by Mia Ford
He threw a fist at me. I dodged, let go of his hand and threw one of my own, feeling a sharp pain in my knuckles as they connected with his jaw.
Jack’s head snapped to a side and he fell to one knee, the blow taking him as much by surprise as the speed of his disarming.
The bastard was quick, though. He jumped at me, wrapping his arms around my waist and slamming me into the other car, immediately kneeing me in the side as he threw one punch after the other.
I blocked most of them, one or two getting past my defenses. I felt my head rattle, and steeled myself against his flurry of punches. As soon as I found an opening, I grabbed him by the wrist, twisted his arm, and brought my elbow down against his, bending it out of place.
I heard the snap of his joints and the satisfying shrill scream of pain that followed. Not letting go, I kicked him in the back of his knee, brought him down, and slammed his face against the car door.
“Alex!”
The whole thing had probably taken a few seconds. Jenni was pulling at my arm and trying to drag me away. Jack was coughing, blood oozing out of his nose, and he looked up at me with rage.
“You’re dead, man!”
I pulled out of Jenni’s grip, grabbed Jack by the collar and heaved him onto his feet. I grabbed his arm, applying as much pressure as I could to his broken elbow, and he screamed in pain.
“Watch it,” I warned, hissing the threat between clenched teeth.
He squirmed, tried to kick out, but the effort was weak. I punched him again and let him drop to the ground in a heap, his head rolling to a side as he wheezed through his broken nose. Jenni pulled at me again.
“That’s enough, Alex,” she was saying. “I think he’s gotten the point.”
I looked around. A small crowd had gathered around us from the coffee shop, eyes wide, some holding their cellphones and filming everything. I let Jenni drag me away and back to the car.
“What the hell were you thinking?” she shot.
“You’re kidding, right?” I shot back. “We have to get this guy to the Sheriff.”
“The Sheriff isn’t going to do anything,” she said. “Just get in the car and let’s go. You’ve taught him his lesson.”
I frowned at her, looking back at where I knew Jack lay sprawled on the asphalt between the two cars. What did she mean by the Sheriff wasn’t going to do anything?
“Let’s go, Alex,” Jenni urged.
I shook my head in confusion, unsatisfied with the fact that I wasn’t putting the prick behind bars. I looked at her, and she just waved at me to hurry up.
I got into the car, shifted into reverse, and pulled out of the parking lot. I took one last look at the scene, then turned the car around and drove away.
Chapter 14: Jenni
“This is going to sting.”
We were in my living room, Alex on a chair by the window while I dabbed the cut above his eye. He winced just a little, but didn’t pull back, and I would have mocked his macho attitude if it weren’t for the fact that he had just pissed off a lot of the wrong people.
Jack was Garth’s lap dog, and if there was one thing Garth hated more than anything, it was attacking one of his own. It was like an attack on him personally, and he took this shit far too seriously.
“I’m fine, you know,” Alex said.
“Shut up,” I replied, angry and worried at the same time.
There was a lot about Kent that Alex Logan didn’t know, and I doubted Samuel had brought him up to speed on even the half of it. Ever since the college popped up and brought with it a new kind of community, Garth had quickly gotten into the distribution business. There was a reason why my father thought he was bad news, and although no one could really pin anything on Garth, it was common knowledge that he had his fingers in one too many cookie jars. The drug dealing was only the half of it, but a pretty lucrative half, especially amongst college kids.
He had a big stake in the casino and university, too. There was no telling how big his business would grow once those kicked off. And there was no doubt how much more aggressive and possessive he would become. He already had the Sheriff in his pocket, and I doubted there would be a limit to how much money he’d be willing to throw around to get what he wanted.
The only thing standing in the way of the casino was Samuel Logan, and now Alex had just beat the shit out of one of Garth’s ‘friends’. That was definitely not going to sit well with him.
I dabbed at the cut on Alex’s head. You need to let him know. He’s in the middle of all this now.
But I couldn’t. If today was any indication of how Alex’s moral compass swung, he’d probably try and put a stop to all this. As a DEA agent, I expected nothing less, and knew what that meant. He’d taken a risk and had almost been killed in the process. What would happen to him here where he didn’t have backup? And what would his involvement mean for Samuel, or Kelly for that matter?
I sighed, my mind whirling. This is one fucking mess.
“There,” I finally said. “I don’t think you need stitches.”
“I know I don’t need stitches,” Alex smiled.
“Stop that,” I said. “There’s nothing funny about what happened back there. What the hell were you thinking?”
Alex frowned. “I was stopping a drug dealer from distributing.”
“You do know that he’ll probably just be doing the same thing tomorrow, right?”
“With an arm in a sling.”
“Funny.”
“Seriously, why are you surprised?” Alex asked. “You know this is my job.”
“Not in Kent,” I shot back. “We have a Sheriff for that.”
“Right,” he scoffed. “The same one you said wouldn’t do anything?”
“That’s beyond the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
I opened my mouth, hesitated, and closed it again. “You’re not on home ground, Alex,” I finally explained. “The dynamic here is different. This isn’t the Kent we grew up in.”
“Care to explain that?”
I shook my head. “Let’s just try to remember that you’re here to spend time with your father and recover. It’s not fair for your family to get in the middle of the crap that goes on here.”
Alex shook his head. “That makes absolutely no sense.”
“It doesn’t have to,” I said. “Just let the local authority deal with this shit, and enjoy the summer, would you?”
Alex stood up. “What aren’t you telling me?”
I collected the cotton and Betadine, carrying back to the kitchen as he followed me. “Nothing,” I said. “I just want you to be safe. I want Kelly to be safe.”
“Okay, first of all, I can handle myself just swell, thank you very much,” Alex chastised. “Secondly, no one’s going to care about my daughter’s safety as much as I am.”
I whirled around. “Right, and you have the bullet wounds to prove it?”
Alex stopped and stared at me, his eyes locked on mine.
“I’m sorry,” I said, turning away. “That’s not my place.”
“No, it’s not,” Alex replied, his voice calm yet firm.
I looked up at him, nodded and dropped the cotton and Betadine onto the counter. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed.
“Listen, tonight was fun, despite everything,” I said. “Thank you for driving me home.”
Alex looked at me a moment longer, his eyes searching mine. “No problem,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”
I gave him a weak smile and nodded.
“I’ll let myself out,” he said. He leaned in, kissed my cheek, and walked out.
I listened to him open the front door and called out, “Alex!”
I hurried out of the kitchen. He was standing by the open door, looking at me, waiting. I walked over to him, slowly, hesitantly. I placed a hand on his chest, leaning into him as I closed the door and locked it. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, and when I looked up at him, I imme
diately lost all restraint. I kissed him, softly at first, wavering for a second before I felt his lips move against mine as he kissed me back. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing into his hold, pressing tightly against him as the kiss quickly turned into a heated lock of lips that sent shivers up and down my spine.
I felt my entire body go flaccid, his hands running up and down my back, his lips kissing me hungrily as we moved away from the door, locked in each other’s embrace. I led him to the couch, not breaking the kiss as I fell back onto it and brought him down with me. I loved the feel of the weight of him on top of me, and our kiss intensified as his hands explored every inch of me. I gave into his touch, feeling tingles everywhere, shockwaves shooting up and down my body. His lips kissed along my jawline, then down to me neck and my collar.
His hands found their way under the hem of my shirt, pushing it up as he continued to explore my body, gently cupping my breasts as he kissed me. The heat in my body rose, and I could feel every inch of me begging to feel the touch of his lips against it. I laced my hands in his hair, pulling him closer, feeling like I wanted to crawl up inside him, his embrace like a warm blanket around me.
He looked up at me, our eyes locking, my chest rising and falling in deep, heated breaths. He pushed my shirt higher, and I raised my arms as he slipped the fabric off me and tossed it onto the ground. I kissed him deeply, unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it off. I ran my hands across his chest, the perfectly chiseled body I had imagined finding finally under my fingertips. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his breath against my neck, moaning softly as he pressed up against me. I could feel every inch of him against me, the touch of our skin driving me crazy and making me want him even more.
I sat up, grabbed him by the hand and led him to the bedroom. Before we even got to the bed, his arms wrapped around me, and his lips kissed the nape of my neck, sending shivers through me. I pushed back against him, feeling him hard against my ass, his fingers expertly unbuttoning my jeans. I slipped out of them quickly, turned around and kissed him. His touch felt like heaven, is strong hands holding me tight, the heat emanating from him mixing with my own as we fell back onto the bed.
His kisses traced lines down my chest, across my breasts, down the side of my body and across my stomach. I raised my hips against him, opening my legs as he adjusted himself between them, kissing his way back to my neck. His hands flicked at the front clasp of my bra, and he bent down, hungrily sucking at one nipple after the other. His tongue swirled, his teeth nibbled, and it was all I could do to not jump him right there. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the feeling, his lips everywhere, his hands squeezing my breasts. I could feel him rock hard through his pants, pressing against me, grinding slowly.
I gasped as he pulled my panties down, sliding them off my legs slowly and kissing the inside of my thighs. I curled my fingers in his hair, and held my breath as he made his way up higher. I was gushing, his touch and kisses driving me insane, and when his lips locked onto my pussy, I arched my back and moaned out loud. His hands grabbed my ass, pushing my hips up, his tongue lapping at my pussy, moving up and down slowly and sliding into me. My legs shook as he sucked at my clit and nibbled at it, his hands squeezing my ass as his tongue expertly worked at me. Before I knew it, I was pressing his face against my pussy and exploding with an intense orgasm that shook me to the core.
My hips fell back, and I clutched at the sheets, breathing heavily, my eyes closed and my head spinning. The bed shifted as he stood up, and I could hear him unzip his pants. I opened my eyes just as he crawled back on top of me, pushing his hard cock against me, burying the width of it between my pussy lips and rubbing against me. I grasped onto his arms, the muscles there flexing against my touch as he moved against me. I locked my eyes onto his, waiting for him, grinding against him and letting him know I was ready.
He slid in effortlessly, and I felt my pussy stretched to the limit against how hard he was. He filled me up, slowly, completely, pressed against every inch of me as I reflexively clenched down on him. He closed his eyes and groaned, settling inside me. He sucked at my nipples, and slowly began to move, out and then in. I wrapped my arms around him, my hands tracing the lines of his muscles, my nails digging into his back as he began to pick up the pace.
My moans filled the room, Alex rocking against me, moving in and out, driving me crazy with every stroke. I moved my hips against him, meeting every thrust, feeling his cock hit parts I didn’t think could be reached. He sent me into a frenzy, and I buried my face in his shoulder to muffle my screams of pleasure. His hips slammed against me, and when he’d grind, his pelvis pressed against my clit and shocked me into one orgasm after the other.
“Oh God!” I screamed as he fucked me, fast and hard, pressed against me with his strong arms wrapped around me. He held me close, breasts pushed up against his chest as he rocked me. I clenched down, his groans against my neck only making me want him more. I wrapped my legs around his waist, forcing him in harder, deeper, begging him to fuck me harder.
I could feel his cock expand inside me as he moved faster, and I held him tight, biting into his shoulder and screaming with pleasure. I felt his body stiffen, the muscles under my fingertips flexing, and I clamped down, squeezing against his cock. His groans of pleasure were like music to my ears, and he exploded inside me, his arms squeezing me against him, holding me so tight I felt like he would smother me. His body shook against mine, and just the feeling of him coming inside me made me shake all over.
He collapsed on top of me, breathing hard, the warmth of his breath against my neck. He rolled off me, arms wrapped around me as he pulled me to him. I closed my eyes, trying to catch my breath, feeling like every inch of me was on fire. I could hear his heartbeat hammering in his chest, and as I lay there in his arms listening to it slow down and return to a gentle rhythm, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
Chapter 15: Alex
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing, groaning as I opened my eyes and turned to look at the blinking screen on the bedside table. Jenni shifted against me, her eyes fluttering open for a second before they closed again and she resettled in my arms again. I leaned over and grabbed the phone, silencing it as I squinted in the bright light to see who was calling.
I winced when I realized it was three in the morning and Kelly was calling me. They were probably worried sick.
“Kelly?”
“Where the heck are you?” Kelly yelled.
I sat up quickly, her tone taking me by surprise. She was crying, gasping into the phone, and there was the distinct sound of sirens in the background.
“What happened?” I was already rolling out of bed and pulling my pants on. Jenni was wide awake, watching me, concern etched across her face.
“I called you seven times!” Kelly was yelling. “Seven times!”
“Kelly, where are you?” I demanded, already feeling my body shake with worry. I had never heard her this hysterical, and the shrill sound of the siren wasn’t helping ease my worry.
“I’m on the way to the hospital,” Kelly cried. “That guy from yesterday came by again.”
“Heath?”
“Grandpa went out to talk to him, and that bastard kept hitting him,” Kelly explained between tears. “I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t stop. Grandpa’s not waking up, dad!”
I almost dropped the phone. The world around me quickly began to swim in and out of focus. I could almost see myself there with her, in the ambulance, sitting next to her unconscious grandfather, desperately trying to reach me. I felt a sudden lurch in the pit of my stomach, and I wanted to reach through the phone, tell her everything was going to be alright. I wanted to apologize for not being there when I should have been, for letting her down yet again.
The emotions washed over me like a tidal wave, and my mind blanked completely.
“Dad!”
Kelly’s shrill scream brought me back. “I’m on my way, Kelly, I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
/> “Hurry!” she yelled at me, then hung up.
I pocketed my phone and grabbed my shirt.
“What happened?” Jenni asked, already half-dressed herself.
“They’re taking Samuel to the hospital,” I said, feeling a dark rage build up inside me.
“Oh god, what’s wrong?”
“Apparently, Heath thought it was a good idea to cross the line and attack my father.”
“Kelly?”
“Shell-shocked,” I replied. “Hysterical.”
“That son of a bitch!”
I didn’t answer her, pulling on my shoes as I searched the room for my car keys.
“I’m coming with you,” she said, rushing into the bathroom.
“That’s okay,” I said. “Stay here, I’ll be fine.”
“That’s not a choice you’re going to make for me,” she said, rushing back out and pulling on a t-shirt. She found my keys and tossed them to me. “Now hurry up.”
We were out the door in seconds.
* * *
“He’s going to be okay.”
I hated hospitals. The last time had not been the best of experiences, and every time I even drove past one, my body would stiffen and my head would swim. There were too many memories linked with it. Shitty food, the smell of detergent and disinfectant, and of course, the endless pain. That was the worst of it.