Dirty Ties

by Pam Godwin

  When she reached my side, she threw a leg over my lap and straddled the spread of my thighs around the bike. Face to face, she stared directly into my eyes, her body melting against mine, merging, conforming into a single beating heart.

  Then she kissed me, melding her lips to mine and shoving her hands in my hair. I groaned and wrapped my arms around her back, inching her closer as I slid my fingers over the soft cashmere of her jacket. Coaxing her tongue, I deepened the kiss and flexed my hips, rocking against her and prompting her thighs to clench around me.

  My pulse swished past my ears, and there was another sound, too. A voice clearing.

  Kaci pulled back, and I followed her gaze to the door.

  Benny leaned against the doorframe with her arms loosely crossed over her chest. She tilted her head to the side, wearing a gentle smile. In ten years, I’d never brought anyone home. She’d never seen me with a woman. I braced for some ridiculous wisecrack about my heavy breaths and the desperate way I’d been grinding my hips.

  But she didn’t say anything, simply smiled. She seemed oddly…subdued. Not just her mood, but her appearance. Long brown hair framed her face, her huge green eyes soft and tranquil, tan cargo pants, and a white t-shirt. This was Benny without the glitter and hair-dye and obnoxious antics.

  Kaci climbed off my lap. I was reluctant to let her go, but we had a million details to iron out before the race.

  I followed her through the garage, eyeing Benny sharply. “What’s wrong?”

  She straightened away from the doorjamb and shrugged. “It’s good, Logan. It’s just…” She looked between me and Kaci. “It’s really good to see you happy.”

  After all the years she’d worked with me, navigating around my mercurial tempers, I supposed she wasn’t the only one with a sudden change in disposition.

  She reached out a hand toward Kaci. “Hey. I’m Benny.”

  Kaci accepted the handshake with a warm smile, and the reception moved into the main warehouse.

  Mountains of boxes filled the basement. Benny had been busy, and perhaps that was another reason for her placid mood. After a decade of suffocating in plans of revenge, it was drawing to a close and there would be no resistance. She wanted to retire from illegal activities as much as I did. It was time to begin a new life, and I felt it take root in the softness of her eyes as she welcomed Kaci.

  I took over the packing while Benny briefed Kaci on the race, the map, and the technology wired in the helmet she would be wearing. To maintain her anonymity, she wouldn’t be racing in her silver leathers, and her Ducati would remain at Trump Tower.

  Benny introduced her to the bike I’d selected for her. The MTT Turbine Streetfighter wasn’t painted silver like the Ducati. But the chrome finish on the exhaust and bodywork suited the Lady Silver moniker. Her new helmet had a chrome-like veneer and was decked out with the same gadgetry as mine. Her excitement radiated from her pores as Benny taught her how to use it.

  Several hours later, the planning and the packing were complete. Benny went home, and Kaci and I retreated to the ground floor. My living space was just that, a place to exist, to sleep, to wake and begin again. The walls and shelves were barren of personality. There were no family photos, no keepsakes collected as a child, nothing of value to take with me.

  She walked through the open room, her footfalls echoing along the length of the old church. Her gaze roamed over every surface, perhaps looking for some insight I hadn’t revealed. But she already knew every important aspect of my life. Time would fill in the rest.

  We ate turkey and cheddar sandwiches on the bed, sitting in cross-legged positions, face to face with the plate between us. As she picked off the crust and licked the mayonnaise from her fingers, I didn’t like the way her shoulders drooped or how her movements slowed with exhaustion.

  The long day of planning had come at a cost. Hell, the entire past month was catching up with her. To think that all these weeks she’d been enduring in some way, working through her heartache with regards to her family, without me.

  It filled me with regret, knotting my insides and swelling an ache in my chest. Adding to that was my worry about tomorrow night. My head pounded with all the details I’d painstakingly implemented. I would remain at her side every second of the race, but what if I overlooked something?

  I was terrified someone would try to take her away from me. I kept imagining Trent at the finish line, waiting for her to win and shooting her as she came through in last place. Collin had set up a meeting with him during the race to ensure he wouldn’t be there. But what if my trust in Collin had been squandered foolishly? And it would be a hired assassin pulling that trigger, not Trent.

  I drew in a ragged breath. “We could leave tonight. Screw the race.”

  She reached out and ran a fingertip down my cheek. “And let Trent keep his money to hire the best defense lawyers?” Her deep-blue eyes bore into mine, searching inside me. “We’ll always have races and fights and risks to contend with. As long as we tackle it together, we’ve got this, Logan. You and me. One race at a time.”

  As I considered her words, the tension trickled from my body. There was something beautiful waiting at the finish line. Something better than a winning bet or one-night with a woman in silver leathers. The finish line was the starting point of our life together.

  When she swallowed the final bite of her sandwich, I moved the plate to the floor. Our clothes followed. I dimmed the lights, leaving a subtle glow through the rafters, and rolled her into my arms. We both seemed content to just lay naked in bed, fingers trailing, legs entwining, and lips touching as if our bodies were seeking the connection our hearts had already found.

  After a warm, endless moment, I broke the silence. “I own a villa in Italy.”

  “Mmm.” Her cheek bounced against my chest with her smile. “That sounds better than Shitknob, Mexico.”

  I traced the curve of her hip and pulled it tight against mine. “Benny can forge our identities for any country. It doesn’t have to be Italy.”

  We didn’t have to leave the U.S. as long as we maintained a low profile.

  “I don’t care where we go.” Her voice tumbled into a breathy laugh. “Though Collin may be more inclined to visit an Italian villa than a Mexican hut.”

  We settled into silence, leaving my mind to wander once again through all the crazy, anxious bullshit that could keep us from reaching that Italian villa. I mentally traced every risk and concern until I found one that had never been fleshed out.

  I gripped her shoulders and dragged her up the bed until her head lay on the pillow. When her gaze settled on mine, I ran a finger over her mouth and lingered on her chin. “The day Trent showed you the video”—she flinched, but I kept talking—“he followed you into the bathroom. Tell me what I walked in on.”

  Her eyes slid closed, and my stomach tightened. Adrenaline surged through my body, and my muscles heated. Trent was a serial rapist. If Kaci was one of his victims, there was no way I’d be able to leave him alive.

  “Did he—” My voice punched through the open space, powered by dread and fury. I sucked in a breath and tried to gentle my tone. “Did he rape you?”

  She opened her eyes, and they glowed in the soft illumination that reflected off the ceiling. “He tried once. I was fifteen, too young to fight him off with anything but my words.”

  The anger simmering in my chest exploded into a roaring fire. I was about to go fucking ballistic in a way I’d never allowed myself before. “Tell me what happened.” My voice shook with a thousand fears rising to the surface.

  She placed a soothing hand on my cheek, her thumb stroking my clenched jaw. “We were in my father’s den. With his hand shoved in my panties, I told him very convincingly—her blue eyes flashed—I wouldn’t be quiet about it, during or after. I threatened to tell everyone, the cops, Collin, the media.”

  My need to protect her seethed through my blood. My vision tunneled, and my heart banged against my ribs.

&nb
sp; She rolled on top of me, her breasts pressed against my chest and her hands on my face. “Had I been anyone else, he would’ve taken what he wanted and quieted me permanently. But I wasn’t worth the risk. My parents suck, but if he killed their only child, that might’ve put a strain on their partnership.”

  Her words were delivered with a shrugging kind of acceptance. It made me feel sick and helpless. I wanted to guard every moment of her life, including her past. I wanted to wipe away all the bad shit until there was nothing left but laughter and contentment. “The office bathroom…”

  “He never tried to cross the line again, though he taunted me with it every chance he had. But you know what?” She touched her lips to my throat, producing a shiver that sliced through my anger. “I’ll never have to see him again.”

  I guided her face to my chest, tucking her head beneath my chin, and we lay skin-to-skin for an eternal moment. I wished we were already in Italy with all my fears behind us.

  It wasn't long before she rolled off me and dragged me with her, the brightness in her eyes begging for the one thing that could put our thoughts on hold. I crawled over her, bracing my arms on either side of her head, and devoured her with my eyes.

  She looked so damned young. Her hair fell in shiny waves over the pillow, her skin flushed and smooth, yet her gaze was wise beyond her years.

  Her lashes lowered, her lips parted, and her hips rocked against mine. I was instantly hard. I wanted all of her wrapped around me. Not just her pussy, but her need, her love, and her future. Our future.

  And so I consumed her as she consumed me. Warm arousal replaced the chill on my spine, our bodies sliding and tangling together. When I pressed inside her, I let everything else go. Then I made love to her until all that existed was her and me and our finish line.

  Four hours before the race, and the old chapel walls were closing in and thinning the air. My nerves rocked my body so hard I couldn’t sit down, couldn’t stand, couldn’t fucking breathe. I never felt like this before a race.

  But this wasn’t about the race.

  I strode to the bed where Kaci lay curled around a pillow, lashes spread over her cheeks, breathing steady with deep sleep. I crouched beside her and hovered a hand over her nude shoulder, her hip, her long, silky legs. Every inch of her was exposed except for the cover of her lacy black bra and panties. I wanted to touch her, needed to feel her. But I couldn’t steal her rest.

  She’d risen hours before dawn, racing the MTT Turbine up and down the gravel road, learning the nuances of the bike and the technology in the helmet. She was as ready as she needed to be. I just wasn’t sure if I was ready.

  I pushed away from the bed and paced the length of the building as the anxious voice in my head rose over the pounding of my heart.

  There were a few who placed bets on her, mobsters and other vile criminals who would hunt her down after she lost the race and their money. But they wouldn’t find her. Not on another continent. Not under her new identity. Hell, they wouldn’t even know her true identity. I reminded her repeatedly not to take off the helmet, not once between my front door and the prearranged safe spot.

  I wiped my slick palms on my leather pants and pulled in a ragged breath. The biggest threat to her was Trent. He would lose a fuckton of money at the same time that Kaci disappeared. Even if Benny raced in her place, he could connect Kaci to the scam. How hard would he try to track her down?

  Fucking hell, I hated leaving that loose end. It made me feel itchy, restless, entirely too goddamned vulnerable.

  The soft rhythm of Kaci’s breathing changed, but it was the quiet alarm above the front door that caught my attention. A motion sensor alarm that only went off when someone or something approached the property. My stomach caved in, and my pulse skyrocketed.

  Benny was in a remote location near the county airport, setting up her gear to monitor the race. No one else knew where I lived.

  “Kaci. Wake up.” I shook her shoulder then darted through the room as adrenaline spiked through my bloodstream.

  The lack of windows meant no one could see in. But I could see out. I stopped in front of the TV monitor that hung beside the front door.

  The bedding rustled behind me as I flipped through the channels, searching for the camera angle that showed the driveway. Darkness shrouded the street twenty-yards from my front door, but floodlights lit every corner of my property.

  “Logan?” Her groggy voice drifted from the bed.

  “There’s a gun under the mattress. Get it.”

  The monitor showed the view of the drive and a black limo under glaring outdoor lights. My heart thundered, and ice filled my lungs.

  I sprinted toward the kitchen area, grabbed my primary Glock off the counter, and checked the magazine. Fully loaded. I shoved it in the back of my pants and pulled the leather jacket over it.

  Kaci appeared at my side, wearing only her bra and panties, with the gun from the bed in her hand. Her eyes widened as they locked on the monitor by the door. “Please tell me that’s not Trent’s limo.”

  The doors hadn’t opened yet. It could’ve been Trent’s or Collin’s or who the fuck knew? But none of the options were good because no one knew my location.

  I hit the button above the refrigerator, and the oak panels beside it rolled up. Then I moved her, damn near carrying her in my urgency, onto the hidden elevator. “When you get to the basement, hide. Do not come back up. I will come to you.”

  Tension snapped through her body, and her eyes sharpened into pinpricks. She shifted to step off the lift. “Bullshit. I’m not leaving—”

  I kissed her, hard and fast, then gently pushed her to the rear of the lift. My heart hammered as I tapped the code on the keypad and turned my back. Behind me, the elevator whirred its descent as I sprinted to the far side of the room to the shelving unit. There, I collected my six-inch blade and slid it and the sheath in my boot.

  On my way to the front door, the oak panels returned to their closed position, concealing the elevator behind the wall. I blew out a strained breath and grabbed my helmet from the back of the couch. No matter what happened, she was safe two-stories down, and both elevators required a code.

  Kaci didn’t have the code, but Benny did. If I didn’t make it through this, Benny would retrieve her.

  The monitor showed the limo doors opening, and a man in a suit was shoved out. He sprawled on the ground, his hands bound behind him. When he turned his head, the sight of his terrified eyes, black hair, and familiar face locked my jaw in a painful clench.

  Who had Collin and how the fuck did they find me?

  He stumbled to his feet and backed up, yanking against his restraints.

  Another man rounded the limo from the driver’s side, the gun in his hand trained on Collin. I knew that motherfucker. Big arms. Barrel chest. Crisp suit. Watchful eyes. The burly fucking babysitter from the office.

  Trent stepped out of the limo, wearing one of his typical designer suits.

  I shut down every violent emotion that ripped through me and measured my breathing. As they approached the door, I switched the camera views on the monitor.

  Collin led with the burly man on his heels, the gun at his head, and his face shocked to a bloodless pallor.

  I activated the intercom system, powered on the helmet to conceal my voice, and shoved it on. The facial recognition software immediately identified the gunman as Jed Williams.

  They were going to threaten Collin’s life to convince me to open the door. Could I trust the fear glazing Collin’s eyes? Maybe he was good actor, and this was all a ploy to get inside.

  Had he told Trent I was Evader? Probably. Was Trent here to kill Evader to ensure his winning bet? Most definitely.

  It was a racing rule that had never been played. The race would proceed regardless if one of the racers no-showed. Anyone who placed a bet knew this. If Trent was here to kill Evader, he assumed Lady Silver would still race. He either didn’t know Kaci was the challenger or he didn’t know she w
as connected to me.

  But Collin knew. How much had he told Trent?

  Trent stepped around Collin and Jed and stared into the camera lens, his voice booming through the intercom speaker. “Where’s Kaci?”

  Blood drained from my face. Motherfucker. I flexed my hands. Either Collin told him she was with me or he was operating on an assumption and hoping for a validation.

  One I refused to give. “You’ve got the wrong house.”

  Trent glanced at the phone in his hand, his posture relaxed, his tone completely void of emotion. “Her phone is twenty feet away.” He looked up. “Technology is amazing, isn’t it? She uses her personal phone to log into Trenchant’s private network and unwittingly installs little hidden tools on her device, like my GPS tracker.”

  I closed my eyes long enough to stop myself from punching my fists into the brick wall. All my meticulous fucking planning, and I overlooked the vulnerability of a goddamned smartphone.

  “Here’s what happens next.” His hard eyes stared into the camera, his expression flat. “If you don’t let me inside in three seconds, I’m going to put a bullet in her husband’s head. If your weapons aren’t on the floor by the door, Mr. Anderson is dead.”

  Sweat formed over my skin beneath the leather jacket. They couldn’t get to the basement unless I gave up the code. She was safe, but for how long? They could shoot me and simply wait until she grew impatient or hungry.

  Deep down, I knew what I needed to do. I should let him kill Collin for her sake and mine. Or to speed things up, I should just kill Collin myself.

  But I couldn’t. My chest tightened. I wouldn’t.

  Maybe I didn’t entirely trust Collin, but Kaci did. And maybe deep down, I wanted him to live because, fuck me, he was my brother, a bond I could potentially kindle—something I’d never allowed myself to hope for.

  Helpless anger boiled through my gut as I set the gun from my pants and the blade from my boot on the floor, the only weapons left in the room. Then I punched in the code and opened the door.