by Zoey Parker
“No. I am fine,” Vince said, quickly catching Jinx’s meaning. He was resolutely determined not to fall victim to his desires. Spike had ordered him to stand guard, and Georgia had already given one of them the slip.
Poor Andre, Vince thought, remembering the ridicule the huge man had faced upon returning to the house. He’s never going to live that one down.
Spike had called Andre after discovering Georgia was at the house and reamed the man out. Andre had burst into the room, startling Stacy from what had been a very satisfying nap, and had come back to headquarters to a ruined reputation.
“Come on, Vince, everyone’s still asleep,” Jinx whispered, stretching up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “We can make it a quickie. She’ll be passed out until noon; you’ll be back in a half hour, tops.”
Jinx slid her hand down Vince’s broad chest to the front of his jeans. Slipping her hand into his pocket, her fingers found the outline of his long shaft. At her touch, it immediately began to harden and swell. Jinx smiled. She knew she was only a few deft movements away from convincing Vince to join her in her room.
Jinx reached up to press her lips to the hollow of Vince’s throat—a spot she knew he loved. His large hands came down to meet around her waist, drifting lower and lower until he could cup her ass.
Jinx moaned into him, her hand gripping his cock through his pants. Vince tweaked her nipple in response, lightly flicking her nipple ring the way he knew she liked. Jinx moaned again, louder this time.
Georgia, still listening in, blushed and stepped away from the door, embarrassed to be overhearing her friend in such an intimate setting.
Jinx unbuckled Vince’s belt, tugging on one of the ends as she pulled him towards her room. “Let’s go,” she said, panting with desire, an eager grin on her face.
At this point Vince didn’t even know who Georgia was, let alone that he was supposed to be guarding her. Plucking at the buttons on Jinx’s shirt, he followed her into the room, kicking the door shut behind him.
The second the door closed, Jinx jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and pushing his jeans down with her feet. Vince met her enthusiasm by unhooking her bra and taking her breast into his mouth, his tongue encircling the metal piercing.
“Oh fuck, Vince. You know just how I like it,” Jinx said, smiling sweetly down at him.
Vince dumped her onto the bed, chuckling as he climbed on top of her. “Of course. I know everything you like,” he said, looking deep into her eyes.
Jinx let out a soft, satisfied sigh as he entered her. She hooked her arms around his neck, letting him fill her body. They moved together, Vince murmuring in her ear as Jinx climbed higher and higher.
She came, Vince following barely a moment later. They pressed their foreheads together, panting as they smiled at one another.
Vince rolled over onto his back, pulling Jinx in close to his side. “That was amazing,” he said, kissing her forehead. He closed his eyes. After the stressful week everyone had been having, that was exactly what he needed. He let out a deep sigh, satisfaction sweeping through his body.
He drifted off to sleep, feeling the pulse of his lover’s heartbeat against his chest.
***
Georgia cautiously opened the door, cringing when the hinges squeaked. Screamed, more like it, Georgia thought, glaring accusingly at the offending hardware.
She paused outside one of the rooms, hearing the familiar noises of two people locked in the throes of a passionate tryst. Georgia’s stomach twisted, remembering how only a few days ago, Jimmy had been sent to tell her and Spike to keep the level down on their own rendezvous.
Georgia began to carefully make her descent down the steps when the stair beneath her foot groaned loudly. She froze, holding her breath, waiting to see if anyone had heard the seemingly deafening sound. At the base of the steps, a face appeared around the corner. It was Roxy.
She held up her hands, motioning for Georgia to stay where she was. Roxy looked into the room to her left, then waved her hand for Georgia to continue down the stairs, holding one finger to her lips.
Georgia got to the first floor without any more problems, thankfully. She looked into the side room to see Spike sleeping on the couch and suddenly she was very, very grateful for Roxy’s help.
“Thanks,” she breathed once Roxy had led her past the living room, to the back door of the house.
“Don’t worry about it—it’s nothing none of us wouldn’t do for each other,” Roxy said, checking over her shoulder to make sure Spike hadn’t suddenly materialized behind them. “Jimmy’s parked in the alley at the end of the block. I’ll do my best to keep Spike occupied when he wakes up, but there are no guarantees,” she warned Georgia.
“I’ll take whatever I can get,” Georgia said.
“Then take this,” Roxy said. She opened the top drawer of the kitchen cabinet. Inside were two guns, the smaller of which Roxy pulled out and handed to Georgia. “Do you know how to work it?” she asked.
“Make sure the safety is off and pull the trigger?” Georgia said.
“Basically,” Roxy agreed. She leaned back to glance out the window; everyone was still outside, but Georgia needed to hurry. “Keep the safety on until it’s time to use it, otherwise you’ll end up shooting your tits off.”
“Thanks again, Roxy,” Georgia said, hugging her tightly.
Roxy hugged her back until she heard movement from upstairs. Someone had woken up and was walking down the steps. “Go!” she whispered roughly, pushing Georgia out the front.
Georgia stumbled across the back porch and down the steps, nearly falling flat on her face. Righting herself, she looked up the alley one way, then the other, trying to spot Jimmy’s car. The early morning sun blinded her, making it difficult to pick out the old Toyota. A car at the end of the road started its engine, tapping its brake lights and catching Georgia’s attention.
She jogged down to the end of the block, double checked that it was in fact Jimmy behind the wheel, and hopped into the car.
“Hey, Mrs. Turner,” Jimmy said, nervously checking his rearview mirror.
“Just call me Georgia, Jimmy,” she tiredly replied. Georgia was terrified; she had no idea what she was going to do, or how she was going to do it, and the last thing she needed right now was to be constantly reminded of Spike and his betrayal.
“Okay, Georgia,” Jimmy said, her name feeling awkward and uncomfortable in his mouth. “Where are we going?”
Georgia didn’t reply for a long minute—she needed to think.
Felix won’t even be inside the city limits for another three hours. How do I get Ivan to come to me before he can hurt Felix?
Her plan was simple: get Ivan to come to her, then blow his brains out. Georgia knew that as long as Ivan was out of the picture, Felix would be safe. Anything that happened after that was just collateral.
“I need to go home,” Georgia said flatly.
Jimmy stared at the townhome as he pulled into the driveway twenty minutes later. The garage was demolished, the windows were boarded up, and bullet holes were lodged in the siding?
“You’re going to stay here?” Jimmy asked doubtfully. “I don’t know, Mrs. Turn—I mean, Georgia. I never thought I would say this, but Spike’s house seems like a safer place for you to be.”
Georgia opened the car door and got out. “I’m not looking for safe, I’m looking for my brother.” She leaned onto the car door, peering at Jimmy through the open window. “Thanks for everything, Jimmy. I hope we see each other again.”
Waving goodbye as he backed the car out of the drive, Georgia sighed and turned to go inside, carefully checking to make sure she still had the gun in her bag. Even though Ivan wasn’t supposed to be back for another couple of hours, Georgia wanted to search her home top to bottom for the man, just in case.
Once she was satisfied that she was the only one in the house, Georgia began to scope out the best vantage point for her to carry out her plan. The
problem was it all depended on which way Ivan decided to enter the house, and Georgia didn’t know how to predict that.
She was sitting in her bedroom, trying to get inside the mind of a sociopathic Russian mobster, when she heard a car outside. Georgia panicked immediately, thinking it was Ivan come early.
Calming herself, Georgia remembered that Ivan still didn’t know she was here. So who could it be? Not Spike, or I would have heard his bike instead of a car. Jimmy? Did he forget something?
Holding the gun at her side in a tense grip, Georgia carefully tiptoed her way to the front entrance. There was a small window near the top of the door which allowed Georgia to see the top of someone’s head—someone who had very shiny, straight black hair.
Georgia threw open the door, grabbing Stacy’s wrist and yanking her inside.
“Hey!” she protested. “Watch it, I bruise easily.”
“What are you doing here?” Georgia hissed. “You can’t be dropping by whenever you feel like it! It’s not safe!”
Stacy abruptly stopped rubbing her pained wrist and gave Georgia a cold look. “Funny, that’s exactly what I came here to tell you.”
“How did you even know I was home?” Georgia asked, peeking through the door window for overly observant neighbors.
“I didn’t,” Stacy said, annoyed. “When you didn’t call me, again, I made my rounds. I stopped by Spike’s, but when Roxy answered the door, she just slammed it in my face, the fucking bitch. I took that to mean you weren’t there.”
Georgia sighed. “Sorry. It’s not Roxy’s fault. She probably just didn’t want Spike to see you.”
“And why would that be a problem?” Stacy asked confusedly.
“Because I sort of escaped this morning,” Georgia confessed.
“Why are you escaping from your boyfriend’s house?”
“He’s not my boyfriend!” Georgia snapped, her eyes flashing. Stacy raised an eyebrow, and Georgia’s lip began to tremble. “You were right, okay?” Georgia said. “Spike was just using me. He made that very clear last night. So, go ahead, say ‘I told you so.’”
Stacy wrapped her arms around her friend. “I think you’ve had it bad enough that you don’t need me rubbing your face in it.”
Georgia cried on Stacy’s shoulder for a few minutes; the stress of her brother, the confusion with Spike, everything was so overwhelming. Georgia didn’t know if she could handle it. Finally, her tears subsided, and Georgia surfaced, wiping her wet cheeks with her sleeve.
“Thanks, Stacy,” she said.
“Of course. That’s what friends are for.” Stacy smiled warmly at her. “So is that why you’re at home? You and Spike…?” She trailed off, not wanting to say something that might wound Georgia.
When Georgia didn’t say anything for a long moment, Stacy thought perhaps she had managed to upset her anyway.
“No,” she finally said. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“Georgia,” Stacy said in a strained voice, “I’m a nervous fucking wreck over here. I need you to tell me everything, right now, all at once.” She loved Georgia dearly, but her friend had the annoying habit of telling a story bit by bit, and not always in the best order.
“Ivan has Felix, and I’m the only one who can help him now,” Georgia told her. “That’s why I’m here. I’m setting up a trap for Ivan.” She walked over to her kitchen and pulled the gun out of the top drawer, setting it on the counter.
“Why do you have a fucking gun?” Stacy asked, staring at the weapon.
“I think you know why, Stacy.”
“You’re going to kill Ivan?” Stacy said disbelievingly. “What—you think you’re gonna just call him up and ask him to swing by before killing your brother?”
“I’m going to tell him that I’ll tell him how to get to Spike in exchange for Felix,” Georgia replied.
“Let me guess,” Stacy rubbed her eyes with one hand, “you don’t really have any information that will help Ivan with Spike. You’re just hoping he walks in here, into your trap, with no protection or backup of any kind, am I right?” she asked sarcastically.
“Have you thought about what will happen when Ivan sees through your terribly obvious plan and kills you? Or, let’s say a miracle happens, and your plan does work—what then? Even if you manage to kill Ivan, one of his little cronies will just come right in after him and kill you himself,” Stacy pointed out.
Georgia said nothing.
“Oh my god.” Stacy slowly realized what Georgia was thinking. “You don’t even care, do you? You know there’s a high chance you won’t live through this, don’t you?”
“There’s nothing else I can do,” Georgia said calmly. “I’ve tried everything I can, except for this one last thing.”
“Ivan is going to know something’s up right away, Georgia,” Stacy said, trying a softer approach. “What good does this do if it’s basically suicide? That doesn’t help Felix.”
“I have to try,” Georgia said stubbornly.
Stacy shook her head. “How can I help?” she asked.
Georgia smiled. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think you can. This is something I need to do alone. If you got hurt…I don’t know what I’d do.” Stacy opened her mouth to protest, but Georgia put up her hand, silencing her. “Please. If you feel like you have to do something, can you check on Jimmy? The poor kid seemed a little shaken up.”
“Welcome to the club, Jimbo. We’re all a little shaken up,” Stacy muttered to herself. “Fine. I’ll go. But I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check on you,” she insisted. Stacy threw herself at Georgia and gave the smaller woman a giant hug, using more strength than anyone looking at Stacy would think she rightfully had.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Stacy asked one more time before opening the door.
“Yes,” Georgia said more confidently than she felt. The truth was she had no idea what she was doing, or if any of it would work, but like she had told Stacy earlier, she had to try.
Stepping outside to walk Stacy to her car, Georgia made sure to wave to her neighbor, the one who lived in the other half of the townhome. The woman stared at her, rightfully terrified, having heard gunfire and rampant property destruction on the other side of their shared wall no less than three times in the last two weeks.
Georgia watched the woman hurry back into her side of the building; hopefully she was calling the police right now. Georgia wouldn’t know for a while, so she walked back inside and settled down to wait. She looked at her burner phone and made sure the volume was on high.
Sure enough, less than a half an hour later, the phone rang loudly. Georgia knew that when her neighbor called the police, it meant that Nicholas would be notified, and he would call Ivan immediately to tell him Georgia was at home, alone.
Taking a deep breath, Georgia answered. “Hello?”
“Hello, Georgia,” Ivan said on the other end of the line. “Are you feeling homesick?”
She ignored him. “I have information that you might want.”
“What could you possibly have that I would care about? I have your brother.” Georgia heard rustling as Ivan pulled the phone away from his ear and passed it to someone. There was a dull thud, then a loud groan.
“Joja…” Felix’s voice was muffled.
“And soon, I will have you,” Ivan continued, bringing the phone back to his ear. “You have nothing I want.”
“I have Spike,” she replied evenly. “I can get you Spike.”
Ivan said nothing for a long moment. “You have him, or you can get him?” he asked. “Those are two very different claims.”
“I can get him for you,” Georgia clarified. “Whenever you want, however you want. I can get him for you.”
“How?” Ivan asked suspiciously.
“He’s in love with me,” she said, lying her ass off. “He’ll do anything for me. If he wasn’t, he would have given me up to you when you gave him the chance, but he didn’t.”
Georgi
a wished with all her heart that what she was saying was true, but she knew the only reason Spike didn’t give her up was because he wanted to fuck her first. That, and he had given his word.
Spike has his own code of honor, but that doesn’t mean he’s in love with me—it just makes him obligated to me, Georgia thought bitterly.
“Let me guess: you want you and your brother to go free in exchange for Spike?” Ivan asked.
“Can Felix hear this?” If Felix overheard what she was about to say, he would flip out and ruin everything.
“No,” Ivan said slowly. “Only me.”
“I’ll give you Spike, and…I’ll take Felix’s place,” Georgia said.