by A. L Long
My heart was filled with satisfaction as I pushed from the bed to get something to wear from my bag. While I was hunting, I could hear Ryan put on his jeans. Taking one more look at his delicious body from the corner of my eye, my tongue slid across my upper lip thinking how lucky I was. All I wanted was to shed a little bit of happiness in his world, and if it meant giving him a trace of hope in locating Gallo, and putting him and his cronies behind bars, then it was well worth it. I just hoped that there was another person involved. It did make sense that there would be.
Slipping my t-shirt over my head, I heard the bedroom door open. When I looked in that direction, Ryan stopped short of the hallway and looked back at me and said, “Thanks, babe.”
He didn’t need to say any more. I knew exactly what he meant.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ryan
The last couple of days were a complete blur. I kept thinking about the look on Josh’s face back at Willow Crossing. I wanted to do something special for him, so when Peter suggested that we plant a tree in front of the shop and dedicate it to him, I was all for it. Standing in front of the tree that would grow into something beautiful were all of the guys: Peter, Cop, Hawk, Sly, Ash, Gainer, and Chavez. Even the girls showed up. Lilly stood next to Peter, Brie next to Cop, Isabelle next to Hawk, Nikki next to Sly, Juliette next to Ash, Emma next to Gainer, and Gabrielle next to Chavez, and of course, Charlie next to me. Even Nick showed up, but only because Charlie would have killed him if he didn’t.
Holding the only remains of Josh in my hands, I went over everything that I wanted to say on behalf of my brother. There really weren’t any words to express how much I missed him. Lowering my body to one knee, I removed the lid from the container and said, “You may not have known this, but you were the best brother I could have ever asked for. Even though we weren’t blood, I considered you as such. I will never forget the day Mom and Dad brought you home. At first, I didn’t want you around. I guess you could say I wanted Mom and Dad’s attention all to myself. I didn’t even want to hold you when Mom asked me, but the minute I did, I knew then that I was your big brother and I was going to protect you. I may not have been there for you, but I promise you, bro, I will see to it that your death will not be forgotten. I will find the men that did this, if it is the last thing I do. I love you Josh. God, I’m going to miss you”
I felt a comforting touch as Charlie placed her hand on my shoulder. Standing to my feet, I began spreading Josh’s ashes around the tree. When I was finished, Peter handed me the plaque the guys made for him. Placing it in front of the tree on the pedestal where it would rest, I read the words, “Brother, Friend, and True Soldier, never to be forgotten, Josh Emery Hyatt,” before standing to my feet and saluting his memory in sync with the rest of the guys. I knew from this day forward that every day we entered the shop, he would be right there to greet us.
~****~
A week had passed since Josh died and we were no closer in finding Morris Gallo. Sitting in the conference room, I held the small piece of paper that I found in the cigar box and just stared at the numbers, 5156935623, 6185428635, 6758963152. There were a total of eight sets of ten digits. I had no idea what they even meant. While I sat scratching my head, ready to give up, I caught a scent I would know anywhere. Spinning my chair toward the door, I saw Charlie standing in the doorway wearing a floral print sundress and wedge sandals with her hair braided to one side, and looking like an angel from heaven. Slapping my hands down on my lap, I let her know exactly where I wanted her to be. As she sat on my lap, I could feel the pressure of her ass pressing against my member. If it hadn’t been for the fact that we were in the conference room, I would have sprawled her out on the long table and taken her.
When her gaze left mine, and veered over to the table, I knew that she saw the scrap of paper with the numbers written on them. Knowing what she was thinking, I said, “I have no idea what these numbers mean. It was in the box of stuff I found under Josh’s bed.”
Picking up the small piece of paper, she drew her brows together, concentrating on the numbers. With her index finger she began counting the numbers in each group. “Umm… ten numbers,” she muttered, tapping her chin. “What has ten numbers… Let me think.”
Before I could suggest anything, her body was up off my lap and her hand was held out. Uncertain of what she was asking, I asked, “What, Charlie?”
“Give me your phone,” she requested eagerly.
As she picked up the note, she began punching what I assumed were the first set of numbers. I knew exactly what she was thinking. Taking hold of her hand and grabbing my phone from her hand, I disconnected the call and gave her a disgruntled look. “If these are phone numbers, there is a better way to find out who they belong to other than calling them. The last thing I need is for the owner to know who was calling.”
I gave her a tender kiss on the lips and she rose from my lap. I took hold of her hand and led her down the hall to the back room where all of the Jagged Edge research equipment was located. As soon as I opened the door, I spotted Chavez working away on the computer, bouncing his head to the left and to the right, keeping sync with the music that was resonating through his headphones. When I flicked the light switch off and then on again, his head turned my way. It was the only way to get his attention without scaring him to death.
Making our way to where he was seated, I watched him remove his headphones and place them next to his computer. He was just about to stand when I said, “No need to get up, bro, this shouldn’t take long.” I handed him the note with the numbers written on it and continued. “Can you do a reverse search on these numbers to see who they belong to?”
“Sure thing, bro,” Chavez replied, taking the small piece of paper from my hand.
I knew there was a way that a reverse search could be done with those numbers, and given Chavez’s expertise with computers, he would know just how to do it. Standing behind him as he did his thing, his fingers were like lightning, tapping the keys lightly, entering each number. When he was finished typing the numbers into the correct fields, he sat back and folded his arms across his chest and said, “Now we wait. It should take about twenty minutes.”
It seemed like more than twenty minutes for the system to break down the numbers, but I had faith in Chavez. He was the expert, after all. I could think of a lot of things that I could do in twenty minutes, but for now a nice hot cup of coffee sounded good. Leading Charlie out of the room, we headed to the kitchen. When we got to the front room, the guys were lounging around conversing with Hawk. It was so nice to see him back in the States, even if it wasn’t under the best of circumstances. Given the way he looked and the way he was dressed, I could see that he managed to get settled into his new role as prince of Kierabali. I never thought in a million years that I would ever see Hawk in a designer suit.
Shaking my head, I chuckled at the thought and proceeded to the kitchen.
~****~
After getting the information from Chavez, it was nice to finally be back at the apartment. The first thing I did was pour myself a whiskey and a glass of wine for Charlie. Chavez only came up with one name from the list of numbers that I gave him. It turned out that the other numbers were from burner phones and were untraceable. If that wasn’t bad enough, our one lead turned out to be registered to a bogus name with a bogus address, and there was no way to track the payment made on the phone service since the owner paid cash. Slinging the last of my drink back, I could feel the burn as it slid down my throat. Pouring another, I headed out to the patio. It was my oasis, a place where I could think about things.
As I sat in the lounger, I looked out to the city, seeing only the tops of the skyrise buildings. I kept thinking that there had to be another way to find out who may have introduced Josh to Morris Gallo. Racking my brain for answers, I felt the warmth of Charlie’s hand as she raked her fingers through my thick hair. She must have taken a shower, because I could smell the scent of cherry vanilla on her skin th
e minute she took a seat beside me on the lounger. Placing her wine glass alongside mine on the small table, she snuggled into me and laid her head on my chest. Even though her hair was wet and cool to the touch, it didn’t matter. I loved it when she was close to me like this. I felt like I was her protector.
Kissing the top of her hair, which smelled like strawberries, I held her close in the silence, just taking in her amazing scent. Reveling in my paradise, I could have kicked the person who was calling me on my cell as it began to vibrate. Pulling it from my front pocket, I looked at the screen to see that it was from a number I didn’t know. Taking a chance that it might be important, I swiped the screen with my thumb and answered candidly, “Hyatt, can I help you?” just like I would have at the shop.
At first there was only silence. I was just about to chalk the call off as a wrong number when a male voice came on with a seemingly frightened tone. “Josh, is that you? Where are you at?”
Pushing up into a sitting position, I looked at Charlie while placing my index finger across her lips. “This is Ryan Hyatt, I’m his brother. Who is this?”
Once again there was silence, like the caller was debating on whether or not to tell me who he was. “I will only talk to Josh,” he advised.
“I’m afraid that isn’t possible,” I began, getting more annoyed by the minute. “Now tell me who the fuck you are.”
I knew the caller was still on the other end by the way he was breathing. I also knew I needed to get control of my temper. Standing to my feet, I walked over to the balcony and said calmly, “Look, let me help you. I don’t want you to end up like my brother.” Just like that the line went dead. I could have tossed my phone over the edge, but what good would that have done? The only thing I could do was hope that the caller would call again.
Walking back to the lounger where Charlie was looking at me with concern, I sat beside her and said uneasily, “Let’s hope this guy calls back again. He may be our only lead to finding Gallo.”
“What did he say, Ryan?” Charlie questioned.
“He didn’t say a whole lot of anything, but I could tell in his voice that he was scared. That’s why I’m pretty sure he will be calling back,” I assured her.
“Well, there isn’t anything we can do right now. I’m hungry.” Charlie rose to her feet, giving me a small glimpse of her perfect ass.
Looking at her with a smile, I could think of a lot of things that I was hungry for, and right now the only thing on the menu was her. Following her inside with our empty glasses in hand, I headed back to the kitchen to refill our glasses while she went to the living room to grab the takeout menus that we had left on the coffee table the night before.
“So, will it be Chinese, Italian, or Mexican?” she yelled over her shoulder.
“Since you weren’t a choice on the menu, surprise me.” I replied with a smirk that she couldn’t see.
“You know, that could be arranged.”
I was pleasantly surprised by her comment, but not as surprised as she was when I flung my body over the side of the couch and pinned her to it. The look in her eyes told me everything that I needed to know. She was hungry and it was for more than just food. Placing my lips on hers, the sweet taste of her mouth met mine as our tongues began to twist and twirl together. The passion that we shared was more than I had expected. Even though I didn’t come right out and say it, I knew that the feeling I had for her was more than desire, it was love. Positioning my body between her legs, my hand glided down her silky leg and beneath her sundress. Cupping the heated area between her thighs, I began using my index finger to part her folds through the sheer material of her silk panties. I could feel the moisture mounting, bring my own arousal to the surface.
Pulling down the strap of her dress, I soaked up her skin by brushing soft, wet kisses down her neck to the curve of her shoulder just above her covered breast. Lowering her strap even further, her breast appeared, smooth and soft with the firmness of her nipple ready to be taken. Consuming her, I flicked my tongue while making circular movements around the hard peak. Charlie filled the space with her moans of pleasure as her hands scraped through my hair, assuring me that she wanted more as she urged me closer. Dipping my hand beneath her soaked panties, I slowly pushed them down her legs. Assisting me in my effort, she moved her legs back and forth until her panties fell to the floor. That had to have been the sexiest thing I had ever witnessed. My hunger for her was growing beyond belief and needed to be fed. Pushing her dress up, I brought my head to her sex, lapping and caressing her clit with my tongue, giving her only a sample of what was to come. Freeing my rod from its prison, I lowered my jeans and positioned it where I knew it would find its freedom. Charlie’s legs were parted, ready and waiting for me as I gently began pushing inside her warmth. I could feel her walls take hold of my shaft as I thrust deeper inside her channel. When her legs wrapped around my waist and cinched tightly, I knew she was close. Feeling my own release surface, I plunged inside her one last time as the heat of my manhood exploded into an inferno. The love I was beginning to feel for this woman was beyond anything that I had ever known. It was beautiful.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Charlie
Ash showed up at the apartment well after one o’clock with Nick. It was so nice to have him back and staying at the apartment, even though I could tell that Ryan would have preferred he stay at the safe house just outside of Manhattan. It was only after I convinced him that if we were going to need Nick’s help, it would be better if he was here with us that he finally agreed to let him come back. Giving Nick a big hug, I took a good hard look at him, which reassured me that he was back to good health.
I was catching up with Nick to find out how he was doing when Ryan let me know that he didn’t want to stay and chit-chat. He excused himself and went straight to his office. I knew he had a lot on his mind, but I also thought it was impolite for him to do so. I only wished that whatever problems they had with each other could be put behind them. It would be nice if they could get along instead of just tolerating each other. Nick could really be a great help to us, even though Ryan thought otherwise.
As much as I wanted to continue visiting with my brother, there was something that needed to be done, and that something was finding out what was going on with Ryan. Before entering Ryan’s office, I knocked lightly on the door and waited for him to turn to acknowledge my presence. As I took a seat on the leather loveseat, I kept my eyes on him, noticing the tension clearly visible on his face before he turned back toward his computer. I guessed the stress of finding the men that killed his brother was really having an effect on him. I wished there was something that I could do for him.
Leaning forward, I pulled on the back of his chair, allowing it to roll closer to the loveseat. Spinning it around until he was facing me, I was only greeted with an annoyed look on his face. There was something about his eyes that told me he was dealing with so much more than what happened to his brother. Taking him by the hand, I tried to comfort the unspoken pain and anguish that had taken residence in his once-beautiful brown eyes. Cupping his cheek with my hand, I asked softly with concern, “What is it, Ryan?”
When he lowered his head, I knew then that it was something bad. Then his words came out in a whisper. “Someone destroyed Josh’s memorial. The plaque, the tree, all gone. Destroyed.”
Falling to my knees in front of him, I placed my head on his lap. I could feel my own pain as my tears begin to surface, not because of what had been done, but because of Ryan. The memorial was the only thing left to remember Josh by, and now it was gone. “Who would do such a thing and why?” I cried, wanting nothing more than to catch the insensitive bastard who did this.
“There’s only one person that would do this,” Ryan cursed.
Nothing more was said as Ryan pulled me to my feet and placed me down on the loveseat. I wasn’t sure what just happened, but he was gone. He was angry and was about to explode. I had to stop whatever he was planning on doing. Jumping
to my feet, I hurried out of the office, yelling his name. As soon as the front door slammed shut, I knew he was gone.
~****~
As much as I wanted to search for Ryan on my own, Nick insisted on coming with me. I really didn’t think it was a good idea, especially Gallo was still looking for him. When we pulled out of the parking garage, I had no idea where to look for Ryan. The only two places I could think of where he would go were the shop and Willow Crossing. Calling Peter didn’t provide me with the information I wanted. Ryan wasn’t there, but at least the guys were on board with searching for him, especially after I told them about his state of mind. Trying to save precious time, we set out for Willow Crossing. As we drove out of town, I remembered another place he might have gone. Taking a left, there was a chance, no matter how slim, that he would be at his favorite bar. It was definitely worth checking.
When we entered the bar, it took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Stepping up to the bar, I got the bartender’s attention and waited for him to come over. Leaning against the bar, I asked eagerly, “Has Ryan been here today?”