by B. B. Hamel
We got back to the car. Travis was holding Mason, smiling at us.
“He stopped crying,” Travis said.
Tara reached out and took Mason from him. Travis immediately sensed our mood.
“What’s up, cap?” he asked. “Lover’s quarrel?”
Tara gave him a look but went to put Mason back in the car seat.
“Change of plans,” I said. “We have to go back to Dayton.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You know I’d follow you anywhere, cap, but I think you need to explain this one to me.”
And so I did. I told him about the card, about how this whole thing had felt wrong from the start. As I spoke, he began to nod along.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s make moves then.”
He got into his car and I leaned down against his window. “Listen, stay close. I don’t think anyone is after us right now.”
“I think you’re right. I haven’t seen a peep since we left Indianapolis.”
“Try and get in touch with Coop. We’ll regroup when we’re in Dayton.”
“Roger that.” He pulled out and I walked back over to my stolen car.
Tara was sitting in the back with Mason, giving him another dose of antibiotics. I climbed in and started the engine.
“You ready for this?” I asked her.
“Absolutely,” she said, her face serious.
“Let’s go.”
I floored it, pulled back on the highway, and headed back into the fire.
25
Tara
I woke up in the back seat of the car, my head draped down toward Mason. He was sleeping too, his little chest rising and falling peacefully.
It was mid-afternoon and we were still driving, though I recognized most of the signs. We were getting closer to Dayton, getting closer to the terrorists who wanted to hurt us.
But now they weren’t the terrorists who were after me. They were after my parents, and they wanted to do something horrible that could end up hurting a lot of people.
I wasn’t going to let them do that, of course.
I was done wanting to run away. I needed to protect Mason, but I was finished being too afraid. Everything had happened so quickly, so intensely, and it took me so long to really process it all. At the end of the day, though, I wasn’t going to back down.
And that was all because of Emory. He gave me strength. He made me feel something more than just fear. Before him, I was just living my life, going through the motions, but he made me see that there could be so much more than just existing. The things Emory did and could do, he was important, he was strong. I wanted to be more like him, but I also wanted to be near him.
“You awake?”
I glanced up and saw Emory looking at me in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah,” I said. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“No problem. You needed rest.”
“How close are we?”
“Not far. We’re stopping soon, getting ourselves set up.”
“What’s the plan from here?”
“Well, that’s what I wanted to talk about.”
I yawned and stretched. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“I want you to go stay with a friend.”
“What?”
“I don’t think you’re in any more danger,” he said. “Omar and his people are likely with your parents or at least getting ready to try something. If we’re not too late, we’ll be able to stop them and help, but I can’t be worried about you, too.”
“No,” I said, surprising myself with how seriously I said it. “No way am I sitting on the sidelines.”
“Do you have somewhere you can stay?” he asked me, pressing.
“My friend Lindy would let me stay with her, but Emory, I’m not backing down.”
He grinned at me. “Look at you, princess, growing a backbone.”
“Shut up, asshole,” I said.
He laughed. “God you’re so fucking sexy when you talk dirty.”
“I’m not messing around. I can’t just give up on this.”
“Do you have some secret training I don’t know about?”
I clenched my jaw, annoyed. “No.”
“Then you can’t help. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth.”
He was so patronizing. It was driving me insane. “I know my parents,” I said. “I know the area too. I can help.”
“No,” he said again. “It’s not happening. You’re just too much of a distraction for me.”
“That’s not my fault.”
“It is your fault,” he said. “It’s that fucking body, that pussy, the way you look at me like you can’t wait to feel me fucking you again soon.”
“Emory,” I said, ignoring him, “I’m not getting left behind.”
He drove on in silence and finally let out a sigh. “Mason then. We have to at least leave him out of this.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I’m not separating myself from him.”
“I can’t do this with an infant to watch, Tara. You have to understand that.”
“I’ll watch him.”
“Then I’ll have to watch you, too.”
“I can’t leave him,” I said. “I just can’t. I have to make sure he’s safe.”
“I wouldn’t suggest this if I didn’t think it was safe.”
“You thought my parents would be safe too, didn’t you?”
I regretted that as soon as I said it. His eyes narrowed and he looked out over the road, not saying anything for a bit.
“Mason is my son,” he said finally. “I’m not taking chances with his life or with yours. You have a choice: You either stay at Lindy’s with Mason, or you leave Mason and come with me.”
He said it so simply, but I could tell that there was an angry edge underneath his words. I knew that he wasn’t going to let me do exactly what I wanted and that fighting him was going to be useless. It pissed me off, and I wanted to struggle, but that wouldn’t get me anywhere.
Emory had made up his mind, and he wasn’t the type of man to change it easily.
“Fine,” I said finally. “I’ll leave Mason with Lindy.”
“Okay.” He turned back toward driving.
I wanted to scream at him in that moment. I felt like he was forcing me to tear off my own arm, but I also understood why he needed this from me. If I was going to insist on coming along when he didn’t want me to, I was going to have to prove that I could follow directions.
And besides, he was right. We couldn’t be worried about Mason while finding and fighting terrorists. Leaving Mason with someone, even Lindy, sounded pretty damn horrible to me, but I couldn’t argue with his logic.
We continued driving in silence. I wanted to pick up Mason and hold him, but I also knew I should let him sleep. He needed it, especially with the ear infection. The antibiotics seemed to be working already, and he was taking the medicine pretty easily, but I didn’t want to mess with that.
I looked out the window, my stomach a knot of worry. But I was determined to stick this through, to help Emory, to save my parents.
I wasn’t backing down, not from this, not ever.
26
Emory
I watched from a distance, my arms crossed, as Tara talked with a young, pretty girl. I assumed it was Lindy, though obviously I couldn’t be sure since I’d never actually met her before.
Travis was out scouting around us, making sure nobody was following, but I wasn’t worried about that. I had a powerful gut feeling about this, the first true gut feeling I’d gotten since everything had started. I finally felt like I understood what Omar was doing and where this was all going.
Tara hated dropping Mason off with Lindy, but it was the safest thing for him. Nobody knew Lindy; nobody knew she was even slightly a part of this. But if we kept Mason with us, he would be dragged into the heart of everything, potentially right into the center of a nuclear meltdown.
Tara passed Mason off to Lindy and gave her his bags and
things. Lindy looked worried and maybe a little confused, but she clearly had agreed to watch Mason. I didn’t know what Tara was telling her, but I assumed it was some convincing lie.
Maybe she was saying she and I were going on some trip together. Lindy probably thought she was crazy and that Tara was going on some weeklong fuck fest with me, which was definitely better than the truth: that we were going to hunt down some terrorists and stop an attack.
Tara finally finished, kissed Mason goodbye, and tore herself away. I could see the hurt plain as day on her face, but I knew she understood why this was the right call. Mason would be safer this way, and we wouldn’t have to worry about him as we finished this. It was only going to be for a few days at most, and Lindy apparently was good with Mason.
I was impressed all over again by Tara’s strength. She was keeping herself going against all odds. I’d thought for sure she would stay behind with Mason, but she was clearly determined to see this through.
I knew I shouldn’t have let her come with us, but I also knew that I was way too close to this. I was giving in to that, admitting to myself that I wanted her to come along. I wasn’t sure how she could help or if it would even be safe for her to stay with me, but I couldn’t fucking help myself.
The thought of doing this without her felt empty. She was the reason for it all, and I wanted her nearby. Fuck if that wasn’t a very, very stupid reason for dragging a civilian along on a serious mission, but there it fucking was.
“You okay?” I asked her as she got closer.
“Fine,” she said, and climbed into the car. “Let’s go.”
I got in and looked at her. “You can change your mind,” I said. “You’ll be safe here. You can take care of Mason until this is all over.”
“Just drive,” she said.
I grinned to myself and pulled out into traffic.
We drove in silence, and I could tell she was unhappy. That was fine with me though. I didn’t need her to be happy all the damn time. It wasn’t my job to make her joyous over all my fucking decisions. I was in charge of this operation, and if she didn’t like that, she could go stay with Lindy and Mason.
Fifteen minutes later and we pulled into the parking lot of this run-down old motel called Knight’s Inn. Travis was already there, leaning up against his car, dangling a key off his finger. I parked next to him and we got out.
“Already grabbed a room, cap,” he said. “Two actually. One for us, and one for the girl.”
“Fine,” I said, taking the keys from him. “Good work.”
“What’s the plan?”
“We’re going to check out the house, but we need rest first. Think you can run a quick scouting mission?”
“Roger that,” he said.
“Wait,” Tara interrupted. “Wait. We aren’t going to my house right now?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “We can’t just run up there. Travis hasn’t been able to contact Coop, which means something might be wrong. We have to be careful. Too much is at stake.”
I could tell that didn’t sit well with her, but I didn’t have time to argue the point. I just nodded at Travis and walked off, carrying the bags.
Tara hurried to catch up. “I know this is your thing,” she said, “but I don’t like it. I think we should get there as soon as possible.”
I stopped in front of the room and dropped the bags. I unlocked the door and pushed it open. “This is you,” I said.
She stepped inside. “Lovely.”
I followed her in. “Listen, Tara,” I said. “I get you don’t like the way I’m running this, but you have to trust that I know what I’m doing.”
She sighed, sitting down on the bed. “I know. It’s just hard. I’m so scared for my parents, Emory, and I hate that I left Mason.”
“You didn’t leave him,” I said, closing the door. “You made sure that he was safe. There’s a difference.”
“I don’t feel like it’s very different.”
I walked over to her and stood in front of her. “You need to relax,” I said. “Let me handle this.”
“How am I supposed to relax? Terrorists want to blow up my parents.”
I tipped her chin up toward me. “I can help.”
Before she answered, I pressed my mouth against hers, kissing her hard. She kissed me back, breathing deeply through her nose.
I pushed her back onto the floral bedspread and pressed her down as I kissed her, our bodies moving together. I slowly moved my hands down between her legs, pressing along her pussy, feeling the heat there.
Without another word, I dropped to my knees at the edge of the bed. She moaned as I kissed down her stomach and unbuttoned her pants, pulling them off.
“This is how you want to relax me?” she asked.
“Can’t think of a better way than licking this pussy until you feel better.”
I pressed my mouth against her sweet, soaking cunt and began to lick her, stroking along her clit. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t, and whatever she was trying to get out was swallowed up by her moans.
I couldn’t get enough of Tara’s incredible pussy. My tongue roamed her whole length, taking in every drop of her. I licked and sucked her, working her clit, my tongue rolling along her.
“Oh shit, Emory,” she moaned. “If you’re trying to distract me, you’re doing a good job.”
I grinned at her and then kept working her pussy. I licked and stroked her, working her spot. I loved the way she tasted and loved driving her wild. Her whole body tensed as I worked her, my tongue and lips sucking and licking. I used every skill I had to make her feel good, my mouth working her hard, my hands on her hips.
I pressed a finger deep inside her as I continued to lick her clit. She moaned loudly as I fucked her with my fingers and sucked her clit. She fucking loved that, opening her legs even wider, losing herself in the pleasure.
I knew what I was doing to her body. I knew she couldn’t help herself. I grabbed her hip with my one hand and fucked that tight pussy with the other, working her deep and rough while my tongue and mouth worked her clit.
She rolled her hips, taking it, moving along with me. I wanted to get her off, and I wasn’t going to stop until I had her fucking sweet cum in my mouth. I wanted a taste of it badly, and I licked and sucked at her, loving the way she moved.
Her fingers laced through my hair, pressing my mouth harder against her clit. “Just like that,” she begged. “Oh shit, Emory. Just like that.”
I sucked her more, working that clit, my fingers fucking her deeply. She rolled her hips along with me, pressing my face closer against her. I could feel her whole body tensing and relaxing, getting deeper and deeper into it as I kept pushing her, fucking her, and sucking her.
There was nothing sexier than Tara moaning as I ate that pussy. My cock was hard as fuck as I sucked and licked her, and she was moving her hips faster, her body squirming. I could taste her getting hotter and hotter, her pussy soaking wet, my tongue working faster. I sucked her hard and licked her. Then I pressed my fingers deep, fucking her faster, pressing deeper and harder.
“Oh fuck, Emory,” she moaned. “Fuck me. I want you to fuck me. I’m so close.”
“Not a chance, princess,” I said. “I want you to come for me.”
“Please, fuck me.”
I fucked her with my fingers, pressing them deep, making her whole body tremble. “Not today, princess. Come in my fucking mouth, girl.”
I went back down on her, licking and sucking, working that clit, my fingers fucking her deep. Her hands got tight in my hair, pressing my face harder against her pussy, her hips rolling in circles. Her body moved along with my mouth and fingers, and I could tell she was getting closer and closer.
I moved forward, rolling her legs up, pushing her hips into the air like I was going to fuck her. Instead, I held her legs up like that with one hand while I licked her pussy top to bottom and then pressed my fingers deep inside her. Rolled back like that, I could fuck her
pussy hard and deep with my fingers while I sucked and licked her clit, getting a good angle.
That drove her fucking wild. Her moans got louder and she grabbed the sheets, gripping them hard. I kept her legs back like that and kept fucking that tight, wet pussy as I licked her clit.
“Oh god. Oh god, Emory. I’m going to come,” she moaned.
I didn’t let up. I just sucked and licked that clit faster, fucked her harder with my fingers, worked that pussy faster. She moaned loudly as her whole body started to tremble, and I loved it as she fucking came on my mouth and tongue. I worked that pussy, fucking her deeper, licking and sucking that clit as she came. I ate that pussy mercilessly, loving every fucking second of it as she had a fat, trembling orgasm.
Slowly I let her legs down as her orgasm passed. She lay there panting as I stood up, grinning down at her. She had that sexy fucking dazed look on her face, and her cheeks were totally flushed. She looked back at me, her mouth hanging open.
“And how was that, princess?”
“Fuck” was all she could say.
I laughed and leaned forward to kiss her. “Yeah. I thought so.”
Just then there was a knock at the door.
“Shit,” Tara said.
I gave her a look. “Relax. It’s Travis.”
“I don’t want him to know!”
“You think he hasn’t noticed anything yet?” I asked, smirking at her.
She blushed deeper. “I’m not ashamed. I’m just embarrassed.” She stood up. “I’ll be in the bathroom.”
I laughed as she scampered off and then shut the bathroom door behind her. I turned and opened the door.
“Captain,” Travis said.
“Spot anything?”
“Negative,” he said. “I need a couple hours sleep before we go over there, though.”
“Me too,” I said. “Here’s the other key.” I tossed it to him. “I’ll stay in here.”