by T. S. Joyce
She sank onto her elbows as his movement slowed and he pulsed along with her. Reverently, he rubbed her back and trailed kisses down her spine as he moved inside of her until soft tingling filled her again.
The last orgasm, he drew from her gently. His name was soft against her lips as she came again.
“What are you doing to me?” he whispered against her neck.
Rory huffed a soft laugh as he eased out and pulled her against his chest. She felt so safe and warm in his arms. “This is me telling you I’m not afraid of you or this life. I’m not going anywhere.”
His fingertip brushed her skin as he dragged it along the curve of her waist to her hip, then back up again. “So this is your decision then. You’ll stay with me?”
She sighed and snuggled closer against him. “Always.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cody nodded a greeting to Boone who was currently checking off supplies in the back of the ambulance that sat next to Engine 4. A big part of this job was making sure they were prepared for anything, which meant checking that everything was working and ready at the beginning of each shift. Dade was hosing down the engine, clad in a uniform that matched Cody’s exactly. Blue pants to match the blue fire department shirt and thick-soled boots. If Shayna called in from dispatch with an emergency, they’d change quick as a whip into their protective gear.
Hefting his duffle bag over his shoulder, Cody shoved open the heavy metal door that led down the hallway to the rooms. His was the third on the right. He shared it with a rookie hire from Fairplay who’d been with the department for just a few months. Cody pushed open the door to his room and stopped dead in his tracks.
Shayna sat on the bed, elbows locked and knees spread suggestively. Her skirt was midway up her thigh and gave him a peak at the bright pink sheer panties she was wearing.
“What do you want?” he asked, not in the mood for games. He set his duffle bag on a chair beside the bed and shot her an irritated glare.
“You know what I want.”
“How did you even get in here?” Because really, if she’d snuck past both of his brothers without them noticing, he was going to give them hell about using their damned shifter senses better. And surely they would’ve given him a warning if they knew she was in here waiting for him. His brothers seemed to be die-hard Rory fans since she’d come back into his life.
“We could’ve been great,” she murmured, canting her head. Her dark eyes were cold and lifeless as she raked her gaze over him. “But then you went and got your little whore knocked up, didn’t you? I was on the fast track to a promotion because of my relationship with you, but you had to go and fuck everything up, didn’t you?”
Promotion? Cody narrowed his eyes at the seductress on the bed. Couldn’t be. There was no way Shayna was IESA. She was too impatient to put in years like that chasing him for a job.
“Are you putting it all together, big boy?”
“Get out,” he growled. “Now.”
“Now wait a minute. I came here on a mission. Less violent than the missions you’ve been acing. I’m not a killer. But my job is just as important. I’m intel, and right now I’m doubling as sexy messenger maiden. I’m here to give you your next instructions.” With two splayed fingers, she pushed a thick folder the color of baby puke toward him on the bed.
He snatched it and pulled a stack of papers from it. The first page was a picture of Rory and Aaron playing at a park he didn’t recognize. The next was of them entering an apartment building, and the next showed them sitting on a bench, as if they were waiting for a bus.
“They were never really safe, Cody,” Shayna purred. “Krueger wants your son tagged. He’s a Keller, and your bloodline is important to this program. And we know that he’ll grow up a ticking time bomb just like his old man, so for the safety of the public, he needs a tracker. There are instructions on the next page on where to meet.”
“And if I refuse?”
Shayna giggled and dipped her chin. “Oh, Cody. You know you’re replaceable, right? Your entire family is. Especially after that botched mission. Krueger is not happy that you missed the target and then lost him in the woods.” Shayna made a sympathetic clicking sound. “You’re skating on thin ice, Keller. Our program is only interested in operators who are of use to us.” Shayna spread her knees wider and smiled wickedly. Pulling her panties to the side, she pressed a red-clawed finger inside of herself with a wet sound and a practiced-sounding groan. Never taking her eyes from him, she whispered, “You want to have a fuck?”
Cody swallowed down his disgust and focused on a seam in the concrete wall. He’d never been with her, and seeing her like this after being with Rory made his stomach churn.
“Suit yourself.” Shayna pouted her heavily glossed lips. “Pity really. You could’ve been a good lay for a big dumb bear. Have a nice rest of your life, Keller. Oh,” she said, standing to leave. “If I were you, I’d do everything just right if you want to live through the week. If you haven’t noticed, Krueger isn’t a patient man.” Shayna’s low snicker echoed down the hallway as she left.
Cody slumped onto the bed. There had to be fifty pictures of Rory and Aaron, and the one at the bottom of the pile had been taken when his son was around a year old. Cody touched the boy’s smiling face with the tip of his finger and closed his eyes.
Using Aaron as bait was the last thing in the world he wanted to do, but what choice did he have? Krueger had injected all of the Keller’s with trackers, and this might be his only shot at drawing him into the open.
His instincts screamed to get Rory and Aaron as far away from here as possible, but he couldn’t. Slow simmering fury burned through his body as he thought of Krueger forcing a tracker in Aaron. Rory had been right. They were safest with him, where his seething bear wanted to kill everything that threatened them.
He read the instructions for the meeting and clutched the paper hard in his clenched fist.
In two days’ time, Krueger would push Cody’s bear too far. He had to know he was cornering a predator bent on protecting his young, but apparently the asshole thought his position in IESA put him above consequences.
In two days’ time, Krueger would try to hurt his boy.
Cody stared at the pictures, and his bear shredded and raged under the surface at the idea that Krueger had followed his family before he’d even known them.
Two more days, and Cody was going to burn Krueger and his entire fucking program to the ground.
****
Rory knew the plan, had memorized and gone over it with the Breck Crew in the meeting yesterday, but it still didn’t sit well with her that she and Aaron would be the bait to draw a soulless man like Krueger in. It also didn’t help that Cody was on a two-day shift at the fire station right now. Things always seemed clearer when he was around, instilling confidence in her that he’d never let anything happen to Aaron.
She suddenly got the feeling that she was a diver treading shark infested waters without a cage.
“Are you okay, dear?” Aunt Leona asked. “You seem so distracted this morning.”
They were meandering down the sidewalk toward Main Street to enjoy the Fourth of July parade. At least she would get to see Cody on the fire engine, and maybe after if they didn’t get any calls. The engine was supposed to stop at the end of the parade route, and the Kellers were planning on allowing kids to tour the firetruck, handing out pamphlets to the parents about firework and grilling safety.
Cody had called her whenever he’d gotten a break at work, but talking on the phone wasn’t the same as seeing him. Of being encircled by his strong arms while he reassured her that everything was going to be okay.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” For now. Tomorrow was a different matter entirely. Tomorrow she’d be a worm on a hook. She squeezed Aaron’s hand in hers and smiled down at him.
“Momma, they have flags! Can I get one?”
“Of course. Here.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out two dollar bills. “Ma
ke sure you say please and thank you.”
“I will.” He jumped around in a quick circle, then ran for the vendor.
His level of excitement since he’d learned they were going to a parade today had been catching and was the only thing that had settled her down in between moments of sheer panic.
Aaron liked to do things for himself. He always had, but today it was too much for her to stand back and let him have a little rein. Today, she followed him closer than his shadow.
“There’s Nina and Doris. Yoo-hoo! Over here.” Leona pushed her glasses farther up her nose and waved frantically to the other two-thirds of the Blue-Haired Ladies who were making their way through the crowd on the busy sidewalk.
They giggled and hugged and Doris gave Aaron red lipstick kisses to his cheeks when he showed them his miniature flag.
“We have to go get on our float,” Doris said through an excited grin. “This is the third year in a row we’ve been invited to participate in the parade.” Her ample bosoms puffed up with pride.
Rory received one back-maiming hug from Aunt Leona and promised to sit close to the curb so they could throw extra candy to Aaron.
Already, it was getting crowded on Main Street, so she staked out a small patch on the curb in front of the museum and settled Aaron in her lap. After a few minutes, a cotton candy vendor strode by, peddling his sugary wares. She bought Aaron a pink puff of the sweet treat and happily accepted delicious pinched pieces from her good little sharer as they waited for the parade to start.
Her phone chirped from her back pocket, and she answered it.
“Hey, where are you guys sitting?” Cody asked on the other line. It was hard to hear him through the commotion in the background, but just the sound of his voice settled something jumpy inside her chest.
“We’re right in front of the museum,” she called out.
“Is that Cody?” Aaron asked, pink sugar-drop lips smacking.
“Your son wants to say hi,” she said through a grin.
“Put him on.” The smile in Cody’s voice threatened to melt her heart like the blob of ice cream someone had dropped on the cement beside them.
In an attempt to save her phone from little sticky fingers, she held it up against Aaron’s ear and giggled as he chattered on about his flag and cotton candy. And then he regaled an intriguing tale about how a bird had pooped and the blob had landed right in front of him on the walk here. Then he described a turd he’d made in Aunt Leona’s toilet this morning that looked exactly like a heart, and how it had reminded him of Cody. Rory pursed her lips to stifle her amusement at that last bit because Aaron was very serious about it. And even though Cody was likely terribly busy, he listened patiently to fecal stories and responded to everything Aaron said.
Rory loved that about him. No matter what was going on, Cody was always good at putting Aaron before whatever chaos was around him.
The fire engine blasted a honk through the phone, and a moment later, it echoed down Main Street.
“Oh!” Rory said. “Tell Cody goodbye. The parade is about to start.”
“Bye Cody! I’m saving some cotton candy for you!”
Really, there was only a paper thin layer of the treat left around the cardboard cone, but Aaron seemed intent on keeping it safe from the jostling crowd.
“We’ll see you in a minute,” she murmured into the phone.
“Okay. I love you, Rory Dodson.”
His endearment was unexpected, and her stomach filled with happy flutters. “I love you too, Cody Keller.” She hung up the phone with an uncontrolled smile stretching her face.
It took another twenty minutes for the beginning of the parade to reach them. There was an elephant float and old-fashioned cars with whacky horns. Go-karts zigzagged this way and that. The mayor rode in a convertible with Ms. Breckenridge with matching pageant waves and big smiles. The local high school band played and marched through confetti-littered streets, and a herd of miniature horses was led around by owners dressed in red, white, and blue. One of them stopped right in front of Aaron and let him pet a little bay with a fuzzy coat and pink glitter on its back. The Blue-Haired Ladies rode in a float in the shape of a coffee mug and waved from inside. They tossed ridiculous amounts of candy toward Aaron and blew him kisses, and the other kids crowded around, squealing and gathering sweets into their pockets.
Aaron hadn’t stopped grinning since they’d left the house, and suddenly, Rory’s heart felt too big for her chest cavity. This place was exactly where they were meant to be. They would get through this craziness with Krueger. She knew it—felt it in her gut.
She’d been right not to leave.
By the time the fire engine for Station 6 came into view, the cheers from the onlookers were borderline deafening and only added to her escalating excitement at seeing Cody.
Boone drove the engine, honking and flashing the lights, while Dade held onto the side, waving and grinning. He knocked on the window when he spotted Rory and Aaron, and Boone pulled to a stop. Cody climbed off the back and jogged toward her, clad in a navy fire department T-shirt that clung to his defined shoulders. Suspenders held up heavy looking, relaxed-fit pants with strips of reflective material. Under his helmet was a megawatt smile when he reached her. The crowd murmured around her as he approached and lifted her off her feet.
Relief slashed through his eyes. “Damn, woman. I almost forgot how beautiful you are.”
She leaned down and kissed him as cheers erupted around them. Embarrassment had set her cheeks aflame by the time he set her back down.
Cody pulled Aaron up to his hip. “Can I take him on the engine? Arie and Tate are both up there with Gage.”
“Can I, mommy?” Aaron was bouncing excitedly in Cody’s arms, flag and cotton candy cone flapping with the motion.
Rory canted her head at Cody. “Only if you swear to protect him with your life,” she said, trying for a severe look and failing.
“I will.” He turned, but changed his mind and spun back around. Against her ear, he said, “Goes for you too, Rory. I’ll protect you with my life.” He planted a soft kiss on her cheek, and when he eased away, he had the strangest expression on his face. Worry, where his smiled had been only moments ago.
“I know you will,” she murmured, baffled at his change in mood.
He jogged back to the engine and hoisted Aaron up to Gage’s waiting arms. Arie and Tate were cheering from the top and hugged Aaron as soon as he reached them. Rory giggled as her boy looked for her in the crowd. He waved as he yelled, “Hi, mommy! Look at me!”
“I see you, baby!”
Cody settled in beside his son and showed him how to toss candy on the edge of the street. He winked at her as the engine pulled away, and her cheeks flushed all over again.
After a few more floats, the parade seemed to be almost done, so she maneuvered through the milling masses, trailing the engine.
Someone bumped her from behind, and a tiny sting, like that of a wasp, pricked the back of her arm.
“Mother fluffer,” she murmured, contorting her arm to try and make sure the bug was gone. A tiny drop of blood smeared across her skin when she brushed it with her finger. What the hell? She looked behind her but saw no familiar faces in the crowd, and no one seemed to be paying attention to her at all.
The hair prickled on the back of her neck as she made her way faster through the throng of onlookers. People were starting to disperse from the edge of the street now, and it was making it harder to get through the maze of bodies on the sidewalk. She was losing sight of the engine up ahead as it made its way steadily down the street. A wave of dizziness took her, and she shuffled her feet faster, bumping into a woman going the opposite direction. Rory spun and got confused. Turned around, she searched for the floats above the heads of the gathered crowd, but the town seemed to stretch and contort in front of her.
“Farfignugen,” she murmured. “Farfig…nugen. That’s a strange word if you say it slow.”
“I’m so
rry?” A man beside her said with a confused quirk to his thin brows.
“Isn’t farfignugen a strange word?” she slurred, swaying on her feet and gripping his arm.
“I don’t think it is a word,” he said, then pried her fingers from him and ambled away.
Her head felt like it was lolling about her neck, like a planet around the sun, and she stumbled toward the side of the walkway and held onto the wall of a T-shirt shop. She was going to be sick or faint, and right now, she couldn’t decide which.
Her stomach felt cold, like she’d swallowed shards of ice, and sweat dotted her forehead as she found it increasingly hard to breathe.
“Whoa, there,” an older gentleman with the most alluring shade of silver hair said. He propped her upright and asked, “How much have you had to drink?”
“None.” A headache was building behind her eyes, and she couldn’t see straight anymore. Looking at the crowd made her feel like she was on a looping roller coaster, so instead she looked at the ground and tried to steady herself.
“Well clearly you’ve thrown back a little too much. Let me help you to the side so you don’t get run over.”
“Okay,” she whispered as her tongue began to feel too swollen to talk.
The kind man escorted her to an alleyway, and as her knees began to buckle, she looked up to see Shayna opening the back of a van.
“What are you doing here?” Rory asked, locking her knees and trying to escape the man’s grip.
Shayna mimicked what she said. “God, you are all so boring. That’s exactly what Cody asked yesterday.” Shayna smiled a feline expression as she dragged Rory into the back of the van. “Right before he fucked me.”
“Wha-what?” Rory’s throat had gone dry, and her limbs weren’t working anymore to fight what was happening. Cody wouldn’t. He wouldn’t!
The door slammed closed, and darkness descended over her. Everything was numb but her lips, and even those were beginning to tingle. As the edges of her vision blurred and shattered inward, the kind man took his place behind the steering wheel and twisted in his seat.