 16
Lawson
Eventually, Cleo and I made it downstairs. Foster, Novak, and Quinn were sitting in the kitchen when we entered.
“Cleo, I’m so glad you’re okay.” Novak stands and gives Cleo a quick hug.
“Thank you all for coming. I’m sorry I caused any trouble.” She smiles and gives Quinn a little wave.
“Let’s talk.” I guide her into a chair and sit down. I look at Novak and Quinn and see they seem at ease, no tension from sitting here with Foster. “Okay Foster, we had a deal. How can we help?” I lean back and drape my arm around Cleo’s shoulders.
Foster looks at all of them then back at me. “Arnold Frusta runs in the European mob and has his hands in a few other enterprises here in the US. Let’s just say we have history and he’s been sabotaging almost any inventory being run through my own goddamn state. He’s been trying to take over a few smaller gangs here and there, but recently thought of a plan to take over some of your turf.”
“Kidnapping Cleo,” I fill in for him.
“Yeah. Now he got her from Smith who was just a means to an end and he killed him,” Foster explains. I guessed as much, so this isn’t news to me. “When Cleo escaped she made it safely across the border to Arizona, but some of Arnold’s men followed and she was attacked. We killed them all, but Arnold had a lot of expendable players. For personal and professional reasons, he needs to be taken out.” Foster slams his fits on the table, almost like a declaration.
“We were talking before and figured out that the missing women in my area are because of Arnold,” Novak informs me.
“As well as fixing fights and cleaning out the loan sharks in my area,” Quinn growls out.
“What’s this guy’s end game, Foster? You said it was personal. Is there something else we need to know?” Cleo asks him.
Foster looks at her intently. “It doesn’t matter; all that does is he’s pissing everyone off and needs taken care of. Do you really need more than that?” He question the group.
“No,” I tell him, and I know Quinn and Novak feel the same. This fucker took my woman, the mother of my child, in the hopes of gaining my business. He’s a dead man, and it will be slow and painful.
“Good, let’s get started,” Foster declares.
“And how do we get started?” Novak asks.
“We lay a trap,” Cleo states.
“Exactly,” Foster agrees.
“Which is?” Quinn asks.
Foster looks at Cleo and I know where he’s going with this. “No fucking way!” I yell out.
None of the men seem surprised by my outburst.
“Lawson, it’s probably the quickest way to deal with him and get this over with.” Cleo touches my arm trying to relax me, but it’s not working.
“She’s pregnant,” I growl at him.
“I know,” he tells me calmly like he doesn’t give a shit.
“And you’d still use her as bait?” I snap out.
“She will be well protected. No need to worry.”
“He’s right. His men are well trained, and with you, Quinn and Novak it should go over smoothly,” Cleo tells me.
“Not happening,” I respond.
I’m sure Foster is about to try and talk me into it again when his phone goes off. “What?” Foster answers it. “Fuck.” He yells out, sending his chair flying backwards when he jumps up. “We have incoming, probably Arnold’s men. Thirty plus coming in hot,” he tells us.
“So, what? The idiot decides to come to us?” Quinn asks.
“No Arnold won’t be here, like I said he prefers to use his expendable men. We need to prep for an all-out attack. They’ve already gotten past the first gate of my property.” Foster walks to what looks like a linen closet but when he opens it up its full of heavy hardware. He hands us guns, and proceeds to pass one to Cleo before I snatch it away from her.
“What the fuck are you thinking?” I snap at Foster.
He raises an eyebrow at me. “She told me she’s an amazing shot and I believe her. She will be useful,” He explains to me.
“No way. You have a basement I can lock her in or something?” There is no way Cleo will be in this fight.
“I’m not hiding Lawson, I can help.” She tugs on my arm. I turn to her, grabbing her shoulders.
“I will not lose you again, do you hear me? You will be staying out of the way where I know you are safe.” I’m yelling at her at this point, but she doesn’t seem fazed by it.
I see her eyes focus on me more intently and she stands taller and straightens her shoulders. “We are partners, in business and in life. There’s no way I’m going to leave you while you fight.” Her accent is thick again, so I know she’s serious. “Foster what kind of rifles do you have?” She asks.
“I have a few, one being a Steyr SSG 69.”
“How about a Barrett?”
“The lady has good taste. I have a Barrett M82.”
“Perfect, I’ll go on the roof and pick them off for you,” she states. I start to shake my head, prepared to tell her no when she talks again. “This is happening Lawson. And if you get yourself killed I will come down to purgatory and kick your ass.” She sasses me. I can’t help but smile at her.
“Fine. But don’t come down until it’s clear, you hear me? No exceptions!”
“I’m not promising that.” She leans in and kisses me hard on the lips. I want to drag her into the closest room and hid out until this is all over, but I know we need to do this.
Foster comes back into the room, which I didn’t even realize he’d left, holding the sniper rifle and hands it to Cleo. “You got this,” he tells her.
She smiles at him, “I know.” The men all laugh, but I don’t find a damn thing funny. “Don’t die,” she tells all of us. “And take care of my man.”
“Yes, boss,” Novak cracks off with a laugh. Cleo makes her way up the stairs. I can’t help but stare at her, the mother of my child, my future wife is taking a sniper rifle on the roof and shoot down our enemies. Damn, she’s perfect for me.
“Quite staring and help,” Foster nudges me.
I look to see him, Novak, and Quinn loading weapons and strapping on bulletproof vests. I do the same and add a few grenades. “Why the fuck do you even have
all this?” I ask Foster.
“Are you telling me you don’t have any all over your house?” He asks me.
“Sure, we all do, but this is a fucking arsenal,” Quinn states.
“I’d stop complaining if I were you. We have a shit ton of men invading my property and we need all the help we can get.”
Just then a few of Foster’s men enter the kitchen. “Sir, they got in the main gates and are heading toward us. ETA is four minutes.”
“How the fuck did they get past it?” Foster roars.
“They punched in the code,” one says.
“You’re telling me I have a fucking mole?” He yells out.
“Seems like it, sir.” They look grim.
“How many exactly?” Quinn asks.
“We took a few down, but it’s still in the twenties.”
“The rest armed?” Novak asks.
“Yeah.”
“Kill every one of them but be careful. We have a traitor in our ranks,” Foster reminds them. The men nod and head out again.
“We should meet them halfway. The further we are from the house it gives Cleo a bigger distance and keeps them away from her,” I growl out.
“Let’s go.” Foster grabs some keys and we head to the garage where we all climb in his Jeep with no roof. Foster floors it. We had a hood over our heads when we got here but now I see how big this place really is. It’s like a compound, I can’t even see the front gate, but there are a few headlights from trucks coming our way. I look toward the house, and hope to god Cleo stays safe in there because if I lost her again, I wouldn’t survive it.
Chapter 17
Cleo
I set up the rifle on the stone balcony of the roof, looking through the scope. I drag it across the landscape until I see the incoming men. There’s still quite a few. I spot the guys driving Foster’s Jeep heading towards them and others in cars as well. I need to pick them off fast before they can react and change route and leave my area of range. I line up my shot and take out the tires of the four vehicles. When the armed men get out of the SUVs I begin picking them off one by one. I see the guys and Foster’s men arrive and start shooting. It looks like hell on earth down there. By now Arnold’s men know there is a sniper and are using the vehicles as shields. Whenever one steps out from the car I take them out. Even with a sniper rifle I feel useless all the way up here by not being able to help Lawson and the others more. I need to do everything in my power to keep him safe.
It seems like a lifetime goes by, and I don’t take my eyes from the scope. We’re down to the last six or so men now. It’s almost over, or at least this battle is. It seems like Foster has only lost a few, and I start to relax seeing most of Arnold’s men have left or been taken out. That’s when I spot one of Foster’s men behind Novak, Quinn, and the others. He’s walking toward them, staring at Foster intently. I get a bad feeling then I see him raise his gun and I let out a shout. It happened so quickly.
Lawson goes down and I don’t hesitate to pull my trigger at the same time he pulls his. Foster falls to the ground and grips his shoulder. My bullet hits him in the head and the bastard falls. I use my scope to see Foster dragging Lawson back to the Jeep as Novak and Quinn finish off the remaining men. Oh, god why isn’t he awake? Where is he hit? I want to run to him but I’m not leaving my post until I know every last intruder is gone. Between Novak, Quinn, and the others they take care of the last of the men. As soon as the final guy is out I dissemble the rifle and sprint towards the exit. I run down the stairs and out the front door, I still have to wait a few minutes before I see the Jeep arrive with Novak driving.
“Is he okay? Where is he hit?” I race to them when they pull up.
“Right side, just under the collarbone. Missed the vest, the bullet it still in there,” Foster tells me, sounding in pain himself.
“Call Dr. Kelly,” I yell at one of Foster’s men.
“Let’s get him inside,” Quinn says. They carry Lawson upstairs to the bedroom I was using and take off his vest. Blood is pouring out of the wound. I grab some towels and put pressure on it.
“Why is he not awake?” I ask Novak. I’m panicking at this point.
“He hit his head going down, and he’s lost a lot of blood.” He looks grim. Just then Dr. Kelly comes in with a medical kit.
“I need room, and men who can hold him down,” Dr. Kelly demands.
I move out of the way and let her get to work. Quinn and Novak are at his side as Dr. Kelly stars digging in his wound and Lawson roars awake. I cringe at what he must be going through, and find it unbearable to even watch. He then passes out again.
“Got the bullet,” Dr. Kelly says. She quickly patches him up then moves to his head and examines it. I’ve been pacing the bedroom like a caged lion waiting for her final assessment. “He was lucky it didn’t shatter the collarbone, but he’s lost a lot of blood and hit his head quite hard. He needs rest and an IV.” She tells me, and I finally release the breath I’m holding.
“Thank you so much Dr. Kelly,” I say and give her a hug. I turn and smile at Novak and Quinn. When I turn to Foster I see him sitting in a chair still holding his arm, blood gushing from the wound. In all my worry over Lawson I completely forgot about Foster being shot too.
“Oh god, Foster are you okay?” I rush over to him and try to peel his hand away.
“I’m fine, just a deep graze,” he reassures me.
“Dr. Kelly, Foster needs stitches.”
“We’ll get you cleaned up downstairs,” Dr. Kelly suggests.
“I’m staying here and do the same for Lawson.” I tell Quinn and Novak.
“Okay but come down sooner rather than later. We’ll need to talk about what’s next,” Novak tells me.
“All right, I won’t be long.” Once they leave I go to the bathroom and grab some washcloths and a bowl. I sit at Lawson’s bedside and start to wipe the blood off him as much as possible. His breathing seems even, like he’s just asleep. I hope he wakes up soon. I can’t stand seeing him like this.
Lawson
I wake up with a pounding headache, and have to fight to open my eyes. I finally do and see an empty room. It’s the one Cleo was in. Suddenly I remember everything and I panic.
“Cleo!” I yell, or try too, but my voice is dry. I struggle to get out of bed, the pain is great but my need to find Cleo is stronger. I rip off the IV in my arm and try again. Just then the door opens and Cleo walks in.
“What the hell Lawson? Get back into bed.” She rushes over to help me. I’m just so glad she’s okay. I sit back and clutch her to me, ignoring the pain in my upper chest.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? How’s the baby?” I fire off questions at her.
She gently pushes away and gifts me with a smile. “Lawson, I’m fine. The baby is fine. I’m more worried about you. You need to heal.” She gently tilts my head forward to examine the gash. I can still feel it throbbing. Knowing she is safe I can finally relax a bit.
“What happened?” I ask.
“What do you remember?” She sits next to me, taking my hand in hers. I grasp it tightly, never wanting to let her go.
“I remember everything until I was shot, then I hit my head on something on my way down.”
“Well, you guys wiped out Arnold’s men. Foster lost a few of his own,” she tells me.
“Who shot me?”
“A traitor within Foster’s men.”
“And Foster?”
“Shot, but he’ll live. It’s just a graze. They guys are downstairs. If you promise me you’ll rest after we talk I’ll help you down there. I know you won’t rest until you hear everything.” I can’t help but laugh. She knows me so well.
“Yes, boss.” I wink, making her laugh. God, I love that sound. I swear you can hear her accent even, thick and rich, full of life just like her.
She helps me out of bed and downstairs to Foster’s office where he, Quinn, and Novak are all sitting around the table.
“Sleeping beauty,” F
oster greets me, making everyone laugh.
“Shut up,” I snap at him and sit down, Cleo next to me.
“How do you feel?” Quinn asks.
“Like shit,” I grumble.
“That’s expected when you get shot. This isn’t your first GSW,” Novak reminds me.
“All the rest have been grazes or through and through. I’ve never had someone digging in me to pull a slug out.”
“Well now you know,” Cleo gives me a cheeky smile.
“So, what’s the aftermath?” I ask Foster.
He lets out a breath. “I had a fucking traitor in my ranks, which explains how Arnold interrupted so many of my shipments along with other shit he’s done. We wiped out all the men he sent this time around and my sources said he’s gone into hiding.” Foster looks relieved.
“I talked to Liam, he and the others soothed over any gaps in inventory and cleaned up some problems that happened during my time away. Everything is handled back home,” Cleo tells me. I know I let a few things go while I was looking for her, but I still can’t bring myself to care. Now that she’s back we can fix anything. Together.
“So, you think Arnold is really gone?” I ask Foster.
He just shrugs. “For now. He lost a battle, not the war.”
“When he comes back you’ll let us know, right? We can help,” Cleo says.
Foster just shakes his head. “You were a pawn in this battle. Arnold wanted power over Washington so he could use it to come after me. It didn’t work. The war is between me and him. I appreciate your help, but I don’t want you involved any longer.”