Killmore

by Martha Sweeney

  “I’ll check it tonight with Paul when I get to the house and go from there,” Aiden states. “I will need to be here to monitor too.”

  “I know,” I huff.

  “You’re good at hiding your excitement,” Aiden laughs.

  “About what?” I search.

  “About getting to see me more often.” He looks up at me for my reaction as he assembles the equipment.

  “How long is this going to take?”

  “Us surveilling or this setup?” Aiden inquires.

  “The setup,” I say.

  “Not long, which gives us more time together,” he chuckles.

  “Funny,” I comment dryly.

  “Keep up that sarcastic tone…it’s hot,” Aiden encourages.

  “Yeah, right,” I goad.

  Aiden doesn’t comment, but I can see his grin widening. “I smell some lavender,” he states.

  “Good for you,” I return.

  “Do you have some in the house?” he inquires.

  “Maybe,” I state.

  Aiden doesn’t say anything, but the smile on his face gives away his excitement.

  I stand, practically hovering over him as he works, wanting to see what he’s doing and to make sure he doesn’t add anything that isn’t necessary like something that could be used to snoop on me. I wouldn’t put it past him, but from the looks of the gear, what he has isn’t that high tech — not compared to my house.

  About five minutes later, he has what he needs complete and has tested the feed through his phone. “Looks like we’re connected,” he announces.

  “Does this pick up stuff in the house?” I inquire.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If I’m working out in here, will it pick any of that up?” I ask.

  “No,” Aiden chuckles. “The video and antenna are pointed out toward Quintin’s house and will only pick up where I direct it. This will eventually be replaced with units that I can attach on trees around the property to get a cleaner line of sight and sound.”

  “So, no listening in on my conversations or anything else?” I double check.

  “No,” Aiden confirms.

  “Why don’t I believe you,” I reply.

  “Because you don’t trust me. You’ve already established that,” Aiden returns.

  “I’m just making sure that you don’t hear certain things,” I answer.

  He smiles and steps closer to me. “Should I listen in on you?”

  “No,” I counter.

  His left eyebrow lifts.

  “You wish,” I return, catching his sexual innuendo.

  “You’ve got a dirty mind, Pix,” he states. “I like it.”

  “I don’t have a dirty mind. You implied….”

  “I implied nothing,” he defends. “You’re the one who alluded to me hearing certain things.”

  “You will be able to hear me, won’t you?” I check nervously.

  He chuckles. “No. Besides, if I was going to listen to those kinds of noises, I’d rather be in the room.”

  “Pig,” I charge.

  “That wouldn’t be the first time an agent has been called that,” Aiden returns. He takes a step closer to me. “Do you want me to hear those noises?”

  “No,” I say heatedly.

  Twenty Eight - Aiden

  The feed we’ve been getting from Laurie’s home has been a pain in the ass since Paul and I got our end put together. It would be nice to have decent gear that wasn’t so old. There are too many wires and things that make even me get lost. It took a darn near three hours to get signal at our place after I set up at Laurie’s, and this morning isn’t doing much better. It looks like Paul or I might need to take a temporary trip to meet up with one of our contacts to re-establish our funds to be able to get some new stuff. There are pros and cons to being undercover. The cons are starting to get to me.

  “You need to go back over…” Paul states.

  “Yeah, I know,” I huff, cutting him off and just as irritated as he is.

  “Just explain. I’m sure she’ll understand,” Paul suggest.

  “Right,” I mumble.

  “Want me to come with you?” he offers.

  “That might be a little weird,” I counter.

  “For who? You?”

  “For…overall,” I say.

  “Why?”

  “How many guys who are trying to win back their ex-girlfriend bring their father over?” I ask.

  Paul studies me for a few seconds. “Good point.”

  I wipe my hands over my face, trying to wake myself up since I got to bed late last night after trying to get this shit to work properly. “I’m going to shower and then I’ll head over there,” I inform.

  “We aren’t running?” Paul asks.

  “Shit,” I moan. “I don’t have the energy…not if I have to deal with this crap.”

  “Suit yourself,” Paul answers. “I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”

  “Okay,” I reply.

  I soak longer than usual under the water because I masturbate, thinking of Laurie. I seriously need to do something to take this edge off. Jerking off can only go so far to satisfy a need when you’ve got a hot-ass woman who all you want to do is lock yourself and her in a room for twenty-four hours and do nothing but be naked and fuck the whole time.

  She’s confusing too. I can’t quite make her out like I can with others. It doesn’t help when she hides behind her sunglasses. There have been a few times that I’ve caught a glimpse of her dilated eyes exposing that she’s turned on when our bodies are close or after I steal a kiss from her. I think she wants me especially since I know for a fact that she hasn’t screwed Dr. Codie, which just gets me jacked more. Fuck! There goes my erection as that dude pops into my goddamn head. Pull yourself together, man.

  By the time Paul returns, I’ve got the signal back on the screen as the video jumps every fifteen seconds. I know because I fixate on it, counting it several times to keep me focused on the mission and not on Laurie. The audio that is coming in is crappy too — just mumbling sounds.

  Paul stays behind when I leave to go to Laurie’s. For starters, I don’t want him tagging along, and second, I need him to stay and monitor the gear to make sure it improves as I try to fix the damn thing. I text him when I realize that Laurie isn’t home. At first, I thought she might have been ignoring me: either to push or because I did something to piss her off. I purposefully do a few things that would allow me to either hear her or the dogs, or to get them to hear me to see if I can get her to answer. Then, after checking to make sure I’m not seen, I try to lift the garage door up just enough so I can beam a light underneath to see if her truck is there. At first, I think she’s home when I see a vehicle, but then I realize the treads on the tires are different than the one she usually drives.

  I head over to the cafe to see if she might be in, but she’s not. No one knows where she is and it seems like that’s her usual MO. I stay for lunch, waiting to see if I might hear or see anything. Panicking, I even stop by the vet to make sure Dr. Codie isn’t upstairs in his place, naked with Laurie. When I realize that I’m being paranoid and borderline stalker-ish, I discover that Dr. Codie is working and then head back to Laurie’s.

  Paul and I text back and forth on occasion as I sit on Laurie’s porch, waiting for her to get home. The thought that she might be at the range enters my mind, so Paul drives over, wanting me to stay where I am just in case she isn’t there and returns home. He calls about thirty minutes later to say she wasn’t there. When he gets back to town, I tell him that she hasn't arrived, so he drives over with some dinner for me as I continue to wait.

  Paul tells me that he took the long way around to Laurie’s so her neighbors, including Quintin, don’t see our odd behavior and takes a turn waiting for her, allowing me to pee and check on the equipment. I grab a book before heading back.

  It’s not until just after ten in the evening when Laurie returns home.

  “What the h
ell are you doing here?” she asks heatedly.

  “Waiting for you, Pix,” I say with a smile to defuse her irritation.

  “Why? And, how long have you been here?” she inspects.

  “A while,” I return, not wanting her to know just how long. “And, because I need to fix something.”

  “What?” she inquires, still sitting in the car, not pulling it into the garage once the door is up.

  I cock a brow and she sighs.

  Once she parks the truck, I follow her inside.

  “What needs to be fixed?” she asks, seeming more interested and less agitated.

  “Our connection is bad,” I explain.

  “So, your equipment is out of date,” she charges.

  “Not all of it,” I return with a grin.

  “Perv,” she huffs.

  “What am I a perv for?” I tease.

  “You know why?” she challenges.

  “I’m not the one who made it sexual,” I reply. “You did.”

  “I didn’t make it sexual,” she rebuts.

  “Yes, you did and you know it,” I laugh.

  “You’re a guy,” she states. “Everything is sexual to you.”

  “True,” I goad.

  She spins and storms off toward the kitchen.

  “You’re still hot when you’re mad, especially when walking away,” I announce.

  “What?” she snaps.

  “Your ass is what does it,” I admit. “The way it moves.”

  “You’re an pig,” she says.

  “You like it,” I throw back.

  Laurie remains quiet, either too mad to say something or possibly plotting how to hurt me as she pauses in the kitchen.

  I can only imagine what’s going through her head right now. I wonder if she’s pictured me naked. If she’s thought about us having sex and where or how? Part of me wants her to come and distract me. It would be a reason to stay longer.

  I make a few tweaks to the connection and call Paul. It takes a few more minutes until he confirms that the audio and visual are coming in more clearly. Then, I set up two more units by the other windows.

  “Hey, Laurie,” I call.

  “Yeah,” she answers in a calmer tone.

  “Any chance I can set up upstairs?” I ask.

  “Why?”

  “A different angle,” I mention. “Plus, we’ll be able to determine which ones we need and don’t for when we come back to do the exterior installs.”

  She eyes me for a moment. “How long were you really waiting for me?”

  “A while,” I share.

  “As in, how long?”

  “Since the afternoon,” I admit.

  “You were here the whole time?” she checks.

  “Pretty much,” I state.

  “Did you eat…and where did you pee?” She takes a breath and continues, not giving me a chance to answer. “If you peed on my grass or on my tress or plants, so help me God I will fucking kill you.”

  I laugh. “Paul brought me food and waited for you while I went back to use the bathroom when I needed it,” I explain. “I didn’t pee on your property.”

  “You better not have,” she accuses.

  “You’re sexy when you’re mad,” I say, wanting to defuse the situation and to redirect our conversation.

  “I’m not mad,” she counters.

  “You look and sound it,” I challenge.

  “Trust me, you’ll know when I’m mad,” she directs.

  “Looking forward to it,” I tease, imagining that it would get physical.

  My mind wanders, wondering how she would attack me, and then it doesn’t matter because I picture it turning into hot, crazy-ass foreplay with her legs wrapped around my waist, our bodies warm, wet and sticky as we go at it.

  “Aiden,” a voice calls.

  “What?” I reply, snapping out of my daydream.

  “What were you just thinking about?” she asks.

  “Nothing,” I lie.

  “Bullshit,” she challenges. Laurie takes a calculative step toward me. “What were you just thinking about?”

  “Nothing,” I repeat. “Can I set up upstairs?”

  “No,” she denies. “Not until you tell me.”

  “I’ll show myself up,” I counter, turning toward the steps.

  “No,” she snaps, grabbing my arm and positioning herself between me and my path.

  “Yes,” I argue, purposefully baiting her to see if my fantasy will come true. I take a slow, half-step toward her.

  “I’ll throw you and your equipment out,” she threatens.

  “And, I’ll throw you over my shoulder, carry you up to your room, and spank you, as well as other things,” I retaliate.

  Where the fuck did that come from? Shit!

  Laurie giggles.

  “What? You don’t believe me?” I deflect.

  “I didn’t say that,” she returns with a smug grin.

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I press.

  “I know you would,” she goads. “Is that what you were just thinking about?”

  “No,” I lie.

  “Bullshit,” she laughs.

  I take a step to the right to pass her, but she follows me. I move to the left and so does she. “Let me upstairs, Laurie,” I command.

  “No,” she returns. “Not until you tell me.”

  With the bag in hand, I walk toward her, forcing her to step backward until she’s blocked by the wall. “I’d rather show you,” I say, dropping the bag and leaning in to kiss her.

  Two seconds later my forehead stings from her catching me off guard. She pretended like she was going to accept the kiss, but then sidestepped as she grabbed my wrist and the back of my neck and pushed my head into the wall.

  “What the fuck!”

  “I never said you could touch me when we’re not in public,” she defends.

  “That fucking hurt,” I complain.

  I can’t be mad. I did have something like that coming — plus, she’s sexy as fuck when she asserts herself.

  “That was the point, asshole,” she informs. “To snap you out of whatever it is and for you to understand that just because we are pretending to be in a relationship does not give you any permission to touch me, be in my home or anything else.”

  “You’re still sexy,” I chuckle.

  “You’re an idiot,” she replies.

  “Can I please set up upstairs now?” I ask, still rubbing my forehead. When she doesn’t answer, I admit, “I was picturing you naked, okay?”

  A grin emerges on her face and I know she’s pleased with herself for getting me to confess. I think she’s even excited by it too. She steps to the side and gestures with her hand for me to proceed.

  I watch her for a few beats, wanting to make sure she isn’t bluffing. Ready for anything, I carefully reach down and pick up my bag. She follows me up the stairs, not saying a word as I peer into the first room. Next, I make my way down the rest of the open hall that overlooks the living room and kitchen to find another bedroom, noting when I turn the light on that a single bathroom connects it to the other one.

  Laurie stands perched in the doorway as I set up the next round of equipment. As I’m halfway done, I ask, “So, when do you think we could get the outside ones set up?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “In order to not have any interference, we need our cameras and antennas to be closer,” I share.

  “Why are you asking me?” she checks.

  “It’s your property,” I state. “You would know how close you can get to Quintin’s house without being spotted.”

  “The dogs run all around the property,” she shares. “I’m not sure what and how much the neighbors see or don’t see.”

  “When people were there before, could you get pretty close but still be hidden by some of the trees?” I ask.

  “Probably,” she says, shrugging her shoulders.

  “Maybe we should test it,” I suggest.

 
; “What do you mean?”

  “Is there anyone in the house on the other side?” I check.

  “Not right now,” she states.

  “Would you mind going out into the yard with the dogs so I can see how close you can get to your house without me seeing or hearing you at this time of night?” I inquire.

  “You think I’m going to let you be in my house alone…without me?” she scoffs.

  “No,” I counter. “I’ll stand just outside the greenhouse…watching…listening…to see how close you can get.”

  “Fine,” she huffs.

  Once we’re outside, she and the dogs circle alongside the road and then duck into the trees when she’s well out of my sight. She takes a walkie-talkie for communication as I listen and watch through binoculars. Even with the heat-seeking device, she’s able to stay hidden pretty well.

  “So?” she questions when she approaches.

  “Didn’t spot you until you were about a quarter mile away,” I say.

  “Would that be enough for you?”

  “Definitely,” I confirm. “It would help to know what they are and aren’t using to block transmissions and all, that way I don’t get spotted…but that’s not going to happen.”

  Laurie nods but doesn’t say anything. She has a look like she knows something.

  “What?” I check.

  “What?” she returns.

  “Do you know something?” I ask.

  “About what?”

  I shrug my shoulders, brushing the idea out of my head. “Nothing. Thanks.”

  “Yeah,” she says, heading back inside.

  Twenty Nine - Laurie

  It’s been a week since Aiden came over to fix their feed on Quintin. Throughout the days, when I’m home alone, I snoop on the transmissions, hoping that I can get something, anything about Quintin, the Feds or even Antonio. The idea to bug their connection and sync it with my home system to monitor it pops into my head, but I need to wait until Aiden sets up the newer equipment that he’s supposed to be receiving within the next week from their contact. So, I do as much information gathering as possible while I’m home. So far, there’s nothing interesting or useful.

  Aiden and I have had to see each other more, establishing more believability to our fake relationship in public. Aiden has been more physical with me, both when there are and aren’t people around. The man likes to push boundaries. I’d almost bet money on the notion that he gets aroused just as much or more when I deflect his attempts and cause him physical pain.