“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Xavier gives me a bro hug and I leave the bathroom.
Making my way down the stairs, I contemplate our conversation. I halt at the top of the stairs when something he said occurs. What the actual fuck? Why did he say they’re in jeopardy?
I turn back around to ask him, but I hear the shower kick on. I’ll have to ask him when he comes out. Both will have a tough time finding their way back to the people they once were, but I will be with them every step of the way. They will never be the same, but they have a choice to grow and conquer this together.
Voices drift up the stairs and I can hear Mia laughing about something. Ashley giggles too and a smile graces my lips. That voice can pick me up when I feel like I’m going to surrender to the darkness. I have the sudden urge to wrap my arms around her and feel her warm, soft body against mine.
Walking down the stairs quickly, I find Ashley sitting next to Harris at the dining room table watching video surveillance tapes, talking quietly to each other. Mia and Christian are curled up in the chair talking to each other. Ashton, Rush, and Ace are standing at the floor to ceiling windows looking out at Central Park. Marks and Ramirez are pacing back and forth, waiting for orders to do the job.
Ashley head snaps up from the laptop and offers me a bright smile. God, I love that woman with my whole being. I make my way toward her and she stands up from her chair, waiting for me to sit down with her.
“Mia, can you find clothes for X and leave them in the first bedroom? He’s taking a shower right now.”
“Yes, I know right where they are,” she gets up and gives Christian a quick kiss before disappearing up the stairs. Christian stands up and heads over to us at the dining room table.
I reach Ashley and pull her into my arms. I kiss the top of her head as she wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head against my beating heart. We stand like this for a few moments before Harris interrupts our little bubble.
“Hey boss, I got something here,” he says pointing at the screen. I release my hold on Ashley but keep her next to me. Harris hits the play button and the images come to life on the screen. I watch carefully as I see Izzy exit the house between Wrath and Switch. Wrath as her hand wrapped around Izzy’s ropes, dragging her along. Watching her manhandle Izzy is pissing me off. It must be pissing Ashley off too because I can feel the tension radiating from her body. They come to a black car idling in a parking spot out front and Wrath shoves Izzy hard into the back seat. A man wearing a baseball hat, dark hoodie and blue jeans approaches them and climbs into the back seat with her. Someone says something, and he leans his head out the window. Suddenly his hat flies off his head, like someone knocked it off, revealing his face. Ashley sucks in a deep breath and her body trembles. He pulls his head back into the window and the car speeds off.
“Follow that car,” Ashley says, trembling.
“I’m on it,” Harris reveals. He pulls up several smaller screens and we watch the car drive for a few blocks. It pulls into a parking garage in Midtown and Harris pulls up the information on the garage. “It’s at Park Here, Pay Here parking garage in the abandoned part of the business district in Manhattan. It’s about twenty blocks from here.”
“Yeah, but where did they go from there? Are there any cameras in there?” I ask, excited that we have a lead.
“Let me check,” he types codes into the laptop and suddenly the parking garage comes to life. He backtracks to when they pull in.
“Freeze it right there,” I rumble. Harris pauses the video when the car enters the garage and the driver grabs a ticket.
“Holy shit. What’s he doing?” Ashley asks as she stares at the screen.
“He’s keeping her safe. Let’s focus on that.” I respond when Ashley sees her brother Austin on the screen. His face appears pained and then we watch as he turns his head to the backseat. He says something then drives off. We follow the car up to the top and watch as they get out. Shaun yanks Izzy out of the car and she falls to her knees. Austin steps between them and helps Izzy up, gently. He whispers something in her ear and she slightly nods her head while shooting daggers at Sean. Austin gently cups her arm and leads her down the stairwell and out into the street. We follow them on the cameras until they disappear into an abandoned warehouse.
“That’s it. That’s the end of the footage,” Harris says. “The warehouse is an old abandoned machine shop. Squatters and druggies take up residence there. That’s where they have Izzy and I’ll guarantee your boy Redline is there too.”
“Get the address. Ace, can you contact your men and tell them about the shipment coming in tonight? Will they stop the exchange while we go after Izzy?” I ask.
“On it,” Ace replies.
Xavier’s heavy footsteps stomp down the stairs with Mia in tow. “What did you find?”
“They have Izzy at an old machine shop,” I respond.
“So, why are we standing here with our thumbs up our ass, let’s go and get my girl.”
“We can’t go in half-cocked. We will go and get her, but we need to assess everything around us to keep her and us safe. X, let me do my job.” I growl. He’s going to get her and himself killed if he goes in guns blazing.
“I can’t just stand here and let something happen to her,” he pleads.
“You aren’t, and we won’t. We’re getting around and now we have a lead we’ll get shit done. You go in there in this state of mind won’t help her or anyone else.”
“But...”
“No, no fucking but’s. I’ve been doing this job for years. If you can’t trust me to get this done, then I’ll leave your ass here tied up under Mia’s watchful eye. You got it?” I roar.
“Yeah, I got it.” Xavier sulks.
“Good. Harris, get all the blueprints on the warehouse and see if you can find any live camera feeds. We need to know every entrance, exit, and obstacle inside.”
“On it boss.” Harris turns back to the laptop and types.
I shift my body so I’m watching Xavier. His eyes are burning into the side of my head and he’s pissed. “Look, I get that you want to go in there and tear shit up. So do I. Here’s the thing, we need to access everything and everyone inside that building. If we go in now, we will put Izzy in danger. We can’t go in half-cocked. It must be thought out, planned and executed to perfection. My team has been doing this for years. Trust me to do my job.”
Xavier doesn’t want to listen, but he has to. I don’t know how else to get my point across and make sure he doesn’t go in there without us.
“Xavier,” Ashley says gently. His body shifts from an attack stance to alert as she approaches him slowly. “You and I need to have a chat. Come on.” She pushes him toward the staircase and he walks with her willingly. She turns around and gives me a wink. “I’ll handle this, you stay here and keep working.” They walk up the stairs together and disappear out of my site. Mia jumps up and follows them.
Christian, Ashton, Marks, and Ramirez are standing behind me. Each awaiting orders. It feels good to be back in control, back taking action. “Ashton, what’s our weapons look like? Are we good to go?”
“Come on Christian let’s get them ready,” Ashton and Christian leave the room together.
“Got the blueprints, boss,” Harris says from the table. I lean over his chair and take in the warehouse layout. The main floor has three huge overhead doors on the east side of the building with two exit points. The west side of the building has a smaller overhead door and one exit point. The north and the south side have two exit points each. They used the south side of the building for storage at one point. The center of the main floor is a huge open space with skylights above. The second level is a catwalk all around the building with several rooms used for office space.
“Here is where we’ll enter,” I say pointing to the top of the blueprints. “We’ll climb up to the roof and go in through the maintenance entrances. That way we can watch from the catwalk and see where they have Izzy and Redlin
e at. We might get lucky and they’ll be in one of the rooms, but I doubt it. My guess is that they’re going to be in the center of the main floor. We’ll be exposed trying to get to them, but that’s where Marks, Harris, and Ramirez’s skills will come into play. You three will stay up top and pick off anyone trying to sneak up on us. Ashton and Christian will be with me on the ground floor.”
“What about Ace, Rush and Xavier?” Marks speaks up.
“Ace, you and Rush good at covering the east side exit points? We’ll need to use your cars again. I’ll keep Xavier with me.”
“Works for me. Can I use any of my guys? They’ll kill me if I do this alone.”
“Yes, bring in three of your guys. The ones you trust with your life, not some flunky looking for a quick in. Have them guard the other exits and only act if necessary. Have them meet us on Madison Ave. We go in tonight while Switch and Wrath are busy with the drop. Are your other guys still set up to intercept?”
“Yes, they’re all ready to roll.”
“Great. Hey, Ace.”
“Yeah, Nolan,” Ace’s light brown eyes watch me carefully.
“Thanks for your help.”
“Any time brother,” An understand passes between us. We might not have always been on the same side, but at this moment, we’re together and that means something.
“OK team let’s get some rest. We’re going to have a long night ahead of us,” I check the time on the massive clock on the wall. It’s already eight a.m. and the sun’s rising, promising a new day, casting a red fiery haze through the floor to ceiling windows. I walk up the staircase in search of my girl, leaving the rest of my team to get their heads ready for tonight. Right now, all I want is to feel Ashley’s soft curves against my body.
Chapter 27
Nolan
Walking up the staircase, I watch below for a moment. My team, my family is mulling around, trying to relax. Christian and Ashton return with several big black bags and begin checking and rechecking our weapons. Harris, Marks, and Ramirez disappeared into the kitchen and Rush and Ace are talking quietly to each other again. That puts my senses on alert, but I’ll deal with that later. Right now, I just want to find my girl.
Satisfied my team will be ready, I turn and walk up another set of stairs that lead onto the rooftop. Sitting in a wrought iron chair with a huge fluffy white cushion, I find Ashley. She has her legs curled underneath her, watching the sun rise over the rooftop. Xavier and Mia are sitting on a matching couch and there’s a coffee table separating them. Xavier has his head down, resting his elbows on his knees. Mia is rubbing his back soothingly. Ashley is the first to notice me standing in the doorway and a smile lights her face. She motions for me to come over with a flick of her head and I walk outside.
“How’s it going down there?” Ashley asks.
“Good, we’re all set for tonight. We need to get some rest and regroup. Ace is bringing in a few of his men and together we’ll get Izzy and Redline back. The plan should work as long as everyone does what they’re supposed to do.” I stare at Xavier as I speak the last part. His head snaps up and there are tears in his eyes again. He wipes them away and an understanding passes between us. “X, I’m sorry I came down hard on you earlier. I can’t let you go off and get yourself killed. I need you with me tonight. If we go in right now, it’ll only put Izzy in jeopardy. I understand you want action now because you’ve been idle for so long, but it will come. I promise. You’ll be with me on the front line. If we go now, we won’t have the element of surprise on our side. We must penetrate the warehouse at the same time the drop goes down. Switch and Wrath will be busy with that and have some half-ass goons watching them. It’s our best shot.”
“I know, and Ashley is very persuasive. I lost my head for a minute. I promise I won’t go off and do something stupid. I’m with you.” Xavier stands up and stretches. “I’m going to go and see if I can help with something. Thank you, Nolan, for everything.”
“Don’t thank me. None of this would have happened to you if you didn’t know me. It’s my fault you’re put in this situation and I promise these fuckers are going to pay.”
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t choose to kidnap us. They did. Let’s focus on that and stop feeling guilty for something that’s beyond your control.” Xavier gives me a bro hug and they head back inside. It’s now just Ashley and me up here.
I walk to the edge of the roof and overlook the bustling city below. Ashley approaches me from behind and wraps her arms around my waist, leaning her front to my back. I can feel her soft curves against me and my dick takes notice. Turning around, I pull Ashley into my arms and hold her tight, burying my nose in her hair. Her heart is beating hard against her chest and her breath hitches. She picks her head up from my chest and peers into my eyes. No words are needed between us as my lips descend upon hers in a quick motion.
She parts for my probing tongue and I kiss her with built up passion and tension. She returns the kiss, our tongue’s battling back and forth. I squeeze her perfectly round ass and lift her up. She wraps her legs around my waist and grinds on my jean covered hard-on. There are too many clothes separating us at the moment when a groan escapes her lips and goes straight to my straining cock. I pull her hips down onto me hard and she releases a whimper. I break our passionate kiss and walk with her still wrapped around me to the doors leading outside. I close the door with my foot and offer her a devilish smirk. She knows what I’m about to do and the fire is reflecting from her eyes. Ashley yanks her hoodie and shirt up over her head while trusting me to hang onto her. She tosses them behind her and my lips latch onto a lace covered tit, sucking it into my mouth. She throws her head back while I assault her tits and rubs herself on me.
“I bet you’re soaking wet for me right now,” I groan. I quickly remove her bra and suck on her other nipple. She arches into my touch and that fuels me on more. I navigate my way back to the couch and lay her down onto it. I watch her lust filled eyes as she squirms under my smoldering gaze. Yanking my hoodie and shirt over my head, I toss them behind me and crawl my way up Ashley’s body. I kiss and lick her stomach while my fingers quickly pop the button on her jeans and pull the zipper down slowly, the sound of the teeth pulling apart sets my skin on fire until I have the zipper all the way down. Ashley lifts her hips and helps me pull off her jeans and tiny underwear she insists on wearing. I toss them behind me to the growing pile of clothes. I unzip and remove my jeans and boxers and toss them behind me, too. Ashley’s biting her bottom lip, her brown eyes are dark with desire, watching me. My heart beats hard against my chest as I drape my body over hers. She spreads her legs wide for my massive frame. I rest my cock between her wet folds and run my fingers up and down her pussy, coating my digits with her heat. I pinch her clit and she squirms under my hand. My mouth collides with hers as she arches her back, seeking what I’m offering.
“What do you want Ash?” I ask, my deep tone vibrating against her lips. She can’t complete a sentence with as high as I’m bringing her and it turns me on that this strong, independent woman is mush under my hands.
“You, I want you inside me,” she groans and digs her nails into my back, pushing me closer to her body. Her hips rise and fall in tempo with my fingers as I strum her clit down to her opening.
Done with foreplay, I give my girl what she wants. I grab my hard shaft and rub it along her wet folds. Once I reach her entrance, I surge forth with a grunt until she’s wrapped around me tightly. “Fuck, you feel perfect,” I grunt.
I hold myself still, waiting for her to adjust to my size. Ashley bucks her hips underneath me and I pull all the way out before thrusting back in again. Her breath hitches in her throat and a moan pass through her lips. I can’t contain myself as the sweat beads down my back and my blood stokes with fire from what this woman does. The push and pull of our sweaty bodies, the grunts and groans, the smell of sex and the warm spring sun is too much for me to handle. As Ashley finds her release, she clamps down onto my rock-hard
shaft, bucking, squeezing, and moaning my name. I tighten my grip on her hips and thrust into her to the hilt, rocking her mind and black spots cloud my vision as I come hard.
Out of breath, I release my death grip on her hips and almost fall off the little couch we’re on. Ashley tries to stifle her giggle at the way my body is reacting, and I glare at her, jokingly.
“Watch it, woman, I still have you pinned down.” I tease and suck on the side of her neck. Her giggles turn to moans and I feel my shaft getting hard again. This time around, I’m gentle with her as she scratches her nails up and down my back, urging me to move faster.
We make love until the sun peeks over the rooftop, casting Ashley in a heavenly glow. My angel, the light in a world of darkness. One look from her honey brown eyes and I’m spent. I’ll do whatever, whenever she asks. I’m not afraid to admit she’s my weakness and strength all in one tiny package.
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A few hours later, I’m awakened by a knock on the bedroom door. Sitting up, I look around, trying to figure out how I got here. Memories of the rooftop with Ashley flash in my head and I can’t help but smile. After we made love one more time, I carried her quickly into the bedroom and we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms. Her warm soft body curving around mine, holding onto me as if her life depended on it. I cast a glance at her side of the bed and Ashley isn’t here. Panic consumes me. Where did she go? What happened? Another loud knock on the door draws my attention to it and I get up. I hear the shower running in the attached bathroom and stick my head inside the door. Relieved it’s Ashley in the shower, I turn back around and throw on a pair of jeans. Leaving them unbuttoned, I yank the door open before the intruder knocks again and come face to face with Ace.
His light brown eyes are accessing me, carefully. I open the door and he walks into the room. His body is ridged, and his eyes are watching everything at once. “Ace is everything all right?” I ask.
“No, it’s not. Your boy is going to get us all killed if he doesn’t straighten his shit up,” Ace growls and sits on the big white chair in the corner of the room.
Savage Chaos (Racing Dirty Series Book 3) Page 19