Games We Play

by Isabelle Arocho

  “Oh come here.” Nick brought her mouth back to his and gave her a better kissed than the quick peck across the lips. This time he took his time and kissed her deep, his hands on her hips guiding her back to the wall. They were interrupted before his hands moved anymore south.

  “Eww, no one wants to see that.” Noah covered his eyes with his hand.

  Sasha pulled away first, slapping Nicholas’ hands from going around her butt. “No one told you to watch Noah.”

  “All right, let go of each other. He’s my partner for this case Pete gave me this morning. Sasha, hands off.” Noah said as he pulled Nicholas away.

  “You know Noah that sounded a little gay but I can’t blame you for wanting him, I just request that you share at least on the weekends and at least once during the week.” Sasha followed them down the hall and gave Nick another kiss before leaving to find Billie.

  It was the night of Pete’s event and Nick made up his mind tonight he was going to get his way. Sasha was standing in their bedroom sorting through what she called her fancy clothes. He wrapped his hands around her waist. “I have a request.” He knew just how to get her attention for this request he was using all his tricks. His hand slid between the opening of her robe, she hadn’t put anything on yet and her breasts were bare against his hand.

  She arched her back into his chest. “I don’t think we have enough time for the way you like to get frisky.” It was true, he liked to take his time with her and they had only an hour before Pete expected them at his table.

  “We’ll have all the time we need after but that’s not what I was asking for.”

  “Really? What do you want?”

  She jumped a good three inches from the floor when his hands moved lower between her legs. “Wear the dress.”

  “You have got to be kidding—”

  Nick covered her mouth with his and together they stumbled back toward the bed. They had enough time after all.

  By the time they left the house she was wearing the little black dress he loved so much.

  Noah was the first one they ran into at the gathering. “Holy moly, that’s a nice dress.”

  “Thanks.” Sasha was trying very hard not to feel self conscious. Back in Maple Oaks it was easier to face the crowd because she was playing a role, tonight she was herself and these were her teammates who had never seen her out of pants before. She felt under a microscope.

  “A real nice dress. I didn’t know you had so many womanly curves.”

  “Noah, if you don’t stop staring at me so hard I’m going to kick your ass in this same dress.”

  “There’s the Madden I remember, hey sue a guy for appreciating.”

  Wayne and his wife Cara were the only ones at the table when they joined them.

  After they exchanged hellos Nick asked, “Pete’s not here yet?”

  Wayne shook his head. “He probably hasn’t made it to the table yet but the guy is never late.”

  Billie came rushing over to the table five minutes later. “I’m not late am I?” she sunk into the seat next to Sasha and tried to catch her breath.

  “You’re good.” Gage reassured her.

  Sasha excused herself. “The bathroom calls.” She was halfway to her destination when her cellphone rang from inside her purse. Hopefully it was Pete, she thought. Guests were still arriving and there was still a good amount of time before the ceremony started but usually he’d be the first to arrive not the last. The whole situation left her with an uneasy feeling or it could be the nausea she was still wrestling with since that episode in the office last week. “Madden speaking.”

  “Hi, Sasha.”

  A part of her wasn’t surprised to hear from Jim. There was no way he was going to escape and go away quietly, there was still too much unfinished business with her ruining his kill plan. “I’m in a room full of FBI agents.”

  “Yes but you’re not going to say a word because if you do the old guy you consider a father is going to get cut from ear to ear. Do I have your attention?”

  Sasha moved farther away from the crowd in the ballroom and toward back exit she spotted. “What do you want?” she forced a smile at the elderly couple she passed along the way and tried not to let them see her shaking hands. She didn’t doubt Jim had Pete, he was late for a reason and kidnapping would be the only thing to keep him away from his own party.

  “I want to kill you and throw you six feet deep with your lying fucking sister but I can’t do that with every cop gunning for my ass. You’re going to help me escape them.”

  “What? How? You’ve been doing pretty good these last few days.” They hadn’t been able to find one lead after Jim ditched the doctor’s car and clothes at a gas station in Texas.

  “Through the back roads. But I want out of the country and your badge is going to get me into the plane with no trouble.” Jim rattled off the address of where he was keeping Pete. “If you tell anyone or show up with anyone I’m going to kill him and escape again because you know I can and the first chance I get I will hurt you.”

  “I get it. I don’t need to hear the same threats over and over you coward. Give me ten minutes.” Sasha was already running through the parking lot by the time she hung up.

  Stopped at a red light she reached under the car seat and pulled her gun free and strapped it to her leg. Jim wasn’t getting on any plane or living to see the sun rise in twelve hours. This had to end and it had to end with him dead or else he’d never stop hurting the people she loves.

  The address he gave her ended up being another house in the process of being built. Jim knew how to zone in on them and squat. Unlike the house he had her in last time this one was nearly done and had electricity. The porch light went on as she shut off the car.

  In the backseat was one of Nick’s suit jackets and she made sure to put it on before leaving the car. The porch remained empty except for the light. “Come on, you know I’m here. Where’s Pete?”

  Jim stepped out the front door. “He’s close. You alone?”

  “Just like we agreed. I want to see Pete and make sure he’s ok and then you play it your way.”

  “Fair enough. Come in.”

  Now this was the part she was dreading, the memories were still too fresh and her legs froze. She didn’t want to step into the shadows and face the unknown. There was no telling what he had inside waiting for her. Was Pete already dead? Some other trap she couldn’t stop in time? She forced her feet to move because if Pete did need her help she had to do everything in her power to give it.

  Jim moved through the living room into the open kitchen where Pete was still breathing but knocked out and tied to a chair. “There’s your precious boss. How’d your father feel if he knew you replaced him?”

  Sasha rushed forward and checked to make sure Pete’s pulse was strong. “Shut up. You don’t know anything about my parents. My father hated you and he was sure right in doing so.”

  “And that’s why he’s dead.”

  Sasha slowly stood back up right and faced the monster. “What?”

  “You always knew it wasn’t an accident, are you really telling me after everything that’s happened you haven’t considered me a suspect? I hope they don’t pay you too much because you suck at this. Your self righteous parents were my first kill.”

  Sasha couldn’t breathe at the thought the whole time the killer was close, in and out of her and Carolyn’s life for the last twenty years. “Why?” her whole life she always wanted to know why her parents had been taken so soon. It was a question that would plague her thoughts every night as a child as she lay alone.

  “Why else? They were in the way and kept trying to break me and Caro up. I couldn’t have that so I stole that huge truck and hit them head on. It was the most fun I’ve ever had and knew I wanted to kill again. I miss it so much. You robbed me from finishing my work. I was finally going to experience a new level of bliss and you robbed me of completing the cycle.”

  “Oh for fuck’s sake shut up! You�
��re insane!” Sasha pushed Pete’s chair over and pulled out her gun in the same breath.

  Jim leapt out of the way behind the center island, the bullet narrowly missing his leg. “You’re going to regret that!” he too was carrying a gun and aimed for the fuse box. The blast knocked all the lights off and there was nothing but pitch black darkness.

  Sasha silently cursed and moved closer to Pete. He was too exposed and she had to move him behind something safe. First she untied the rope so the chair wouldn’t alert Jim, and then she dragged Pete’s body into the closet. Thankfully he wasn’t too heavy. They always joked around the office the heaviest thing Pete had was his brain because the rest of him was skin and bones.

  She moved away from the closet on her hands and knees.

  Jim fired a shot her way and she thanked her blessing she got Pete out of the way in time and ditched her heels. Still relying on her knees and one hand, the other was ready to shoot clutching her gun, she kept making her way in the darkness to the living room.

  Jim shot again and that one came too close. With not much choice she returned fire and prayed one of the bullets hit his insane brain.

  Jim laughed and she used that moment to jump to another spot in the house. “You’re out, aren’t you Sasha? You’re making this too easy.”

  He shot again and fragments of a split table landed in her leg. It took everything she had not to cry and alert him of her location. She clenched her jaw tight and waited for the worst of the pain to ease.

  Someone grabbed her arm and hauled her off the floor. “Shh.” The man whispered in her ear. Sasha had no idea who he was and how he got there but he wasn’t Jim and that’s all she needed to know. Step by step he guided her to hide behind the staircase. She couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face but he moved with ease like he knew the house.

  The next round of bullets came from an automatic rifle and ended quickly. As the smoke cleared a flashlight went on and Sasha saw her backup was wearing night vision goggles. “Who are you?” she needed to know because as fun as comic books were superheroes didn’t exist.

  He extended his hand and helped her back up. “Justin Renard.”

  “The new guy Pete told us about. You just happen to be following me?”

  “Actually, yes. I was looking for a parking spot at the hotel when I saw you running toward your car. I was taught a long time ago if a woman is running in heels it’s serious so I followed you and hung back in case you needed some backup. When the gunfire started I decided to join in.” Justin spoke in a lazy drawl and raspy voice all women took a liking to.

  “And you just carry flashlights, night goggles, and rifles to every black tie event?” Sasha wasn’t sure if it was the pain or the fact she knew without a doubt Jim was dead but this guy was amusing the hell out of her, she even smiled at him.

  “I was a boy scout and we like to be prepared.”

  Chapter 36

  Sasha insisted that Justin tend to Pete first and then come back for her. Her leg was covered in blood and still actively bleeding in some spots. She was bone deep tired and didn’t have the strength to try and put pressure on the wound by walking onto the car with no help. She sat on the staircase while Justin grabbed Pete and got him to the back seat of her car.

  Justin returned and lifted her into his arms without much warning. “You’re fast.” She said. It was still dark and she hadn’t seen him coming, it wasn’t until they were outside that she could see him clearly for the first time.

  Justin Renard didn’t just have a sexy voice, he was sexy period. He was looking at her with eyes the color of the ocean, greens and blues swirling together making such a beautiful color. His hair was surfer boy blonde and down past his elbows but something about the way he carried himself and handled a gun you couldn’t mistake him for anything but a soldier. He also smelled really good.

  “It’s like you fell from the sky.”

  He smiled and the guy even had dimples. Geez he was perfect. “I’ve heard that before. Seeing as you’re here with Pete and an escaped convict does that mean you’re a part of the bureau?”

  “Yup. I’ve been on Pete’s team a year now and the escaped convict is a serial killer who’s managed to escape punishment for more than twenty years.”

  “That’s not the case anymore.”

  “I know, thanks for that.”

  His eyes dipped from her face as he walked to the car. “That’s a real nice dress you’re wearing.”

  “So I’ve been told but honestly I just don’t get it.” In the passenger seat Sasha reached for her bag and pulled out her cell. Nick knew by now something had happened and she didn’t want to worry him a second longer.

  They were almost to the hospital when Pete woke up. On the rest of the drive Sasha explained to him what happened seeing how he didn’t remember anything since leaving his office. “You’re going to have a killer headache for the next few days.”

  Justin again carried her when they reached the hospital.

  With the bight florescent lightening she saw just how bad her leg looked, it was swollen and anywhere not covered in blood was black and blue. Geez, her arm wasn’t done healing and now her leg looked like mangled mash.

  Just was setting her down on the gunnery the nurse pointed to when Nick came running over to them. His navy eyes were bright with anger and some fear.

  “No.” Sasha stopped him from talking. “No freaking out, no getting angry because I didn’t tell you and I got hurt again. Just no talking.”

  He shook his head as he looked at her, his anger fading but the fear growing. He cupped his hands around her face and kissed her. “Never scare me like this again.”

  “I’m sorry but he had Pete and we both know by now it doesn’t take Jim much to kill. This is the new guy Justin, he saw me running to the car and followed and shot Jim dead for me.”

  Nick turned and shook the other man’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “It was my pleasure, you got a feisty one here. I’ll go check on Pete and give you some time alone.” Justin smiled before waling away.

  Sasha watched him go and said to Nick, “If I wasn’t already head over heels in love with you I’d be in some serious lust for him.”

  Nick laughed and some of that fear faded from his own unique eyes. “I bet.”

  The hospital was busy, while they waited for the doctor to become available the nurse took some blood samples to test if the wood sharps carried anything they might consider poisonous or could react negatively to the pain meds they wanted to give her.

  Billie and Gage were soon at the hospital too and refused to leave her side. With them fussing over her well being and reprimanding her for not telling someone about the call, Sasha came to realize they loved her as much as she loved them. Her biological family was gone but she still had family and they were surrounding her now.

  Her body was bloody and tired but her soul felt lighter and almost happy. It was finally over and Carolyn and their parents could rest in peace.

  Nicholas was tasked with filling out paperwork while the nurse and doctor tended to Sasha in the newly available room. He knew all her basic information and with the ring on her finger the hospital staff didn’t question if they were legally married or not.

  Billie and Gage were visiting with Pete until the doctor was done with Sasha. Noah and Wayne were working along side the local police department cleaning up the scene.

  When he finished and returned the paperwork to the front clerk he joined Sasha in her room. The nurse was finishing with the bandage that wrapped around her whole left thigh and some of her knee.

  The nurse asked with the last turn of bandage, “How is your pain level?”

  “Nothing compared to when it first happened. I wouldn’t mind some of those very good drugs you carry.”

  The nurse, her nametag read Anna Santos, chuckled and started to collect the supplies. “I have to ask the doctor what he’d recommend not to endanger the pregnancy but I’m sure we can give you somethin
g to ease the discomfort.”

  Sasha and Nick both shared a look; it was Sasha who broke the stare first. “The pregnancy?”

  Anna’s smile quickly turned nervous. “You’re not aware? I thought the doctor mentioned it. You’re pregnant.” It was painfully obvious the parents to be had no idea and needed some time to talk. “The doctor will be in shortly.”

  Sasha’s eyes were glued to the door long after it closed behind the nurse. “Um…”

  Nick came closer and sat next to her on the bed. “I know what you’re going to say.”

  “Really? Because I don’t. I’m at a loss for words except the running sentence in my head; holy crap I’m pregnant.”

  “You’re going to say it’s too soon.”

  “And you don’t think so? You’re not upset?”

  “Upset about what? I did play my part in creating this baby and we’re in this together.”

  “But this wasn’t planned. We both have so much going with work and—everything.” Even after everything they had gone through together and everything he told her she still found ways to be completely shocked. This wasn’t the reaction she expected at all. He was so eerily calm and always accepting.

  “Nothing about us was planned, why start now? We already agreed to spend our lives together when you said yes to me on the plane. Now or later we’ve both agreed we wanted kids. I guess I don’t see the problem. We love each other, we’re going to get married, and we can afford raising a child. I’m excited.”

  Sasha laughed, this was crazy all so crazy and yet she was excited too. “I guess we have to move the wedding up.”

  Chapter 37

  Epilogue

  Justin didn’t know how stubborn Sasha could be. She was six months pregnant and showing but that certainly wasn’t going to take away her edge, if anything it made her worse in wanting to have her way. Hormones were no joke and she couldn’t appreciate that before now. One second she could be laughing and the next crying.