“Eli,” I said. “Eli!”
Eli glanced in the rearview mirror and cursed. He sped up again, as fast as Maurice’s SUV would take us, but the helicopter was gaining fast. We came to the end of the narrow mountain pass and turned onto a slightly larger road. A few other cars and trucks were making the early commute to jobs in town, and Eli passed as many as he could, swerving past pickup trucks and a big rig, but the traffic kept him from driving as quickly as before. Which was not what we needed at all.
I kept looking through the back window. The helicopter was right on our tail.
Then we entered the tunnel and I could no longer see the helicopter, the view of the sky replaced by the low concave ceiling within the mountain. Suddenly Eli slammed on the brakes and cut the wheel. Maurice’s SUV skidded to the left and slid to a stop in the middle of the tunnel.
“What the hell!” I shouted.
“Get out,” Eli grumbled.
I stepped out of the SUV and saw the headlights of the big rig fast approaching from behind us. I heard the truck’s air brakes whoosh and the tires squeal as it lurched to a stop. The truck door swung open and a huge bearded man climbed down from the cab.
“The fuck, man?” the guy said.
“I need you to switch cars with us,” Eli told him.
“I don’t think so, asshole,” the truck driver said. “Get out of my way. I’ve gotta be in Raleigh by daybreak.”
“Get in the car,” Eli said. “I don’t care where you go, but the semi is ours now.”
“Fuck you, tough guy,” the truck driver said.
The driver lifted his shirt and I saw a revolver tucked in his pants. The butt of the gun was jammed against his hairy belly. The man reached to grab the gun and Eli punched him in the face and snatched the gun away from him.
Eli pointed the revolver at the man’s face. The driver’s eyes widened with fear, and he raised both his hands.
“Shit, man, sorry,” the driver mumbled. “Don’t shoot, man.”
Eli cocked the gun, and the driver trembled.
“You’ll be fine,” Eli said, “as long as you get in that car and get the hell out of this tunnel as fast as you can.”
The man stood there dumbly until Eli raised the pistol above his head and fired. Dust and fine particles of ceiling rained down on the man’s head. He jumped to attention and ran to follow Eli’s orders. In his haste to get away, he hopped the low concrete curb and ran the driver-side headlight into the tunnel wall, smashing it. Then took off, out of sight before Eli and I had even gotten into the cab of the big rig.
Eli helped me up the step and I climbed across the driver seat, into the passenger seat. The cab smelled like an ashtray. Some fuzzy dice and a blue rabbit’s foot dangled from a chain slung over the rearview mirror. Eli put the truck in drive. By the time we reached the end of the tunnel, we could no longer see the taillights of Maurice’s SUV in the distance.
“Where to now?” I asked.
“Just check the glove box and tell me who this truck belongs to,” Eli said.
“You’re running up quite the debt,” I said.
“Tell me about it.”
“When are you going to pay me back?” I asked.
“Pay you back?” Eli asked, puzzled for a moment. Then he grinned, a wolfish gleam in his eye. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ve got something special in mind for you.”
“Oh yeah? Please, enlighten me.”
“You trying to distract me, girl? Okay, fine. If we ever make it out of this alive,” Eli said, “I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do. First I’m gonna peel off those cute little panties of yours. Then I’m gonna smack your ass until it burns. You’re a naughty little brat, and you haven’t been punished near enough—not after all the bad things you’ve done.
“Then I’m gonna hold you down so you can’t get away, and I’m gonna fuck your tight little pussy till it hurts. I’m gonna shoot you so full of cum, you’ll beg me for more.”
“That’s big talk,” I said, teasing Eli even as my clit tingled with anticipation. “Just don’t get so excited you drive us off the road. You have to stay alive to pop this cherry.”
“You’re a virgin?” Eli asked, the truck swerving slightly.
“Does that change things?” I asked.
“Yes, it does,” Eli replied. “I was planning to show you a little mercy. Not anymore. My dick is going to break you in half.”
Despite everything I had been through, I was still hungry for Eli’s cock. I was so unbelievably wet, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.
“Well, aren’t you a brute?” I said. “Soon we’ll see how tough you really are, macho man. In the meantime, do try and stay on the road.”
9.
We ditched the big rig at a truck stop on the edge of town, then borrowed another car and drove the only place we knew to go. Back to Maurice’s. I was dreading the moment when we admitted we had lost the best vehicle he ever owned. He could hold a grudge, that one, and he wasn’t always as nice as he let on. But he was the only friend we had left.
The front door was ajar.
“Maurice?” Eli called.
No answer. A yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of the house and honked. Not wanting the driver to see our faces we hastily ducked through the open door.
“Maurice?” Eli called again as we made our way down the little hall toward the bedroom.
There was some kind of commotion coming from Maurice’s room. We ran down the hall and threw open the door. Luggage was scattered on the floor around Maurice’s bed. Maurice was kneeling on the bed, trying to close an overstuffed suitcase.
“Where you going, Maurice?” Eli asked.
It was like he noticed us for the first time. “Oh!” Maurice gasped. “Mr. Rutherford? Avery? But how … the lake house …”
Maurice lost his grip on the overstuffed suitcase and it came unclasped. Green wads of money spilled out, falling on the bed. Eli opened the suitcase all the way and saw that it was completely filled with stacks of cash.
“Maurice, where did you get all this money?” Eli asked. “It’s mine, isn’t it?” Eli grabbed Maurice by the shirt collar, lifting him to the tips of his toes. “Tell me, Maurice. Tell me, goddamn it!”
“Put me down, sir,” Maurice said.
Eli lowered him so his feet were flat on the floor, but he didn’t loosen his grip on Maurice’s collar. The two men were standing nose to nose, though Eli was several inches taller.
“Sure, it’s your money,” Maurice said. “I took it. You murdered your wife and I figured you were going away for a long, long time. You wouldn’t be needing cash where you were headed.”
Eli looked crestfallen. “But I could have hired a lawyer,” he said. “I would have beaten the charges. How could you do that to me, Maurice? You practically raised me.”
“Yeah, I raised you,” he said. “And my mama raised your daddy. Hell, she spent more time with him than she did with me. My grandma? Let’s talk about my grandma. She raised your grandpa.
“Your grandpa was the second Eli Rutherford, right? Because you’re the fourth, and your daddy was the third. Well, old Eli the Second, he loved my grandma. He loved her a little too much. We called her Mama Lovie. He called her whatever he wanted. When he was fifteen years old, he put a baby inside her. She tried to report him and got a beating for her troubles.
“Well, nine months later, Mama Lovie had a little mixed baby. Half black, half white, one hundred percent Rutherford. I’m told he had your grandpa’s eyes. That baby was the rightful heir to the Rutherford fortune. All the lands, the homes and second homes and third homes, the fortune built on the backs of my ancestors who toiled in your tobacco fields—at least some of it should have gone to that little baby. My uncle. That would never do, of course. The Rutherfords are prim and proper folks. One night some white men took that baby from Mama Lovie, stuffed him in a tote sack with a big rock and tossed him in the river.
“That took care
of that. From then on, your grandpa was sure to use a condom when he had his way with the womenfolk in my family.”
Eli staggered backward. “It’s a lie,” he said. “I don’t believe you.”
“Believe what you want, motherfucker,” Maurice said. “It doesn’t matter now. Just think about it, though. Think about the way my mama shuddered when your grandpa lay his hand on her. The way his hand lingered on the small of her back a little too long.”
“I do remember,” Eli said. “My god, it’s all true, isn’t it?”
Maurice didn’t reply. He just stood there staring at Eli.
“You’re the one who tipped off the police when we went to the lake house,” Eli said.
Maurice nodded solemnly. A car horn honked outside. The taxi! It was still waiting in front of Maurice’s house.
“Where are you taking the money?” Eli asked.
“The airport,” Maurice said. “Your jet hasn’t been seized yet, and your pilot is still on retainer for another month. He’s making one last flight on the Rutherford family dime.”
“Where to?” I asked.
“Wherever I say. I am paying cash, after all.”
The taxi driver honked again. Eli looked around the bedroom. “Six suitcases,” he said. “How much money is here?”
“A little over two billion,” Maurice said.
Eli grabbed two of the suitcases. “Take one, Avery. We’re leaving.” He turned to Maurice. “You’re not going with us. I can never trust you again after what you did. But, if what you say is true, then I am sorry for the way my family treated yours. Take half the money. Consider us even.”
Eli lifted his suitcases and made for the door. “Come on, kid,” he said to me. “Driver’s waiting.”
Mine was too heavy, and Maurice had to help me.
“Thanks, Maurice,” Eli said, taking the bag from him and placing it in the trunk. “And Maurice? If I see even one police officer when I get to my airport hangar, I’m telling the cops where they can find a billion dollars’ worth of stolen money. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” he said. “Thank you, Mr. Rutherford. Y’all be safe.”
The men stared at each other for a second, and to my surprise they hugged goodbye. Eli and I loaded into the taxi as the irritable driver barked about the wait and the inconvenience and how he was losing money every minute we delayed. A hundred dollar bill from Eli’s pocket shut him up quick.
We enjoyed a quiet ride to the airport, taking in the view of our hometown, assuming it was the last time we’d ever see the place.
10.
When Eli and I walked into our private hangar, the pilot’s jaw dropped. He was a tall, lanky man with a face covered in freckles. A flat blue pilot’s cap was pulled over his curly red hair.
“Mr. Rutherford?” the pilot exclaimed. “But Maurice—”
“Maurice gave us his ticket,” Eli grinned.
The pilot sprang to attention. “Yes sir, Mr. Rutherford,” he said. “Here, let me help you with those bags.”
“Much appreciated, Henry,” he said. “Come on, Avery. Let’s board.”
We trotted up the steps and entered the plane. When I was younger I accompanied Eli on a few business trips, so the cabin was familiar to me. Kind of a home away from home in the sky. As we made our way toward the front of the plane, we passed Eli’s desk followed by the wet bar and a cluster of overstuffed couches and armchairs, as well as a mammoth flatscreen TV. This part of the plane always reminded me of the lounge area of a modern luxury hotel. The only difference was that all the furniture was bolted down to keep it from sliding or bouncing in turbulent skies.
It would be just dreadful if a burst of wind happened to spill Eli’s gin fizz, after all. He couldn’t have that.
We passed the lounge area, then four rows of first-class seats, and Eli ducked as he entered the cockpit. He sat in the captain’s seat and started flipping switches and pushing buttons. Eli had his pilot’s license, and he had a tendency to take control of situations. In fact, it seemed he needed to be in charge always and with no exceptions. Even when a perfectly good professional pilot was on his payroll.
The jet engines roared to life.
I sat in the other pilot’s chair and stared down the long runway. It was a small private airport for Shiloh’s elite, and it seemed to be deserted. Beyond the airstrip and a field of tall yellow grass, I could see the rooftops of homes all lined up in a row. With Eli as my man, I would never know what it was like to have a normal little life in one of those cookie-cutter houses.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Henry poked his head through the cockpit entrance. “I was just wondering the same thing,” he said, wiping a bead of sweat from his freckly forehead.
“Was it ever in doubt?” Eli asked.
Our destination was most certainly in doubt to me, but Henry thought and then nodded his head. “I’m not sure we’ve got the fuel to get us there,” he said. “We might, but it will be cutting it close.”
“Only one way to find out,” Eli said. “Buckle up, Avery.”
I got up so Henry could take his seat next to Eli, and I moved back to the front seat in the passenger area. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes when the “Fasten Seatbelt” light flicked on. Just following protocol, even when I was the only passenger outside the cockpit.
Eli steered the plane to the end of the runway, then turned and began picking up speed. The engines rumbled as we raced down the runway, and then we were in the air. I looked out the window as we flew over all those rooftops arranged in their neat little grids.
“Adios, Shiloh,” I muttered.
We kept gaining altitude and I watched the homes and roads and fields and rivers as they shrank to nothing, and then we were soaring through the clouds. I heard a ding, and the seatbelt sign dimmed. I rolled my eyes again.
Eli’s voice came over the intercom. Using his best hokey pilot impersonation, he welcomed his passenger and rattled off some information about altitude and cruising speed and let me know I was now free to move about the cabin. I immediately threw off my seat belt, kicked off my socks and shoes, and made my way back to the lounge to raid the liquor cabinet underneath the wet bar.
After everything I had been through, I deserved a stiff drink. I also deserved a long hot, shower. It almost surprised me that Eli hadn’t thought to put a shower in his plane. I poured myself a whiskey and knocked it back. It was smooth but strong, and I liked the way it seared my chest as it went down, warming my belly.
Next I went to the bathroom to freshen up as much as I could. I was dreading the sight of myself in the mirror.
I was right to worry. Lord, was I a mess. My long hair was wild and tangled, and my face was dirty. I splashed water and scrubbed as best I could, wishing I also had a clean pair of clothes. I look down and rued my lack of outfit options. My shirt was torn a bit at the collar, revealing just enough cleavage to make me blush. My boobs weren’t anything to stop traffic, but they were nice and full, complementing the curve of my hips. My jeans were filthy.
Oh well. If Eli didn’t mind, then I would try not to mind.
I went back to the cabin, hoping to see Eli, but he wasn’t there. I poured myself another whiskey. I turned my back from the cockpit and put the drink to my lips, working up the courage to shoot it down, when Eli’s voice stopped me.
“Drinking underage?” Eli said. “My, my. You are quite the delinquent.”
“It’s for you, Father Eli,” I said, handing him the drink. Eli tossed it down in a single gulp, then got out a second glass and filled them both. He handed one to me, clinked it with his, and we both drank. Then Eli took the glass out of my hand. He set the glasses in the sink, never taking his eyes off me. The way he looked at me made my stomach go light and fluttery. The whiskey also had something to do with my light and fluttery feelings.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” Eli said.
“Me too.”
I wanted Eli. All of him, right now. The emoti
on in his eyes made me weak in the knees. And wet between my legs.
Eli grabbed me roughly and pulled me into him, our bodies pressed together and his mouth pressed against mine. I licked the whiskey from his lips and my mouth parted slightly to accept his searching tongue, which caressed mine. Eli’s rough hands were running up and down my back, groping my ass, pulling me even tighter against the hard plane of his chest. His passion made me so excited, I lost all thought of anything but him, and me with him, in that moment.
Too Big Taboo Bundle: Naughty Brats, Forbidden First Time, Man of the House Page 13