-WL
A knock scares the shit out of me. Grabbing my gun from the table by the door, I swing it open, effectively scaring the Chinese delivery guy. I grab a fifty off the table and shove it to him, grabbing the food and slamming the door.
Shit, what the fuck? Grabbing my cell, I call Jacob. As soon as he picks up, I don’t give him a chance for a greeting. “Safe place, now!”
“Shit,” I hear him mumble. “Go with the plan.” And the phone clicks off.
I grab a bag, shove in the food, some important documents from my safe, some belongings and that letter. Calling a cab, I have them meet me on the street behind my house. Luckily my back door neighbors are always out of town. I heft myself up over the fence, (which is a lot fucking harder than it was ten years ago) go through their yard and wait on the street for a cab. Once it picks me up, I give him the address of the street that backs up to Jacob’s place, closely watching the entire way there to make sure that I’m not followed. Once we arrive, I hand over some cash and jump out, running between some apartment buildings and using the back entrance to Jacob’s place. As soon as I enter his place, he slams the door and locks it. “Okay, so what’s going on?”
I hand him the envelope. “This was in my mail today. I need a safe house.”
He quickly scans the document. “Shit. He wasn’t due out or even up for parole for a few more years.” He grabs his phone and calls, I’m sure, Raines.
I hear him in the other room barking orders through the phone and trying to get information. Finally, he comes back into the living room. “Okay, here is the information I just got. Raines is pissed. He had no fucking idea that they were even thinking about releasing him early. You know they never got him on any murder charges so most of what they got was drugs and money laundering. So with good behavior, his age and overcrowding, they let his old ass out. Why you weren’t notified by the state is news to me. Chances are as backed up as they can get, you’ll get notification in like two weeks. Now, Raines can get you a safe house, the only thing is I can’t go. I have to be in the fight tomorrow night. Luke Kyle is working for one of the agencies, I’m just not sure which one yet. He’s not CIA, though, so he may be ATF or FBI. The FBI always like to nose in where they aren’t wanted.”
I nod. “Yeah, go. I’ll be fine in the safe house. It’s not my first rodeo. I can catch up on my reading.” I try to make a light joke, glad that I actually threw a couple of books in my bag.
“What all did you bring with you?” he asks.
It hits me. “Shit.” I open the bag and luckily the food hasn’t spilled all over everything in there.
“Food? Really, Rox?”
“The delivery guy showed up just as I was leaving. I pulled a gun on him, tipped him really fucking great and as I was shoving, I guess I shoved the food in the bag, too.”
I grab out some clothes and the files I took. “I got this stuff, too,” I say, showing him.
He sighs. “All right. Let’s get you to the safe house. Just to be safe, go out the way you came. I’ll pick you up on that street.”
Following his orders, a few minutes later he’s picking me up. He drives us thirty minutes out of town to an old farm house. He pulls out his phone and pulls up a picture. “This is Raines. He’ll be here tomorrow with food. He says there are some bare supplies in there but not much. I’ll stay and eat with you and then I have to go. You know the drill.”
I nod. “Yeah, it’s been awhile but I remember.”
We climb out of his truck and trudge to the house. Opening the door, you can tell by the dust that no one has been in here for a long time. I see it’s sparsely furnished and the furnishings that are there are old. It’s an open plan with a simple kitchen, small dining area and tiny living room. I see a couple of doors to the right, which are probably bedrooms and bathrooms. This is a normal safe house though. Chances are this old farm was foreclosed on and one of the agencies bought it and the land for a steal. I see a towel on the counter and grab it to wipe the layer of dust off the counter top and table so I can sit my stuff down. While he does a quick walkthrough, I grab our food out of the bag and set it on the table as he rinses a couple of plates for us to dish it up on. Quietly, we move in unison. Once we settle into eating our food, he finally looks to me. “I wish I could stay here with you.”
“I know but you need to fight and I don’t need attention, but yeah, I wish you could stay, too.”
We finish our meal in silence with a heaviness hanging over us. Just before he leaves, he turns around, slamming the door. He grabs me up and sits me on the kitchen counter, shoving the long skirt I wore to work today around my waist, and grabs my panties, snapping them. I fumble with his belt and the snaps on his jeans to shove them and his boxers down. He quickly and feverishly slams into me, causing me to cry out. I grip the edge of the counter as he slams into me over and over again. I want more, I need more. “Yes!” I cry out. “More. Harder.” I watch as his dick quickly slams into my pussy. This is hot and intense. I pull him in closer and my fingers claw his back through his shirt. My head bounces off of the old wooden cabinet behind me as we both reach our climax. As he pulls out, we both realize he forgot a condom.
“Shit,” he mumbles as I grab for the towel on the counter. He’s breathing heavy when he asks, “I know you’re good on birth control, I see you take it, but I’m still sorry.”
I try to clean up our mess. “I’m sure you’re clean?” He nods. “Well, then it’s okay.”
He leans against me on the counter. “Thank god. Because I intend to do that again, but for now I have to go.”
I hug him tight. “I know. You go. Take care of shit. Keep me posted.”
He pulls away, tucking himself in his jeans. On the way to the door, he takes a phone out. “A burner phone. My number, Raines and the gym are the only ones in it. I’ll call into the college tomorrow and act like you’re really sick.”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be in contact.” With those words, he walks out the front door and here I am, once again all alone in a safe house.
CHAPTER 19
JACOB
Driving away from that safe house was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I have to get back before people notice I’m gone. I know that she can handle herself, I just hope she doesn’t have to. Just as I’m turning on the main road back into town, my cell rings. It’s Raines.
“Foster.”
“Get that matter settled?”
“Yep. Locked up tight.”
“You’ve got a match tomorrow night?”
“Yeah. Over in Daytona. So not too far.”
“Pay attention. Look for the other fighter. See if you get the opportunity to speak privately. Word now is he’s with the ATF, looking into Frank’s death and his connection to Lowe. My guess is this guy’s already figured out Frank’s not dead. Get back to me. She got a burner?”
“Yeah. Your number, mine and the gym.”
“Roger. Keep me apprised.”
I hang up and try to plan a strategy in my head for tomorrow. I’ve got to get away from Marco and Huck at the fight tomorrow. They can’t be around when I try to find out about “Luke Kyle.”
Sleep eludes me the entire night. I keep thinking about Rox out at that safe house with no one. It’s not smart to have someone out there without back up, but that’s the way it has to be. Raines and I both agree trusting anyone right now may not be a great idea. She’s armed and she’s trained so right now, that’s the best I can do.
Today, I’m running off pure adrenaline. The best way to deal with Huck and Marco is to be honest. My sister and Chelsea both asked about Rox coming over during the fight but I gave them the excuse that she had a stomach virus. Same thing I told the college this morning. That should keep people away.
It’s almost time to leave the gym, so I need to do something now. “Marco, Huck, I need a word.” I motion for them to come into the office.
“Okay, Roxanne is at a safe house.” I
take out a piece of paper and write the address down. I show it to them. “I’m putting this in your drawer. No one knows where she is except Raines and me. And now, you.” I shut the drawer. “Tonight, I need to be off the leash a little. I’ve got to do some snooping; I found out there is another agent in play. Also, Wes Lowe is out of prison and has already sent a nice letter to Roxanne. That’s the reason she’s stowed away. I need it to look like you think I’m just another fighter for you. You don’t know me outside of this gym. I’m driving myself over tonight. I need you guys there, but I also need distance. I gave you that address in case something happens. The only numbers she has right now are mine, Raines and this gym. She’s fine. Roxanne lived in an isolated safe house for over a month once. But, there always needs to be a backup. Marco, hand me your phone.” He does and I put Raines’s number in it. “Just in case you need it. You shouldn’t, tonight should be cut and dry, but this way you have it.”
Huck looks to me. “So she’s out there alone?”
I nod. “Yep. Sometimes that’s the way it has to be and she understands. Raines will be out there today to take some supplies to her.”
After a few more simple questions from the two of them, we leave.
Getting ready in the locker room, I notice how this place is different. It’s more isolated. There are alcoves of grey lockers down a hall, there are stalled showers and toilets, then a separate dressing area. This used to be an armory and was converted into an MMA arena.
Marco comes in, “Change in roster tonight. You were supposed to be fighting a Kenton James, but it’s now a rematch between you and Luke Kyle. Several fans asked for it, since your match up was so close last week.”
“Really?”
“Most of the time if the fans demand it, it happens. Also, I think Kyle wanted to go at you again.” He shrugs. They don’t know that the other agent is the one I’m fighting again.
Out in the hallway as I’m getting ready to enter the arena, I decide it’s time to go off script a little. I see Luke standing at the other end of the hall. “You like the taste of my fist so fucking much you ask for it again?” I say with a smirk.
He starts toward me. “No, motherfucker, I plan to rectify our last encounter.”
I start walking in that direction. “Oh, so you needed some more time to learn to fight before you went against me again?”
He lunges at me and I lunge at him. People are trying to pull us away. When I get close enough to his ear, I grunt in a low tone, “Do you like cock in ass?”
He shoves me back. “What the fuck, you trying to whisper sweet nothings in my ear? Sorry, I’m about the females. See you in the cage, bitch.” I shove off. We’ve both acted like assholes now, so we should be good for a bit. I told him I’m CIA and he told me he’s ATF. It’s not the normal way I would let someone know who I am, I’m just glad he caught on. That was probably one of the weirdest fucking things I’ve ever said.
“What the fuck was that, Jacob?” Huck asks.
Marco glances at him. “It’s like prison rules. He has to show them he means business. Talk shit to each other. Jacob hasn’t been around as long as you guys, he has to show his balls a little.”
A few moments later, I’m being announced into the cage. I vaguely listen to the ref and try to settle my mind. Like Lox says, it’s fifteen minutes. Three sessions of five minutes. I hear the bell and we go at each other. We lock up but before we’re separated, I hear him say, “Eighty-four Diner.” He’s communicating. This is good. I land a kick that takes him off his feet. Once I’m on top of him, he grunts out, “Zero one”.
Okay, so I’m meeting him at the Eighty-four Diner at one in the morning.
He lands a punch to my stomach and as I bend, I say, “Tonight?”
He lands another punch and yells, “Fuck yeah!”
After that our communication is over and we fight like we mean it. We both know our lives are on the line, to some degree his more than mine.
When the winner is declared, I know it’s still close, but he wins this time. Which is fine. Our fight was one of the first ones of the night so I have hours to kill before I meet him.
Once I’m in my truck, I make a call to Raines. “Raines.”
“Did you take her supplies today?”
“Yeah. She was good. On her toes, but that’s a good thing.”
“Okay, well I have a meeting with the other agent tonight. Eighty-four Diner at zero one hundred. I’ll check in after it’s over.”
“Roger.” I hear him clanking dishes in the background. “I’ll be back out to check in with her tomorrow.”
A few hours later, I’m sitting in front of the diner when I see another truck pull up and Luke Kyle go in. Waiting a minute to make sure he wasn’t followed, I go inside and slide into the bench across from him. He picked a corner booth positioned so we could both see the door.
He speaks softly. “So you’re CIA?”
I answer back in a low tone. “In a manner of speaking, yes. ATF, huh? My name is Jacob Foster. Your real name is?”
“Lucas Kelson.”
I nod and continue. “What’s the story here? I know why I’m looking into all of this, why are you?” I shrug.
“After Mike Juarez was killed at the hospital, we knew someone else had to be working for Lowe. We got a lead that Frank Weeks had some connections to Wes Lowe so we started looking into Lowe’s old files that were seized. He had complete dossiers on the team that Frank Weeks was a part of. So to start with, we honed in on the only surviving team member.”
“Roxanne Gilliland.”
“Yes, but then we realized the CIA has had someone on her for a while. I didn’t know it was you, though. Something about you in that fight the first time told me.”
“Yeah, same here. How long have you been doing this?”
He sighs, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “This case, seven months. The ATF, two years.”
I roll my lips. “So what brought up Frank Weeks?”
“Well, as I said, we were going through the files. Found some interesting things he had on Frank. Then we started looking into Frank’s accident thinking it may have been murder. The more we looked, the more it seemed like it wasn’t Frank in the vehicle.”
“What led you to Miami?”
“Some of Lowe’s attorneys. We followed the money. It led to Frederick Wesley, aka Frank Weeks.”
“So what have you figured out?”
“Well, I don’t know what they pulled but they got Wes Lowe out early. They don’t let me in on much, but I overhear things. Frank wants everyone to believe he’s Frederick and for the most part, people do. He also has a big thing about being in charge. That seems to have come under strain since Lowe got out of prison.”
I nod. “Oh, I’m sure Frank doesn’t like sharing the spotlight now.” I look back down at the table. “Okay. Keep your head down. Hand me your burner phone. I know you have one.”
He slides a phone over the table to me. “I’m putting my number in here as Jackie. You need me, you dial. If other people are around you, act like I’m your girl, make some shit up about dinner or something.”
He nods. “Do you want a number for me?”
“Nope. I know where to find you. If it’s serious, call Marco’s gym. Talk to Huck or Marco only.”
I stand from the booth. “I’m serious, this asshole Lowe is smart. Keep your ass down, play fucking dumb.”
“Got it, man.”
CHAPTER 20
ROXANNE
I’ve been at the farmhouse for a week now. The walls are starting to close in. I’m hoping Jacob has given the college a reasonable excuse as to why I’m not there. I don’t need to lose my job over this shit. At this moment, I’d love nothing more than to walk straight up to Wes Lowe and blow his fucking head off. I’m tired of this life of constantly looking over my shoulder. I thought I was past this point. I really thought I could just move on. I was so stupid. I also really want to beat the hell out of Frank. How
could he do this to me? To my dad? To Mitch? I considered him a father figure. Hell, my parents considered him my god father. I think back to the last safe house I was at and Frank’s words to me. “Fuck me? Fuck you, Rox. I know you lost them, but I lost them, too. They were some of the only family I knew. Maybe not by blood, but by bond. Now get your ass together like the agent you are and let’s go put this fucker behind bars for good.”
Asshole acted like he cared. I wasted away in that safe house for over three months and that motherfucker had the audacity to act like he cared that my family was gone.
I hear a vehicle coming down the road. I carefully look out the window to see it’s Raines. He comes to the porch and I slowly open the door. “We’re moving you.”
“What?” I question in irritation.
“I’d feel more comfortable if you didn’t stay in one location very long. Jacob feels the same way,” he explains bluntly. If I were any other person this might upset me, but it’s just being a cop.
“I’d really prefer to just go back to my place. I need to work, I’m not even sure what all Jacob told the college.”
“He told them what you thought was a stomach bug turned out to be a bacterial infection from food poisoning, so that’ll give you some time. We still aren’t close enough to Lowe or Frank to lock them up. You can’t go back home or to work.” He stands there with frustration on his face. “Roxanne, you know this.”
“I know that. But I can’t stay here for weeks or months until you guys get close enough to him to lock him up. Just let me go home. If he walks through my door, you won’t need to lock him up.”
Jacob (Exposed Marco's MMA Boys #5) Page 10