by Mike Dagons
Janie didn’t carry a gun because she didn’t want Yeltsin to know she knew how to use one. He thought she was a brainy desk tech, and nothing more.
She was going into the woods, and she did not want to go unarmed, so she took Yeltsin’s gun from its holster, and slipped it into her waistband at her back. With it safely hidden under her nylon jacket, Janie put the real card in her back pocket. She restored the video feed, and then took one last look at Yeltsin, naked on the bed, before she rushed out the door. If anybody stopped her, she would say she was just going for a run to burn off some of her sexual frustration.
She couldn’t help thinking, only a moron would leave such a valuable item lying around unsecured because he couldn’t wait to fuck. In her opinion, he didn’t deserve to live.
Janie hurried down the hall, which was empty except for a few guards posted. None of them said anything to her as she walked by them and down the stairs.
She walked to the back of the house like she was going to the kitchen, and then she ducked out the side door. She ran across the lawn and down the outside of the hedge maze to the fence at the edge of the woods. It was clearly there just to keep the wildlife from wandering onto the grounds because it wasn’t kept locked. She opened the gate, and walked across a narrow field and into the woods.
Janie walked in total darkness, and didn’t think she was visible to the casual looker. It wasn’t the first time she had been in the woods around the plantation. She had vacationed there last month, and had scouted the property and the woods surrounding it. She had hid a motorboat in the woods, and then taken the time to mark the trees with reflective paint to map out a path from the house to the river that she could follow in the dark.
She was a little disappointed it had been so easy to fool Melvin Ryan. She actually thought he would present more of a challenge, but in the end, he was just like every other man she had ever known, predictable and easy to manipulate.
She followed her markers to a clearing in the trees and there it was; the dirt road that led down to the riverbank, and her ride out.
The road wasn’t wide enough for a car, but it was wide enough for two people to walk, or ride bicycles, side by side. The boat was hidden under a tarp and some bushes a few yards from where the road ended at the riverbank.
Janie was deep enough in the woods now to feel safe turning on her flashlight. No one would see the small beam of light from the house, and there were no guards in the woods.
Soon she would be on her way to the airport to pick up her rental. She was going to take a nice comfortable road trip to Texas, where she would cross the border into Mexico. After a few weeks of leisure, she’d contact her buyer, and sell the card.
Maybe then she’d hire Viper to help her reclaim her daughter. She’d be rich enough to afford them. Or maybe she’d just let Ryan keep the brat, and enjoy the rest of her life as the carefree single girl God intended her to be.
Chapter 29
I got out of my fancy dress and into my jeans and Jordan’s quickly. I put my hair up in a ponytail, and then I put my million dollar ring and my new notepad in my satchel for safe keeping.
I cracked my bedroom door half expecting to find Mark Basin standing there, since he’d been there the last few times that I’d opened it.
No Mark—instant relief. Timing was crucial, and I didn’t want to deal with him right now. It was almost eleven. I wasn’t supposed to meet Janie until midnight, but Choc had told me to get there early. They didn’t trust her, and neither did I.
I had been watching Janie and Petro during dinner, and if I didn’t miss the triumphant look on his face, I was sure that none of the other buyers did either. His winning was supposed to be a secret, but everyone who didn’t win knew he did.
I passed a couple of people working in the kitchen, and acknowledged them with a wave as I made my way to the back door. It was still an hour before I was scheduled to meet Janie, so I sat down on the back steps and got comfortable to wait.
I didn’t have to wait five minutes before I saw her run across the lawn, and dart into the woods. The bitch was pulling a double cross. She had no intention of meeting me tonight.
I was no wilderness girl, so I didn’t attempt to follow her. Roc was armed, faster, and definitely braver than me in the dark. I figured if I’d been told to show up early, he had too. So I decided to spare myself the ordeal of stumbling around the woods in the pitch blackness trying to track her, and headed for the maze to find him.
I charged into the eight foot high hedges, and was instantly plunged into a darkness so thick it was suffocating. I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face.
I wasn’t in there a minute before I realized the tunnel of insect buzzing walls was scarier than any dark alley I’d ever walked. I was starting to think it would have been safer to follow Janie into the woods.
I don’t know why I didn’t think to bring a flashlight, I thought, when I crashed into a wall of bushes. I backed up and tried another direction. I needed to run, but I was afraid I would kill myself if I did, so I fast walked with my hands out in front of me like the blind person that I was.
I stumbled in the darkness for a few more minutes before a large hand, that I did not see coming, clamped down over my mouth, cutting off the scream that leaped out of my throat.
“It’s me,” Roc whispered in my ear, before he removed his hand. “You got the card?”
“Janie double crossed us. I saw her running into the woods a couple of minutes ago.”
“Valow, you were right, she’s following the markers we saw on the trees. She still has the card,” he spoke quietly into his com-link.
“Roger that,” he came back a second later.
“You go on back to the house and wait to leave with everybody else. We’re going to stay in the vicinity until y’all get on the plane.”
We both heard it, and Roc had his Sigs out and at the ready in an instant. “Severe, where are you?” It was Ceylon’s voice.
“It’s Ceylon,” I whispered.
“He saw you come in, so it’s not safe for you to go back,” Roc whispered back. “Call him, and I’ll take him out.”
“No, you just go. I’ll handle him.”
“This dude is too good for you to handle alone.”
“Trust me, I got this.”
“This is no game, girl. He’ll kill you, and I’m not leaving you here to die. Call him.”
“No!” I shouted a whisper. “You kill him, and it’s all been for nothing. Just get out of here, Roc, or I swear I’ll…”
“Severe, where are you?!” Ceylon shouted again.
“Go,” I shoved Roc away from me, and then yelled. “I’m over here! I’m kindá lost! Where are you?”
Roc disappeared into the darkness a second before a beam of light hit me. “What are you doing in here?” he asked as he moved the light over the bushes behind me.
We both heard the rustling, and like Roc, Ceylon had his weapon out and at the ready in an instant. “I followed a rabbit in here, and in my excitement, I forgot I didn’t have a flashlight. I lost him, and then I got turned around and couldn’t find my way out. You here that?” I asked when we heard the rustling again. “It’s him.” It was a good excuse for the noise Roc was making, hopefully on his way out. “C’mon, maybe we can still catch him,” I turned like I was about to run deeper into the maze, and Ceylon grabbed my arm and stopped me.
“Girl, you are crazy,” he laughed. “I’m not going to chase a rabbit in this thing and wind up in wonderland,” he holstered his gun.
His laughter was so heartfelt and genuine, it made me feel good. I started laughing with him. “I love your laugh,” I touched his cheek.
He was holding the flashlight so that the beam was shining in our faces, allowing me to see his eyes. Dark dreamy eyes that made my heart flutter. He looked down into my face and held my gaze. For thirty seconds, neither of us said a word. I lowered my eyes to his mouth, and he bit down on his bottom lip. His mouth was perf
ectly inviting, so I rose up on my toes, and softly touched my lips to his. He didn’t respond at first. He just kept gazing down at me. Then he took my face in his hands. Pressing the flashlight against the side of my head, he pulled my mouth to his, and really kissed me. Suddenly, the darkness wasn’t scary anymore.
He moved his hand down under my arm and rubbed it up and down my back. His hands were large, his fingers spanning the width of my waist. He rubbed it down over my butt, and then pressed me to him.
I loved the feeling of being plastered to him, and having his hard body rubbing against mine. I deepened our kiss, filling my mouth with his tongue. Desire burned through me like a hot flame, and I forgot about Janie, the card, Roc, who might be hiding in the bushes watching us. His kiss was electrifying. My heart pounded, and my mind soared. I wanted him, and I didn’t pretend that I didn’t.
I tightened my arms around his neck, and then hopped up, and wrapped my legs around his waist. I pressed myself against his bulging hardness and felt how much he had to offer. God, he has a lot,” I thought as I sized him up.
Ceylon cupped my butt, and kept me fastened to him, while he got down on his knees. We were both still fully dressed, but the sensation I was getting from rubbing myself against him nearly made me cum.
He laid me down on my back, and I started unbuckling my pants. “You sure about this?” he asked, as he busily unfastened his own.
“Yes,” I breathed, and pushed my pants down over my hips.
In a fit of urgency, we both pulled and tugged at my shoes and pants until I was naked from the waist down. He didn’t bother with taking his pants off completely. He just pushed them down enough to free himself, and then he plunged into me, hard, sending ripples of pleasure through me that made me whimper.
He dropped the flashlight, and we were blindfolded by the darkness. He became an invisible lover possessing not only my body, but my entire being. He filled me completely, touching areas I knew had never been touched before. I came with such intensity, I howled. He kept a steady rhythm, not giving the pleasure a chance to subside. He took me higher and higher, transforming me into a brazenly loud begging wench. He was magnificent. God, I had never known such magnificence. The pleasure was indescribable, and I didn’t want it to ever end. I pleaded with him. Shamelessly, begged him not to stop what he was doing to me.
He sucked my tongue into his mouth, probably to shut me up, and it added a layer of tenderness to our lovemaking that made me want to scream louder.
“Oh, baby,” he moaned into my mouth, as he started to ejaculate, and then he gradually slowed his stroke. The feel of him spilling inside me made me cum again, and then again.
I had been living in a constant state of fear the last week, and maybe it was why it felt so damn good to release. I swear I’d never cum so hard and long in my life. All of the tension, self doubt, and worry escaped, leaving me limp.
I hugged him close and whispered, “I think I love you,” and dammit, I meant it. He had blown my fucking mind!
He chuckled lightly, and then picked up the flashlight and positioned it so the light was shining on our faces. “I want to see your face when you say you love me,” he stroked my brow with his fingertips. “Now, please, say it again.”
“I love you,” I smiled.
“I love you, too,” he smiled, and then kissed me.
Okay, so I knew he didn’t really mean it, but it sure felt good to hear him say it while he was still buried deep inside me.
“I think we should find your pants,” he said when he broke off the kiss.
“You think?” I was all grins.
He pushed himself up off me, and then pulled his pants up with the flashlight still in his hand.
I sat up and watched him sweeping the ground with the light until he saw my pants and shoes. He picked them up and dropped them in my lap.
I held the waistband, and then rocked back while I drew my knees up. I shoved both feet into my pant legs at the same time, and then I sprang to my feet. I stuffed my panties in a pocket, and stepped into my shoes.
When I finished, Ceylon pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. “Thank you,” he whispered against my hair.
“Thank me, for what?” I pressed my mouth to his chest.
“For saying you love me. I know you didn’t really mean it. I mean I know why you said it, but it was nice to hear.”
“How you know I didn’t really mean it?” I teased.
“You don’t know me,” he chuckled.
“What I do know, I love,” I cupped him, making him laugh some more.
“You are remarkably funny.”
“Nah, you’re remarkably funny,” I laughed.
“Most chicks would have been too scared of rejection to open up to me like that.”
“You said you love me too, why? Most guys would have choked on the words, even if they didn’t mean them. Ain’t you scared that I’m going to take you seriously and be sweating you now that you’ve said you love me?”
“Did I feel like most guys when I was inside you?”
“Absolutely not,” I chuckled.
“A’ight then, I ain’t scared like them either,” he snorted a laugh. “We’d better get back before you’re missed.” He took my hand, and we walked out of the maze together.
I wasn’t surprised when I saw Mark crossing the lawn coming towards us. He watched me like a hawk. “Where was the bitch hiding?” he asked when he got close to us.
“Severe was lost in the maze. She was chasing a rabbit,” Ceylon tightened his hold on my hand, and pulled me forward right by Mark Basin.
“Say what?!” he laughed. “Girl, you are too stupid.”
We both ignored him, and kept it moving. “Why does he hate me so much?” I asked Ceylon as we headed up the stairs.
“Its way too concentrated to be hate, baby. My guess is he desires you more than he hates you.”
“You’re kidding,” I chuckled.
“Nah, he’s got a thing for you. You know they say it’s a thin line between love and hate.”
“I know that line gon’ have to be a whole lot thinner before I cross it with him.”
He laughed that heart stirring laugh again, and it went straight to mine. I had just been talking when I said that I loved him, but loving him would be so easy to do. He stopped at my door. “I’ll see you tomorrow before you leave, unless you’re staying for the big shindig.”
“I don’t plan to stay. You promise to see me before I go?”
“Yeah, I promise.”
“Can we keep in touch after I leave?” I asked, knowing damn well it wasn’t a good idea. We worked for rival agencies, and he didn’t even know I was in the business.
“Is this you sweating me?”
“Yeah, it’s me sweating you.”
“I like being sweated.”
“Then you’ll keep in touch?”
“I said I love you, so I have to keep in touch. See you tomorrow.”
He glared into my eyes for a long moment, and I wanted to kiss him as badly as he was looking like he wanted to kiss me. “See you tomorrow,” he said again as he backed away.
I watched him walking backwards until he turned, and then rounded the corner at the end of the corridor. I backed into my room, and then locked my door.
I got into the shower feeling more relaxed than I had in weeks. After I finished a long, hot shower, I curled up in bed alone wishing I could expect more romantic moments with him like we’d shared tonight.
He was the first guy I’d felt that kind of connection with ever, and I wanted to pursue him, even though I knew it was silly. The life I’d chosen didn’t afford the luxury of meaningful relationships. I knew this, but I still drifted off to sleep thinking about Ceylon Battle, and I dreamed about waking up next to him for the next fifty years.
Chapter 30
Janie could hear the river flowing now, and knew that she was close to her boat. When she saw the tree she had marked with an X, she knew she was less than
twenty feet away from the old camp site clearing where it was hid in the thicket.
She turned to her left, and then veered off the path at the tree. With her light trained on the ground in front of her, she trudged forward, placing each foot carefully to make sure the dry leaves and dead branches were the only things she stepped on.
When she finally stepped into the clearing, she stopped and took a long relieved breath. She stood still, and slowly moved the flashlight beam over the bushes, trying to pinpoint the one she’d concealed the boat under.
When she spotted it, she relaxed knowing she was literally, almost out of the woods. She took a step forward, and Valow suddenly appeared in front of her like a white faced phantom. “Valow!” she shrieked in surprise. She hadn’t even heard him coming. Not a single footfall.
“Nowhere to run now except into the Mississippi,” he said in that creepy calm voice of his.
“I wasn’t running. I was looking for you,” she lied.
“Is that right?” his smile was menacing.
“Yeah, they had a guard posted on Severe, so I decided it was too dangerous to try to approach her.” She tried to look relieved to see him instead of terrified. “I knew how important it was to get the card out the house quickly, so I made the decision not to wait, and bring it to you myself. I knew I’d find you out here, or you’d find me.”
“I am truly impressed by how effortlessly you can lie. How do you dream them up so quickly? Or do you have a catalog of them that you pull from as needed?”
“I’m not lying. I was bringing you the card,” she insisted.
“Where is it?” he asked.
“I have it right here in my back pocket.” She reached behind her back.
In a blur of speed, Valow was on her, tagging her with the Sig he hadn’t even had in his hand a second ago. The blow wasn’t hard enough to knock her out, but it did put her on her face in the dirt. He dropped a knee in her back before she could move, went under her jacket, and got the gun she had stuck in her waistband.