Rev

by Chloe Plume

  I looked right at him. “Yeah, I do.”

  For the first time ever, Ace looked, well, honest. “Yeah. I figured. Well, listen… I get that we never had that. I just... I’m wishing you the best.”

  “I appreciate that, Ace.” I walked over to where he was sitting. “Listen, you want some tea or something.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, you know, that’d be great.”

  I walked out to the kitchen and heard him get up and walk out towards the dining room.

  “Nice view,” he said loudly.

  I finished heating the water and poured out two cups. “All we have here is some old tea that was probably here before Dean bought the house, so I hope you don’t mind that it’s stale.” I walked into the dining room and put the cup on the weathered, old table.

  Ace turned around. He was standing over the heap of packed bags Dean kept by the door out to the porch. “Guy’s got his routine, huh? Have to say I never really understood Dean…maybe misjudged him.”

  “That’s possible,” I noted, raising my own cup to my lips and taking a sip.

  “Well, listen Saylor, I’m not here to take up your time. I just wanted to make my peace.” Ace walked out to the kitchen and I followed. “I’ll be on my way.”

  “What about the tea?” I asked.

  Ace looked back before he slipped out the door. “Nah. I’m all set here.”

  He left and I thought the toughest part of my evening was over. But then I got a call from my mother. Her water broke and she was heading to the hospital with Roman. I could hear him over the line. I heard him say he didn’t want me there. I heard him freaking out, a mix of excitement and anxiety in his voice. But my mother wanted me there. It was my baby brother. I had to be there, even if they only let me see him for a brief second. So I asked my mother to send someone to give me a ride. And despite Roman’s reservations, she assured me they’d be there in fifteen minutes. I couldn’t believe the night I was having.

  Chapter 25

  Saylor wasn’t at Roman’s house. I’d gone home, and she wasn’t there. I wanted to call her, but I couldn’t. Too much was riding on this, so I couldn’t risk fucking it up.

  I stopped by my house and grabbed my bags. I always kept some gear packed near the back exit in case some shit came up. I really fucking hoped I didn’t need it. I hoped things went smoothly with this Russian drug dealer. But I knew from experience that life was never that easy.

  I unzipped the bag and checked to make sure the automatic weapons were ready to go in case of the worse.

  Of course they are.

  I checked them every week, disassembling, cleaning, and testing each and every piece. I hadn’t used them in the last two years. I hoped I never had a reason to.

  He was by far the ugliest guy I’d ever seen. His wrinkled pug face was small and vicious. His bare lips crimped in the most horrible smile. His teeth were a pale blue under the light of the full moon.

  I extended a hand. “Spider. Pleasure to meet you.”

  He grinned, sharp teeth gleaming. “Ya, ya. You have money?”

  I signaled the two guys behind me and they unloaded a series of duffle bags from the truck we’d driven. I looked around, keeping my eyes open. We were in the middle of the Green Swamp Preserve. Soft ground, not many points of entry for unexpected guests. I wasn’t particularly worried about local police or feds.

  But I was sweating this guy Spider. He seemed way too at ease for the first transaction. So I couldn’t help but wonder when he put his hand up and shook his head.

  Why’s he making trouble? Something’s up…

  “I check all this,” he said. He called one of his guys over and pointed to the heap of black duffel bags near the truck.

  I immediately knew things were about to go south, but I didn’t have the time to respond. Spider’s guy immediately went for my bag, running an electronic surveillance scanner over it.

  It’s a set-up.

  The scanner beeped and Spider smiled. His muscle-bound goon reached into my duffel bag and withdrew a small black plastic square. I stepped back and ducked behind the truck.

  That’s when the gunfire started and the two men I’d brought with me were instantly shot down. Somehow, I was able to get the truck started and back out just in time. I drove home. I had to find a way to reach Saylor, and we both needed to leave immediately.

  Someone planted a government issue GPS tracker in my bag. Which meant we were both in even more danger than I’d anticipated. Not to mention, I’d just lost $10 million of Roman’s money and failed to deliver my end of the bargain.

  If there was ever a time to haul ass…

  Chapter 26

  I hardly saw my little baby brother. The moment I came into the hospital, Roman made it clear he didn’t want me there. My mother invited me in, just for a minute, to hold him in my arms. And when I felt his weight, his tiny breaths, all I felt was sadness. Because I knew he was more a captive than I was. There was nothing I could do. He’d grow up in a world he had no say in. He’d never have the choice to opt out. I guess that’s what Roman meant when he preached Legacy.

  I was told to put him down. I was told that was it, my time was over, and I should get going. And my mother didn’t say a word. I’m sure she had her reasons and I’m sure they made sense to her. But I couldn’t help but feel a deep and crushing sense of loss. I didn’t know where to turn. I got in the car and asked the driver to take me straight back to Dean’s house. I’d figure things out in the morning.

  But just as I pulled into the driveway, Dean’s silver Pontiac screeched onto the street. We met in the front doorway. His face was a mess of concern and dread. He was shaking.

  “What happened?” I put my hand on his shoulder. His body shook and heaved.

  “Saylor…we’ve got to get out of here.”

  “What happened?”

  Dean stepped inside and rushed to the bedroom, pulling random articles of clothing from his closet and packing a dark duffel bag.

  I took a seat on the bed. “Ace was here, earlier. He seemed level-headed, maybe too much so…”

  Dean cocked his head, pausing to reflect for a moment. “Well, that explains it.”

  “What?” I asked, standing up, alarmed.

  “He put a government issue tracker in my bag. Fucked up the exchange. I made a deal with Roman and it went bad. I don’t know what to do, but I know we can’t stay here.”

  “So, what do we do?” I asked.

  “We get in my car and we drive.”

  We roared up the interstate at several times the speed limit, but that was the least of our worries. I’m not even sure what we hoped to accomplish, since there was little chance for a clean escape. Roman would find us. At best, we were buying time.

  “I don’t get it,” Dean exclaimed, breaking the silence. “What’s Ace’s play here? It can’t just be revenge. It can’t be that simple…”

  “Sometimes it is though,” I noted. “Sometimes that’s all it takes. People go to elaborate and excessive lengths.”

  Dean shook his head. “I’m not buying it. This isn’t just human nature and emotional overreaction. Ace is playing for something. He’s a gambler and he’s rolling the dice.”

  Another long tense hour passed. I noticed Dean was beginning to nod off, so I suggested we stop at a motel along the highway.

  “Let me take a look at that, alright?” I requested as Dean plopped down on the sad, thin mattress. “What happened under your eye?”

  “Fight,” Dean replied. “Could have been worse.”

  “That’s no reason to keep doing it.” I walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed several small bottles. “This is going to sting, but you should get the dirt out of the cut.” I gently splashed some vodka under his eye. He didn’t wince. “And just hold these over the swelling, while they’re cold—just don’t drink them all. Now’s probably not the time.”

  Dean nodded. “So, I’m thinking we head up to Maine.”

  “Maine?”
<
br />   “I have friends there. I know the coast well. My mom and I used to head up there, to get away from my dad and all. It’s cold, but beautiful.”

  I wiped my forehead, strolling over to the air conditioner to see if the old unit could do any better. “Well, I’m about done with this heat.” I headed into the bathroom to rinse off.

  I heard Dean over the sound of the shower. “Something that’s been on my mind Saylor: who was that guy at the aquarium?”

  I turned off the faucet. “Wait, you were there? What guy?”

  I heard the sink run and the sound of Dean splashing water over his face. “I was picking you up and I saw that guy with his hands all over you…I can’t deal with that shit, Saylor, I—”

  “Wait, you mean Jonathan? Dean—he’s gay.”

  “Oh. That…makes a lot of sense now…” Dean reached for the shower curtain and stepped inside. He was naked. “I’m sorry.”

  I eyed him up and down, savoring every inch of his perfect body. “So,” I started, trying to think of something to say, “what do you think are chances really are? How long before Roman gets to us?”

  A tense smile spread across the angled contours of his face. “Hey, we’ll figure it out.”

  “So, are we going to shower?” I turned the water on, stepping back from warm stream as it broke across the top of Dean’s muscular chest.

  Dean ducked under the showerhead and let the water run through his hair and down the length of his body. “Fuck, that feels good.” He turned his attention towards me, grinning as his eyes devoured me.

  “What’re you smirking at?” I teased.

  “I was just looking at you and realizing again that you’ve ruined me for anyone else.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, puzzled.

  “Even if I wanted to, I could never be with anyone else after”—he gestured towards me, as I stood naked in the back of the bathtub—“all of this.”

  I smiled. “Guess you’ll just have deal with me forever then.”

  Dean reached out and pulled me under the warm water. He ran his hands over my body, reaching one strong, thick hand between my legs. “If it means this pussy for the rest of my life”—his finger slipped inside me—“fine by me.”

  Even in the shower, I was slick and slippery between my thighs. With Dean’s expert hands working between the folds of my slit, and the warm, steaming water enveloping my body, I fought hard to stay standing. I was going numb, my legs turning to jelly.

  Dean turned me around and put my hands against the back wall of the shower. I yelped as he shoved the wide head of his bulging cock against my slickness.

  I was still tight. I wasn’t ready for his size. But unlike before, when he stretched me gently with his tongue and fingers before entering—this time there was roughness and raw desire. He ripped open the shower curtain and water splashed across the floor. I could see our reflection in the mirror above the sink. I saw the lust in Dean’s eyes. And I watched myself wince as he shoved himself inside of me.

  “Tell me you’re mine!” he commanded, pumping into me. “Mine,” he swore, one hand gripping my ass and the other hand hard and pressing on my back.

  “I’m yours, Dean,” I screamed, feeling the full, hard thrusts of his raw craving. “Always.”

  His cock was massive inside me. The length and level of his arousal was brutal. The mirror above the sink gave me a full view of his dominance over my body. And I loved it. I wanted him to take me, mark me, and make me his own.

  Holy shit! Fuck!

  My breasts bounced against the wall. Dean’s mouth was open, his hair wet and tossed, and carnal intensity radiated from the tense expression of his face. He pulled at my hair, tilted my head back, and I could see his eyes on mine in the mirror.

  “Mine,” he grunted, thrusting deep inside me until I shattered deep in my core.

  I quivered, the throbbing, clenching waves as agonizing as they were pleasurable. I felt Dean erupt deep inside me. I felt his warmth fill me up and watched it spill out of me and down my thighs into the water below us.

  Chapter 27

  We lay together on that tiny motel mattress, her hand across my chest and her head resting against my shoulder. In that moment, I knew I had to do everything I could to protect her, to preserve the most meaningful thing I’d ever had in my entire life. But I also knew—though I didn’t have the heart to tell her—that Roman would find us. We couldn’t escape, at least not in any meaningful way. We’d be looking over our shoulder every damn minute of every day.

  “Do you think we should talk to Roman?” she asked, whispering quietly. “Give it one more chance.”

  “I had my chance.” I ran my fingers through her beautiful, soft hair. “And, again, I really should have seen it coming. The way Spider was acting from the start—”

  “Spider?” Saylor sat up and raised her hand to her forehead. “Where do I know that from?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe something you overheard Roman say. Though he only made contact with the Russians a month ago.”

  Saylor jolted up and off the bed. “No, now I remember. Almost a year ago I overheard Ace talking to some guy he referred to as Spider.” She ran to the pile of our clothes by the bathroom door and began to pull on her skirt. “Ace kept a folder with my modeling documents, contracts, all of that. I remember seeing some correspondences with the name ‘Spider’ in bold…but I don’t remember what they said.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” I noted excitedly. “Ace was talking to Spider behind Roman’s back, before Roman even knew about him. Then Ace worked with Spider to sabotage the deal.”

  Saylor began hastily throwing things into the duffel bag. “Which means, Ace was planning on backstabbing Roman at some point.”

  I stepped into my jeans and threw my shirt on, reaching for my keys. “Destabilize Roman’s operations, call him into question, and then make a bid for the top with Spider’s support. Maybe Ace isn’t so stupid after all.”

  Saylor shook her head. “No, he is. I think I have a way to get those documents—”

  “Saylor,” I interrupted. “No way I’m letting you anywhere near Ace by yourself. I’ll break into his house, grab the files, and bring everything to Roman.”

  “The minute he senses a threat, Ace will destroy all of it.” She stepped towards me and put her arms against my chest. “Trust me Dean.”

  Chapter 28

  Ace answered the door, a slight grin on his face.

  “Well, well…Saylor. Heard you took off with Dean. Roman said to keep an eye out.”

  I did my best to look remorseful. “Ace, I thought about what you said.” I let my eyes sink down and then looked back up at him through my lashes. “I made a mistake.”

  Ace cleared his throat. “Well, that’s true. But come inside, alright.”

  I passed through the overdone entryway into the house I used to share with Ace. He signaled for me to follow him into the living room, and we passed through a long hallway with dozens of pictures of Ace, marking in the most obnoxious manner all his various accomplishments—from catching marlin to becoming a scratch golfer. All these pictures shared in common Ace’s affected demeanor and overbearing presence, from the ridiculously over-the-top clothes he wore on the golf course, to the shit-eating grin he sported on all the fishing trips.

  “So, what happened with Dean?” Ace asked when we reached the expansive living room.

  I dropped my head again. “Dean’s gone. Somewhere up North. Turns out he only cared about himself.”

  Ace wagged his finger. “I could have told you that.” He leaned, satisfied and smug, against the huge tower speakers of his surround sound entertainment system.

  “Ace. I ignored all the great things you did for me. I know now, you were the generous one, the one looking out for me. I acted like a spoiled brat. I’m sorry.”

  Ace nodded. “That’s what I told you. That’s what I was trying to say. But I’m glad you finally got it. Better late than never.”

  I really
hope this works.

  I walked over to Ace and took his hand in mine. Looking up at him in the most contrite manner I could muster, I pleaded. “Please give me another chance.”

  Ace shrugged. “You know, like you said Saylor, I really am a generous guy. You might have to earn it, but I’m willing to open my heart up again, so to speak.”

  Now, I just have to not throw up…

  “Oh, Ace,” I said dramatically, “I just want you so badly right now. It was all I could think about this entire time we were apart.”

  Ace smiled. “Well, no time like the present. I guess we can take this conversation to the bedroom.”

  I did my best to smile back. “Oh, I just had to hitchhike back and I was really looking forward to freshening up. Let me just take a minute to rejuvenate”—I ran my hand down his chest and sighed—“so I can handle a man like you…”

  “Sounds fantastic,” Ace blurted while scuttling to the bedroom.

  I entered the bathroom across from the bedroom and turned the shower on. Peeking through the door, I saw Ace was preoccupied with getting his clothes off. I waited until just the right moment and slipped out, down the hall, and into his study.

  And there it is.

  Sure enough, tucked carelessly behind a stack of books Ace never read, was the plastic folder I’d seen dozens of times when he stashed my contracts away without letting me seen them. But thankfully, I’d caught flashes of the documents here and there. And I was right. Several of them featured Spider’s name in bold.

  Oh wow.

  Thumbing through the printed correspondence between Ace and Spider, I realized just how deep a hole Ace had dug for himself. I quickly scanned through multiple pages, catching choice phrases like “the emperor is on his way out,” “the old man needs to go,” and “you’ll get your piece after we change out the old guard.”

  Roman’s going to love reading through this…

  I was certain it was enough to give Dean and me a real chance. After all, we probably just saved Roman Carmichael’s ass. And he was a man who loved favors and rewarding loyalty…just as much as he loved punishing deceit. I almost felt bad for Ace… Pretty soon, he was going to have a lot on his hands—if he got to keep his hands.