Mark handed the phone next to me, and nodded. "Tabby is supposed to be on the line."
"Tabby?" I asked, my throat tight and my eyes starting to water. "Are you all right?"
"Oh Sophie, I'm so scared!" It was definitely Tabby. Even with all the fear choking her voice, the accent, the intonation, everything was her. "They keep saying there's some guy they are interested in or something. What the hell is going on?"
Before I could answer, the phone was taken away. "You have your proof. Three hours."
The phone went dead in my ear, and I cursed, only muffling my voice enough to make sure the preschoolers in the area didn't hear me. I handed the phone back to Mark, who shut it off and took out the battery. "We meet in three hours, at the same nightclub where you and I met. Which at least confirms who took your friend. That club is owned by a Confederation member. Don't know how many in the Confederation are in on it, but it doesn't matter, I guess. Let's get back, I need to get us ready."
* * *
Mark
The club was dark, which I expected. I wished that I could have left Sophie behind, she wasn't prepared for this, but the men on the phone had been very clear, we had to come together. It made sense. They assumed that having Sophie nearby would reduce my combat efficiency, since I would spend energy and brain power trying to defend her at the expense of killing them. They were right. It came down to how much of a decrease in my abilities Sophie would cause, and if it would make them better than me. Honestly, it was an interesting conundrum, and one I would have enjoyed contemplating at any other time.
I didn't even try to hide what I was carrying, coming loaded full bore in a tactical vest, my Glocks in cross grab holsters against my ribs. I had my throwing knives in a thigh sheath on my right leg, and was as ready as I could get. Sophie, on the other hand, looked like she was wearing just a hooded sweatshirt, although it was different from the one she had worn earlier. She had borrowed one of mine, in order to fit the armored vest underneath. I just hoped she didn't have to use either of her two surprises she had under the shirt.
"Yo, I'm here," I called into the seemingly empty club. I knew all of the entrances and exits by heart, and immediately cut to my right, reaching for the Glock under my right arm, pulling it out and scanning. Sophie stayed right on my heels, exactly as I had asked her to do. She was quiet, her body semi-crouched as we made our way around the inside wall. Staying there had trade-offs. On one hand, I couldn't be crept up on from behind with my back to the wall. I could keep my eyes on the entire first floor of the club. However, I also couldn't see about two-thirds of the upper floor, especially directly above me. Thankfully, they couldn't see us either. "Come out, it's just the two of us, like you demanded."
There was motion near the VIP rooms, close to the hallway that led to the manager's office. Shaun, the manager, came out holding Tabby, along with two other men. He had his favorite pistol, a Colt 1911 in his hand by his side. "Snowman. I honestly didn't think you would do it. I mean, we all knew you'd stashed money away like my grandma used to. All those hits you made, and jobs you pulled, and you still didn't live anywhere near as good as you could have. I figured you for one, maybe two more years in the game. But I didn't think you'd go out like this. You were always too smart. I mean, it's not like you couldn't get yourself a dime bitch after you got out. Giordano wouldn't have had any problems with that, you know, after a year or two."
"So it was Sal who signed off on this?" I asked, trying to draw them out. Keeping them talking was vital to my plan. There was no way I could take them out without knowing exactly how many men Shaun had with him, or where they were located in the club. "He told me he gave me the rest of that night."
"Sal's a good judge of character, you know that. Didn't get to where he was without it. He saw in your eyes that you wouldn't take out your girl. Don't know why, either. I see better girls than her in here all the damn time."
"I'm not interested in girls, Shaun. I've always been interested in women."
Shaun laughed and stepped forward. "Come up here, man. Both of you. When you're at the bottom of the stairs, my boys will let the girl go."
"Fine. We'll come up the east side stairs. I see any of your boys anywhere near it, I start shooting. Let the girl go and she can come over to the east side as well. That cool?"
"Cool."
I nodded to Sophie, who followed me. I was proud of the fact that she hadn't said a word since we came in. There was no point in creeping up the stairs, they were open to the center of the club on all sides. Instead, Sophie and I took them at a quick but even pace, making sure my Glock in my left hand was visible, but not pointed in Shaun's direction. I wanted him aware but distracted, not fearful.
When we reached the second floor, my eyes swept the walkway, spotting two other men. Shaun was smart, he knew me. In normal circumstances, five on one would be odds I would walk away from. "All right Shaun. Let her go."
Shaun laughed like I'd just told a funny joke. "Come on, Snowman, you think I'm stupid? I know how good you are. I let this bitch go, and before I can count to ten I'm a dead man. No way. Drop your guns, and then I let her go."
Now, I could have talked more. I could have dropped the guns. But one of the main personal rules of my training is that once you're in the zone, you just go. I felt that familiar, welcome coldness drop over my emotions, and I went with it. Squeezing the trigger on the Glock in my left hand, I put a round in the head of the man on Shaun's left before my right hand even cleared my other Glock from its holster. It is one of the secrets of my success, I'm not only almost totally ambidextrous with my hands, but with my eyes as well. I put a round in the thigh of the second bodyguard while my right hand snapped into place, firing as soon as I could. There was an instant when Shaun could have gotten the drop on me, while I was shooting his guards. If he had just raised his pistol in that split second, he could have gotten a shot off at me. Instead, he hesitated, torn between shooting me and trying to use Tabby as a human shield, and in that hesitation I had him dead to rights. The round took Shaun in between his eyes, the 9mm hollowpoint turning the back of his head into a giant bloody flower petal of bone, hair and skin. It took less than two seconds.
I whirled and dove while Sophie flattened herself on the floor. Rolling over a table in front of me I came up firing, catching one of the corner men before he could get a shot off at me. The second man was smarter, moving before trying to fire, and it took me an extra three seconds to find him and put a round into his shoulder. He spun, crashing over the railing to fall to the club floor below, head first. The dry twig sound of his neck snapping told me all I needed to know.
Suddenly there was a boom behind me, and I spun, both pistols ready, but it was already over. Sophie huddled on the floor, the pistol type shotgun I'd given her tight in her hands, smoke rising from the barrel. I'd never seen or even heard him, and he crashed to the floor, the deer slug obliterating most of the right side of his chest.
It was only then that sound came back into the world, and I realized the high pitch screaming in my ear wasn't my overtaxed nerves going nuts, but Tabby screaming hysterically. I swept the room with my eyes, then ran over and knelt next to Sophie. "You all right?"
She looked at me, her eyes calmer than I expected them to be. "Yeah. You?"
"Yeah. Get Tabby, I'll cover the room," I said, kneeling next to the man who had snuck up on me. I was curious, I hadn't had someone sneak up on me in years. Sophie started off, and I caught up, making sure the back of the club didn't have any more nasty surprises, then checked Shaun's body, taking his cell phone out of his right front pocket. Tabby was still in hysterics until Sophie pulled her into a hug, and between the two of us, we carried her out of the club. She passed out on the way to the truck, which I was grateful for. It made transporting her easier since she was already in a state of shock.
* * *
It was even more difficult two weeks later. "You're sure about this?"
It was the third time Sophie had aske
d Tabby since bringing her home. We were in her apartment, and while I was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, I was still armed. There was no time I'd left the belfry in the last two weeks that I wasn't carrying something. We'd brought Tabby there, trusting her to keep the secret, to give her a chance to recover and adjust to the situation. I'd then spent the last week giving her a crash course on how to survive if organized crime was interested in you, and how to cover your tracks. Finally, I'd placed a few calls, and made a few inquiries to try and give her a bit of security in other ways too. Still, I agreed with Sophie. Tabby should have taken a vacation, preferably one of multiple months at least in a city far away. Europe would have been nice.
Tabby looked at Sophie in exasperation and smiled. "You know, just because I don't have Rambo for my boyfriend doesn't mean I can't take care of myself. Besides, you know what Mark told them."
It was true, I had used Shaun's cell phone to give Sal Giordano a call, warning him to stay away from Tabby, and that he'd made a big damn mistake doing what he did. I hoped that it would put a bit of caution into the Confederation, and have them spend more time trying to find me rather than going through Tabby. Still, I am only one man, and I couldn't protect her all the time. No matter how many times I tried to tell her though, she wouldn't listen. She was going to stay in the city.
"Tabby, I can't promise I can be here, but if you need me, you know the number to call." I'd bought half a dozen burner phones with some of the cash I had on hand, and had given her one with another of the numbers programmed in. I could ditch it whenever I wanted if I needed to. "Just remember, if you want to just talk, use your normal phone. Sophie's cell still works, it's been scrubbed."
Tabby nodded, only a bit exasperated with me. "I know, I know. Mark, you've been giving me lessons on how to survive for a week and a half now. I got it, really."
On the way back to the belfry, Sophie reached over and took my hand. "She'll be ok, you know. She may come off at a total ditz, but Tabby's got a decent brain inside that cute skull of hers. By the way, thank you for turning her down when she hit on you, even though she was just teasing me."
"She's not my type," I said. We reached the bell tower, and climbed the stairs. Once in the tiny room that had become our apartment, I pulled her into a deep kiss. "You are."
"For that I'm still confused, but very happy," she replied, her soft kiss matching the softness of her skin and body as she molded her body against me. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
"Four days," I whispered into her ear. "Having a guest up here with us since the club kind of put a damper on doing what I wanted to do."
"Then let's not waste any time," Sophie replied, running her hands down my stomach and cupping my cock through my pants. Her gentle fingers massaged in a wave like fluttering, until I was aching and barely in control. Pushing her back to our mattress, we collapsed in a tangle of arms and legs, touching and stroking each other, Sophie ending up on top, straddling my hips. Sophie had lost a little bit of weight since we moved into the bell tower, but she was just as beautiful, with her long hair thick and silky in my fingers. Pulling her shirt off, I kissed the swells of her breasts, full and round against my face. Sophie was wearing a deep red satin bra that highlighted her skin perfectly. "You always have loved my boobs."
"They're works of natural art," I said, running my thumbs over her nipples. The dark pink skin crinkled and hardened, small little nubs that made my mouth water. Lifting her right breast to my lips, I kissed around her nipple, tickling her until she was moving from side to side, trying to bring it to my mouth and relieve her frustration. "You want more?"
"Dammit, you know what I need," Sophie growled, pushing me back onto the mattress. "And I know what you need." She slid down my legs, tugging at my belt and freeing my cock, which was already painfully hard, wrapping her breasts around my shaft. "Now, are you going to give me what I need, or am I going to have to tease you until your cock explodes and you pass out?"
"Okay, okay," I conceded, smiling and reaching down. "Bring something up here for me to give pleasure to."
I was happily surprised when Sophie almost spun around, swinging herself up and over my face. "Hmm, seems we've both found something the other does well," I joked before reaching out with my tongue, tracing the soft petals of her outer lips. Sophie didn't wax, but she kept herself well-trimmed, leaving just a small triangle of soft dark hair at the top. It left her lips smooth and satiny, beautiful to touch and kiss. Best of all was her flavor, spicy and tangy and exotic. Parting her lips with the tip of my tongue, I dipped at her nectar, relishing her sighs and soft cries as I licked up and down.
"Mark......" Sophie groaned, pumping my cock with her lightly clenched fist. I kept up my licks, delighting in both the sensual stroke of her hand and the beautiful flavor on my lips. I circled her clit and Sophie gasped, bending forward to swallow my cock, sucking hard. I barely held myself under control as Sophie licked and sucked, mirroring her actions to my own.
Our oral play became a game, a loving competition between the two of us. When I licked her clit, she would play her tongue around the head of my cock. When I kissed and licked deeper, Sophie sucked and tongued my shaft, both of us seeing how far we could bring the other.
Neither of us could take the game for too long. Sophie 'lost' only because of the fact she was on top, and could move easier than I could, pulling her hips off of me and sliding down my torso. Looking back over her shoulder as she positioned herself over my cock, her eyes were the sexiest look I'd ever seen in my life. If I live to be a thousand years old I'll still remember the half-open lips, shining in the afternoon light while her eyes shone with love and desire for me. Holding my cock in her hand, she sank down until the two perfect hemispheres of her ass touched my hips, and she settled down. "Hold on, cowboy," she grinned, flashing me a naughty smile. "This is going to be one hell of a ride."
Leaning forward and putting her hands on my thighs right above my knees, Sophie rose up, lifting and riding back and forth on my cock. It was sweet torture, pinned down under her as she pleasured herself. Her body gripped my shaft tightly, each nerve ending sending tingles through my body. "Faster," I said, just barely keeping from begging. I'd never given up so much control in bed to a woman before, but Sophie was like no other woman. "Fast and hard, babe."
Sophie's hips shook with each hard slap of her ass against my hips. We were both soon moaning and gasping, the rising orgasm expected to be loud and messy. Sweat stung my eyes as I bit my lip to keep from coming, the erotic sight of my cock disappearing into Sophie's body with every back and forth movement of her hips adding to the energy, until I lost all control. With a deep growl I grabbed Sophie's hips, planting my heels in the mattress and hammering her, desperate for release. Our cries mixed, and when I heard Sophie's breath catch, I abandoned all restraint, racing towards my climax. "I'm going to come," I warned, my cock aching, so close I could feel it.
"Do it," Sophie screamed as she clamped down on me. Her cry stretched out as her orgasm took over, her hair flying in a beautiful wave as she tossed her head back, her back arching. I pumped in one last time, letting my release rip through me. I could feel my balls actually cramp I was coming so hard, hissing the pain and pleasure together. It felt like it went on forever, until my hips relaxed, and we both sagged back onto the mattress. I was too weak to do anything but lay there while Sophie caught her breath, staying where she was until my softened cock slipped out of her, and she turned around to cuddle against me. "I love you," she whispered, kissing my jawline.
"I love you too," I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. We lay there in the dim afternoon light filtering through the slat sides of the tower for a few minutes before I spoke again. "What do you think about living here?"
"In the city?" Sophie asked. "It's a good city, but we're probably going to be in danger. Why do you ask?"
"I wasn't just thinking about the city," I said, gesturing around the room, "But here. The past few weeks, after we saved Tabby,
I've been thinking. You're right, I have a lot of sins to atone for. What about using some of that blood money I've gathered over the years to try and clean up the city? I had five strike bases before, and my condo in the high rise. What if we do something the same, but use this place as our main base?"
Sophie thought about it for a while, running her hand over my chest. The effect was nice, and I could feel my body warming to the idea of another round of sex with the woman I love. "How do you plan on making sure we aren't tracked down? You start showing your face too much around here, and it's liable to get blown off."
I nodded and grinned. "You don't think I didn't plan on faking my own death? While it wouldn't be foolproof, you and I could take a vacation, say to South Korea. They do plastic surgery there all the time, and we'd get a few changes made. Nothing too drastic, mostly I had planned a bit along my jawline and eyebrows, a bit of reshaping. Combine that with a change of hair color, and I'll be able to get by pretty well."
"A vacation to South Korea, huh?" Sophie replied, and I could hear her grin. "I could do that. But there's going to be a couple of rules in all of this."
"What's that?" I asked, rolling us both over so that I could lay on my side and look at her. It also pressed her breasts against me, and I had to fight not to be distracted.
"Rule number one," Sophie replied, running her hands over my lower back and stroking my backbone, a favorite site for her to explore as we spent time together, "is that I'm not going to be some passive little observer. I put a shotgun round into someone last time, and I'm still here. I didn't break down in hysterics. So if you want to turn into some cross between Batman and The Punisher, I'm not going to be your Alfred."
In Too Deep: A Romantic Suspense Novel Page 30