by Parker, Kara
She went home, ate, and fell into bed. She set her alarm for three hours of sleep. But her sleep was fitful and restless. In her dreams, everything was backward. David appeared in her cruiser in Lance’s seat, and she was frantic to hide him from the hundreds of dead-eyed officers who stared at them through the windows. She kept begging him to get down and hide, but he kept refusing. She awoke with a gasp seconds before her alarm went off, sure that her dream wasn’t a good omen.
CHAPTER NINE
David looked at his face in the mirror. Turning this way and that, trying to see if the bruising was any better. The scars were healing well, but the bruises were still big and purple, and people did a double take when he passed them on the street. It was making him conspicuous which was a bad thing—especially now. He was sneaking around; he needed to blend in better. Grabbing a raw steak from the fridge, David winced as the cold meat rested on his face, making his skin feel like it was burning before the cold set in. He hoped this old remedy actually worked.
He had slept for a solid fourteen hours after his night with Olivia and felt right for the first time in a long time. He felt awake and energized. He wanted to go to the drug den they had surveyed the other night and kick the door down. Go in guns blazing and find whom the rat was. David would rip him out of his little hole and out into the street. He would drag him by his hair to the rest of Reapers. Point down at him and say, “It wasn’t me! It wasn’t Olivia! It was him!”
If only David knew who ‘he’ was. He had no idea, no clues. He had been discreetly watching the remaining free Reapers, but all of them were as stunned and lost as he was. David looked at the clock in his kitchen and sighed. They were moving Rick out of the safe house today; David was on advanced guard—again. He was starting to feel like a sacrificial lamb. Everyday he was on the advanced guard, every time it would be David who took the fall if the cops found out about them. It was harder to do now. It was easier before, back when David thought he deserved the punishment. But he knew the truth now. David wasn’t the reason the Reaper’s went down; it was someone else. Someone not stuck in the advanced guard.
He rode on his bike to the safe house and waited outside. He hadn’t been permitted inside. It made sense; they still didn’t trust David. They didn’t want to give him access to anything that he could use to put them away. No one had been in the safe house other than Rick. He had been working, he told everyone. “It’s best you boys don’t know what’s going on. Plausible deniability and all that,” he had said.
The red truck that Rick owned was gassed up and waiting when David showed up. He hopped off his bike and walked up the front steps to knock on the door, but when he raised his hand, the door opened suddenly.
“Good morning, David,” Rick said. “On time as always. I appreciate your punctuality.” Rick used his body to hide the inside of the house, only opening the door enough to allow himself to slip out.
Rick got into his car and David onto his bike, and together they drove back out to the safe house in the desert. Life on the run was getting tedious. David had heard stories of men, who after enough time on the lamb just turned themselves in. They couldn’t take the stress or handle the planning necessary to be on the run for a long time. There were men, who when the police finally caught up with them, would breathe a sigh of relief that at last it was over. While David would never have turned himself in, he was beginning to understand where they were coming from.
He got Rick to the safe house without a problem. It was his only job for the day, which was good; he had a long night in front of him. He drove back to the abandoned garage and waited for Olivia. She arrived, just on time, the lights off on her Jeep as she pulled up.
David jumped into her car, and they headed west. He looked at Olivia. She looked exhausted. Her skin was pale, and there were bags under her eyes.
“How you feeling?” he asked.
“Fine,” she answered, her eyes on the road.
“You look exhausted,” he said.
“Exactly what a girl likes to hear,” she responded. Her left hand was resting on her leg, and David reached over and took it in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“I just mean that you’ve been working all day and helping me at night. You have to be tired.”
She finally turned to look at him and gave him a smile. “I’ll be ok. I took a nap before I came, but we need to make some progress. I can’t keep doing this. Eventually we’re gonna get caught. But I’m prepared tonight. I borrowed some stuff from the precinct—a camera with a long range lens, binoculars, bolt cutters, and a lock pick kit, just in case.”
“What happens when your job finds out?”
“They won’t. I took them from my own squad car, and when I go back to work tomorrow, I’ll put them back,” Olivia answered. It was a reminder of how much was on the line, not just for David, but for Olivia as well. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. He thought back to their first meetings and how interested in her he’d been. Not for the first time he realized that he should have left her alone. He shouldn’t have chased her and brought her into this with him. But at the same time, he was so grateful she was there to help him.
He ran his thumb over her knuckles as they drove. They parked the car under a tree and sat back to wait and see what would happen. The building was dark and looked empty, but it had looked that way last night and there had been someone in there the whole time. David pulled two sets of binoculars out of the bag of police gear Olivia had brought. He handed her one and took the other, aiming it at the store.
“You know, this is my first official stake-out,” Olivia said, lowering the binoculars. “In the academy, they said it was boring. A lot of sitting and waiting with the occasional picture taking. We had an entire class devoted to not driving your partner crazy during a stake-out.”
“Why did you decide to be a cop?” David asked. “You’re pretty enough; you could have found a rich man to take care of you.”
“Oh, yes. That is every woman’s dream. To end up the bored housewife, counting down the days until her decrepit husband finally keels over in the shower,” she said, rolling her eyes. “That’s the last thing I wanted. I became a cop because.... Do you remember career day at school?” she asked, and David nodded. “Well, I can remember that all the jobs were in offices and involved staring at computers all day, and so many of those jobs seemed so pointless—office manager at a hot sauce company, or an accountant putting numbers in a spreadsheet all day. I remember looking at them and thinking, what’s the point? Was that really all my life was going to amount to, sitting behind a desk all day? I thought about the military, but we have so many problems in our own country, I couldn’t really understand why we spent so much money trying to fix other places. Finally, an officer and a detective came in, and they talked about investigations and answering calls, interrogating suspects, and I just knew, that’s it. That’s what I want to do; I want to be a detective. I have my degree in criminal justice, but I have to put in my time as a beat cop first.”
“Is it everything you dreamed it would be?” he asked.
“Not yet,” she said with a smile. “My partner sucks, but I don’t mind paying my dues. But the captain has seen my good work, so hopefully I can move up to detective soon.” David looked away when she said that. Her dream was to be a detective and track down people like David. It was a stark reminder that they had no real future together. A cop and a biker, it could never happen for real. It could only be what they had now—sneaking around, dark nights, lying to the people in their lives. But he couldn’t walk away from her, he needed her. Not just to help him find out who the snitch was, but in his life in general. He wanted her around; he wanted to call her whenever he got the urge; and he wanted to hold her hand while they walked down the street. But how could such a thing ever happen?
“Truck,” Olivia said. David looked and saw a different truck pull up to the sidewalk and park in front of the store.
CHAPTER TEN
Throug
h the telephoto lens, Olivia watched the truck as it parked outside of the store. It cut its engine quickly, not wanting to wake the neighbors. This truck was different than the last one. It looked like a small moving truck, a cab and a big box in the back for storage. She watched the driver hop down, and she snapped photos of his unfamiliar face. The driver looked up and down the street, but his eyes went right past Olivia and David in the car.
She watched as they unloaded boxes and boxes, bringing them around back.
“We should follow that truck this time,” Olivia said, and David nodded in agreement. They watched as box by box the truck was emptied, and then it rumbled to life and took off down the street. Olivia kept her lights off and a good distance between them. It was the middle of the night, and the truck was avoiding busy streets, sticking to rarely used back roads.
In the corner of her eye, she could see David sitting on the edge of his seat, as if somehow he could get even closer to the truck. His hands were on the dashboard; he seemed to be one the verge of jumping out of the car.
“Easy now,” Olivia cautioned. They needed to be careful, very careful.
“I know where we’re going,” he said.
“What?” Olivia demanded, as the truck made a sharp right and after counting to five she followed.
“I think I know where we’re going,” he repeated. His eyes were wide; he looked like he was in shock.
“Care to fill me in?”
“It’s one of our safe houses. I just drove Rick there the other day. It’s on this street. In three blocks, they’re going to make a right and pull into a garage.”
“Rick, the second-in-command of the Reapers?” Olivia asked, she swallowed and looked at David. He had always proclaimed the innocence of the Reaper’s leadership. He had told her it couldn’t possibly be them; they would never betray their own organization. Plus, they were too dependent on the club. But what if they were betraying them, working behind the club to pick up the business for themselves?
“It can’t be,” David whispered. But just as he promised, the truck stopped in three blocks and pulled into the house. Olivia knew where they were; she had followed Sweetie to this house when she had come to see David in what felt like so long ago but was really only a few days. Just like that night, she stopped a few blocks away and parked the car. Somehow she had always known this would come full circle on her.
She looked over at David. He was shaking, clenching and unclenching his fists. His jaw was locked and nostrils were flaring; he looked like a lion waiting to pounce.
“We should tell my captain. She needs to know that someone’s already picked up where the Reapers left off.”
“I have to tell Mike,” David said. His voice barely hiding the rage he was feeling. His eyes were still on the house; he had only moved to speak.
“How do you know that Mike isn’t in on it?” Olivia asked.
“I just know,” David said. Olivia looked away, willing to not press issue. She reached over and put her hand on his shoulder. He jumped at her touch, but it worked—and after a moment he relaxed a little. “I can’t believe it,” he said, shaking his head. “It just doesn’t make any sense. How could Rick do this?”
“He’s a bad guy, David. We need to put him in jail.”
“Just wait, Olivia,” he begged, turning to face her. “Please. Please let me tell Mike first, and then you can arrest Rick. Please, just let me tell Mike first. I’ll do it first thing tomorrow. ”
Olivia nodded, and David took her hand, finally sitting back in his seat. All the tension was gone from him; he looked empty and drained, broken. It physically pained Olivia to see him like this.
“Come home with me,” she said. “You don’t need to be alone tonight. It’s late. No one will see you.”
He nodded and said, “Thank you,” and Olivia started the car and headed home. She parked the car in the garage. David put his baseball cap on, just in case anyone was watching and silently they rode the elevator to her apartment. Olivia knew that she should have felt exhausted. She should be bone tired, but she had never been more awake. In her apartment, the blinds were closed. David sat down on the couch, and she sat next to him.
“How are you?” she asked, taking her shoes off.
“I don’t even know,” he answered. “The only thing I know is that I’m glad I’m here with you.” He looked up at her; his blue eyes looked so sad. She gently touched the remaining bruises on his face that had thankfully finally started to fade. She leaned forward and kissed him, caressing his lower lip with her tongue as he kissed her back, his hands coming up along her arms and pulling her closer. He broke the kiss and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “You know,” he said, “I still haven’t seen your bedroom.”
She smiled at him and stood, looking at him over her shoulder she said, “Come on.” She led the way down a short hallway and into her room, leaving the lights off. She stripped out of her clothes, removing her shirt and jeans until she was in nothing but her bra and panties.
“You remember what happened last time,” he said with a wicked smile. “You should take all of them off.” She gave him a knowing smile and reached back pulling off her bra and tossing it at him before slipping out of her panties and leaving them in a puddle on the floor. She moved over to her soft bed and lay on top of the covers, feeling the cool fabric against her hot skin.
She turned her head and watched as David undressed. He tore his shirt off revealing his toned stomach and the bruises that still lurked there. And then he slid out of his jean, exposing his strong legs and thick member, which was already growing hard. He looked at her for a moment before kneeling on the bed. Olivia went to move, to make room for him, but he grabbed her by her calf and said, “Stay where you are.” She complied, falling back into bed and looking at him, biting her lower lip.
He moved her legs apart and settled between them on his stomach. Her eyes on the ceiling, Olivia felt him kiss her left inner thigh and then her right. Her skin tingled at his touch, as he started by her knee and slowly kissed his way down each of her legs, pulling them apart as he went until she was spread before him. He put his lips gently on her outer folds, breathing in her scent before he finally let his tongue slip inside of her.
She gasped and arched her hips, as his wet and gentle tongue began to explore her. Tracking up and down her center in long luxurious strokes that made her moan with pleasure and grip the sheets. She twisted beneath him, as his teasing tongue continued to take its time, running up and down her, grazing over her clit, and making her shudder before moving on only to come back a second later and make her shudder again.
“Yes,” she whispered. Her hands were in fists, she was gripping her sheet so tightly. She tried to move her hips to force his tongue where she needed it to go, but he just grabbed her tightly and continued to drive her crazy from the inside out. Her orgasm was building up so excruciatingly slow inside of her. She wanted him to touch her, to make her finish; she was shuddering underneath him, but he wouldn’t be deterred. He continued to move his tongue and his jaw over her clit as she cried out his name and begged for more. Her orgasm grew inside of her and she felt her body go tense as she got closer.
“Yes, David, That feels so good. Don’t stop.” He complied, continuing to stroke her so gently with his tongue, his feather-light touch driving her to near madness. She was so close, and then she felt her orgasm as it took hold of her. She lost all control, as she put both of her hands in his hair and cried out his name as his tongue slipped up and down and over her. She pushed against him, as she felt every muscle in her body contract around his tongue. Finally, the waves of pleasure subsided, and she relaxed back onto her sheets, gasping for breath.
He sat up until he was kneeling in front of her. Olivia looked at him through sleepy eyes, and she saw his hand as it moved up and down his shaft a few times. He moved her hips and then effortlessly slid inside of her as the aftershocks still reverberated through her body. She was ready for him, but she still
gasped as he entered her and her body accommodated him. He moved so that he was hovering over her, and she pulled her knees up to give him better access. He closed his eyes and moaned, as he began to move in and out of her, going deeper with every thrust. He leaned down and kissed her, as he moved and Olivia brought her hands up and over his shoulders, running her fingers up and down his taut back.
“Touch yourself,” he whispered, and Olivia was compelled to obey him. She brought her hand down and to the place where their two bodies met, and she moved her fingers in quick circles over her still sensitive clitoris. Her fingers occasionally grazed his cock, as it pulled out and pushed into her making him moan every time she did.
She was sure she wasn’t going to be able to finish twice, but as her fingers moved in harmony with his thrusts, she felt herself becoming aroused all over again, as he sped up his thrusting and she sped up her fingers to match. He was whispering her name in her ear. It sounded so wonderful on his lips, and she felt herself go tense and couldn't help but release a sort of sob. There were too many sensations; she felt so deliriously lost in her pleasure, but again, nothing in the world could have convinced her to stop. She moaned loudly, as she felt a second orgasm begin to pound in her blood. It rose up inside of her, and with one last thrust from David and one last gentle touch from her fingers, her orgasm exploded around her. She closed her eyes and felt her body convulse around his cock as with a last deep thrust David finished moaning her name as he came.