There was a lot to be said for this relationship with Kelli but damned if he would say it. As a foster kid that had been left by his parents early on, he learned that nothing good stayed around long, and this woman that he’d inadvertently met while trying to compete a mission was no different. Carson sat on the balcony as he waited for a call and tried to reel his thoughts away from Kelli and onto business that would keep her happy and her cousin not dead. Here he was on the run from his place of employment and the job he was set to complete. He’d come up with a plan to keep Argo from getting killed, but in the end, he hoped he was able to draw breath on his own and not from a tube. Actually that would mean that he was alive and that is one thing he was hoping for, but not if he couldn’t at least see Kelli. She was the number one thing he was trying to keep safe. He was so lost in his thoughts when his phone rang, he almost dropped it. He pushed the button to answer it but didn’t say a word. It took a few seconds for the person to realize that there was going to be no voice with a cheerful greeting during this call.
“Carson?” Argo’s voice filled the line, and he knew that it was safe to talk. He’d gotten in touch with the man after they’d gotten to the cabin because he was going to need some assistance if this plan of his was going to work. It seemed that his mark would be an unlikely bed fellow for him, but he knew the man had a dog in this race and would appreciate being kept up to date.
“Yeah, it’s me. Did you talk to anyone with the Reapers?” Those were the guys that would have to be alright with the plan since they set up the hit. It was practically suicide to give up the information Carson had left with Argo, and if there was a war started, it could probably be a black mark on the face of The Satan’s Ravens, but what else could Carson do? If he killed Argo, there would be hell to pay from the Picerno’s in general and Kelli in particular, but if he didn’t complete the mission, he would lose social standing with his mercenary motorcycle club and possibly his life. The life of a criminal wasn’t an easy one, and when the people in charge didn’t need a judge or jury to decide your fate, it made you think about all the actions you were making. Didn’t mean he’d make the right choice, as Carson was notorious for making bad choices, but he would be aware that there were choices that had to be made.
“It’s in the works. How are you treating my cousin? There is a lot of speculation about what you’re doing and now it’s you that’s been marked. I’m hoping that you are far enough out of town not to be spotted, but I’m also wondering why you don’t just let Kelli go.” Argo hadn’t been anything but helpful with this whole situation, and that was a feat. Carson didn’t know if he’d be this pleasant with someone in the same situation. That the man had questions was understandable. Kelli and Argo had a strong bond, and as much as she cared for him, it was apparent that he felt the same way about her. He’d not told Argo about the phone that Kelli had. They didn’t need to be in such constant contact until they could all be cleared. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust him, but…. Fuck that, he didn’t trust him.
“It’s not that I’m keeping her here out of duress or holding her against her will.” That would be a concern of his if someone were holding his cousin in a cabin far away from her family and friends.
“Oh, I know that. If I thought that it wouldn’t matter where you were I’d find you and end your days here on earth. That’s not what I was asking. The fact of the matter is there is now a price on your head, and it would be lessened if not vanished if you just let Kelli go and be on your merry way. So why don’t you do that and save your ass the trouble?” Argo didn’t pull punches when it came to his question, and Carson liked that no bullshit directness the man had, but he wasn’t sure what to say that wouldn’t make him sound like a love sick puppy.
“That would be the best thing to do and don’t think I’ve not thought about it, but the fact of the matter remains that there would still be a marker for your death, and I wouldn’t want to leave like that for both Kelli and my sake.” He gave the man a direct truth back even if he omitted a few things about his feelings for the woman in the mix.
“What you’re saying is you’ve let the pussy pull you under its spell, and you’re not ready to let it go.” Argo didn’t seem like he would be talking about his precious cousin like this, but Carson wasn’t opposed to his way of talking. It also seemed like Argo was good at reading situations or at least reading between the lines.
“That’s not how it is, man, and I don’t like you talking about Kelli like that. I know that’s your cousin, but show some respect. Yes. I am enjoying the time I’m spending with Kelli, and I’m not ready to let her go yet, but there is a reason why she is still here with me, and that reason is her own.” Carson didn’t really want to talk to this man about his cousin because he didn’t really think their relationship was any of his business, and he just needed him to keep himself alive so he wouldn’t have to face what being a part of Kelli losing her cousin would mean for him.
“I’d like to talk to her if she’s available, and I didn’t mean any disrespect to Kelli. I just wanted to see where your head was at.” Argo seemed to be changing his tune a bit or maybe he just wanted to hear from her that she wasn’t being kidnapped and used as a sex toy, but Carson didn’t know if he was just using the time to get a grasp of their location. No honor among thieves was the saying that was coming to Carson.
“She is asleep, but I’ll have her call you soon. I’ve got to get going, but you need to find out what’s going on with Dexter since he’s not the big boss, but he’s the one that put the call for your head in the works.” Carson waited for the man on the other end of the line to say something, but there was a large silence that filled the space.
“Dexter?” Argo sounded really puzzled about that one, but he didn’t go into detail about why. “I’ll see what I can do about that guy. In the meantime, you need to figure out what your escape plan is going to be. I know in my heart that Kelli wants to be there with you, but you can’t keep her. She’s a high maintenance broad, and you are low on the totem pole potatoes. Think about what her living her life with you will man for her. No woman wants to leave paradise for greasy diners no matter how well you’re laying the pipe.”
Carson had already thought about that, and he didn’t have an answer or response for the man’s concerns. “Whatever, dude. I’ll tell her you want to talk to her when she gets up, and you keep me up to date on the status with Dexter.”
When he disconnected the phone, it was all he could do not to hit something. He’d seen her home and the fancy items she always had with her. Hell, she went to the bank and withdrew sixty thousand dollars the morning before they left, and the teller didn’t even blink an eye when she said she wanted that in manageable bills. That was more than a lot of people made in a year, and she had it in her fun fund for easy access. Was that the kind of woman who would be happy with his hand to mouth way of life? Why was he even thinking about this any way? This was going to be a short term affair, and when he got himself out of this he wanted her to have fond memories of the hood rat she hooked up with for a while. To ask for anything more was dangerous because it couldn’t happen. She probably thought of this as a vacation from her regularly scheduled life… well minus the people after them and her precious cousin Argo.
He heard the balcony door open and hoped that she hadn’t heard any of the conversation he’d just had with her cousin. It wasn’t something he wanted to worry her about even though she had a lot riding on what was going on as well. As far as he was concerned, they were going to treat this like a private getaway and just have fun. She didn’t need to be concerned about whether or not he was going to live or die because it looked like there was going to be too much mess to just allow him to fade into the sunset.
“Who were you talking to?” Kelli sounded sexy as her sleep husky voice made him rethink answering her question. It would be better if they just remained in bed or some other horizontal position where they wouldn’t have to go into this. He put on his most charming look and moved closer to her.
“Let’s not talk about that now.” He tried to see if his plan would work as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her warm neck. Was it the fact that they’d been together for the last few weeks with them being inseparable the last week that let him know that she wasn’t going to put up with this or maybe it was the way her body tightened up? Either way, he wasn’t surprised that she pushed him away.
“I’m not a child, Carson. I appreciate the way you make me feel and I like that you take charge sometimes, but I have been handling myself for a good long while, and I won’t tolerate you treating me like I can’t handle grown up information.” She was spectacular when she was in a huff but damned if he would tell her that now. That one would put him on the couch or worse, and with him not knowing how much time they actually had together that wasn’t the best plan of action.
“I know you aren’t, but there is nothing that can be done by hashing out what I’m trying to do. There are a lot of pieces involved, and my main concern is keeping you safe.”
She looked into his eyes, and he knew she was trying to figure out if she should trust him or keep up the questions. Moving entirely out of his embrace, he didn’t know what she was going to do next, but he knew she wasn’t done.
“Who were you talking to?” she asked again as she sat on the lounge chair in the middle of the balcony.
There was no way he was going to be able to leave her totally out of it, so maybe if he gave her some information it would be enough. “I was talking to Argo.”
Her wide eyes let him know that was not the answer she was expecting, and he watched her put that piece of information away like she was going to use it later. Sitting next to her on the edge of her chair, he watched her and could almost see the questions whizzing through her mind. She had a peaceful way about her, and he’d learned so much about her in the week they’d spent together. When they weren’t fucking on every flat surface, they’d talked about a lot of things.
“Argo? Why? What was he saying? Are they looking for me? How is everyone?” She looked like she was starved for information about her family, and he wished he had a bit of family that would be worried about him. All he had was a group of guys that were getting impatient that he’d not done his job yet. He’d try to answer all of her questions to the best of his ability, but in all honesty there wasn’t really anything he and Argo had talked about regarding her family or even if they were overly worried about her. This wasn’t a tea and crumpet conversation the two men were having, but she didn’t look like she realized that.
“Argo wants to talk to you to make sure you’re alright and not being held here against your will.” He thought he would give her some information that she could deal with without going into what he did or didn’t know about her family.
“He knows that’s not the case. There is no way in the world he could think I’d withdraw as much money as I did from the bank for a kidnapper. I’d rather take the bullet.” She looked offended that Argo would even suggest something like that but at least it took the wistful, homesick expression off her face.
Why her she-power ‘I will fuck something up’ facial expression made Carson proud, he couldn’t say, but listening to his woman talking like a bad ass was quite a turn on. His woman? What the hell was wrong with him today? He couldn’t keep her; of that he had no question. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her, it was quite the opposite, but Argo’s words just now hit him so hard because in the back of his mind that is exactly what he’d been thinking. He couldn’t give this woman the life that she deserved and had grown accustomed to. How long would it take before she regretted her decision to be with him? If she would even make that decision at all. This little getaway was funded by her, and he was sure she knew that he didn’t have this kind of money. Most kings didn’t have the money to live the way she’d purchased for them to live this past week. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy it, but he’d rather just have her.
“I’m sure he just wants some verification from you.” He attempted to settle her down from the perceived insult it sounded like she thought she received.
“I’d love to talk to him, but I’d really like to know what plans you have to get us out of this. I’m having a great time, but I know my mother and brothers are worried about me, and that makes me feel rotten. It’s not that I don’t have the greatest faith that you’ll get us out of this, but my mother has anxiety, and if her children are involved it’s doubled.” That she cared about her family and wanted them not to be concerned for her was very touching to Carson who didn’t know exactly how family dynamics worked. He just stayed beside her while she worked out what was going on in her mind.
“Thanks for having such confidence in my ability to get us out of this, but after talking to Argo and now you, maybe it would be best if you went home to your family.” Those words felt like broken glass as they traveled up his throat and out his mouth. He didn’t want to look at her too closely while he said them because he knew she’d see that he didn’t mean it. Not one word of it. He didn’t want her to leave him, he didn’t, but he knew that it might be better for her and much safer. She put her hand on his cheek gently turning him to face her, and he wanted to kiss her for all that she was and all that she did.
“You realize that I chose you over my family. I was told that they were going to kill you, and I escaped my home after knocking over my father and made sure you didn’t die. There will be hell to pay when I return… if I return, and that is going to happen whether we working things out with Argo or not.” She looked away, and it was then that Carson knew that there was more to this than he planned on. He was so busy trying to please Kelli and not have Argo be killed, he’d forgotten what she’d done in this mess.
“Things are not the best right now, for either of us, but they can get better. You know your family loves you so you can’t be worried that you’re in grave danger,” he tried to gauge her response, but she looked so worried he wondered how it was in her family. “Do you think your father would kill you for saving me?”
She looked over the balcony like she could find the answer to the question in the beautiful sunset in the horizon. “I’ve never done any of the things I did before I left. I was always the one who did what I was told, and I did it without fuss. My family knows that I don’t like violence, so the outburst when I physically came at him, I’m sure, was shocking. Not only did I save a man who was going to kill my cousin, but I also knocked my father down because I thought he was going to hit me. The thing I didn’t tell you is when my father got up off the floor, there were at least 5 men with guns pointed at me. Argo saved me that night so I could come and save you.”
“Things happen when tensions rise in a situation, and I’m sure that your father just wants to know that you haven’t been abducted and are alive and well.” He pulled her hand into his and was shocked at how cold it was. Maybe her body was reacting to the story she was telling and the fear was causing physical changes, but he wasn’t going to let her deal with this herself. He made her stand up so he could sit back on the chair and then wrap her up in his embrace.
The deep sigh was the only thing that let him know she appreciated what he’d done because she continued to look out into the distance. “I’d just like to make sure my cousin is not going to die because of any mark on his head and make sure you’re safe as well.”
“Thanks for thinking of my well-being but I think you are the one I want to make sure is alright. Do you think your father would hurt you? I asked that before, but you didn’t give me a straight answer. If I need to make additional plans to get you away from here, I can do that too.” He turned her to face him so he could judge the truth in her answer. “Let me be clear. Your answer to that question is going to change the way this all plays out.”
“I don’t think he would, but the last time I saw him, he didn’t look or act like the same man who used to bounce me on his knee and claim I was the most precious girl in the world. He looked at me like I was a class A bitch that needed taken down a peg or two.” She sounded so small, and he knew how it felt to have those that you thought should love and care for you do something so out of character it made you question every moment that had come before that. He didn’t like to see her so disillusioned.
“Were you afraid of him?” He hoped that if she talked it out it would be a bit better for her, and she could make more sense of it in her head.
“Not really. I just have never seen that look directed at me. He is good at letting you know if he’s happy, sad, proud or mad with just a look, and I know what most of his expressions mean. I’ve even seen the one he directed at me cover his face before, but when it’s aimed at you, it’s totally different. I was just freaked for a minute, but I don’t know how his reaction will be when we see each other again because this situation is new to me.”
He was just going to have to understand that she didn’t have an answer to the question, but that put a new spin on this whole thing. Carson didn’t want to let Kelli be hurt over trying to save him but he didn’t know how to stop it. He had very little pull when it came to his own organization, but with the mob, he was lower than a nobody. Argo had better be working his magic on her behalf.
“Why don’t you go in and figure out what we’re going to eat tonight?” He didn’t think the way the conversation was going was helping him or her so maybe they should just move on. He had to place a call to one of his boys with the Satan’s Ravens and find out what was happening over there.
“That was a smooth way to change the subject,” she laughed as she lifted off of his lap. At least she looked like she was in better spirits and she’d grown warmer in his embrace, so he wasn’t worried she was going into shock or anything.
“You know me… I’m as smooth as they come.” He loved watching her walk away from him; he could stare at her ass for hours. Well maybe he could do it if he could stop staring for a while and fuck her. The last time they’d had sex, it was a totally different experience for some reason. He didn’t know what it was, but it seemed like each and every time they came together for sex, it was more than just two bodies trying to feel good. That was the only way he knew to explain it because he was so out of his realm when it came to being with a woman more than a few times. He enjoyed her bouncing tits almost as much as he loved listening to her giggle, and when he slid into her soft, warm pussy it felt almost as good as the deep conversations she liked to start when they lay quiet in the dark. Nothing about this thing he had going on with her made any sense to him, but that didn’t make him want to stop. If anything, he wanted to get more into it to find out how deep the rabbit hole went and how he could keep it alive as long as possible.
When she was gone and the door was closed, he took his phone out and called his friend The Pacemaker to see what was going on in that neck of the woods. He called the number and it picked up but there was no voice on the other end of the line. He was used to that, because that was how they all answered the phone.
“Hey. Is this Carson’s Pizzeria? I’ll have 2 large pies.” This was the way they all replied when they were the one calling another. It may sound stupid, but that was how they knew who they were talking to. If the person on the other line said that this was the wrong number, they either couldn’t talk to you right then and they’d call you back or you really had the wrong number and you didn’t have to worry that you’d been made.
“Carson? You sorry son of a bitch. Where the hell are you?” Pacemaker sounded a bit worried, and if nothing else that was scary. The man seemed to have no emotions beside angry and gruff, but here he was sprouting some new ones.
“Trying to get a few things in order.” He wanted to know how much his friend had been able to find out, but he thought he needed to feel the other man out for a minute. He’d been away for a few weeks, and he hoped the man was still on his side. Loyalties changed so quickly now, and with him not being able to see what was going on, he was at a loss.
“I heard. Sounds like you’re trying to keep your cock warm in that high class pussy you lucked into. Man, you always get all the good ones. I keep asking you to help me in that department.” There was a question tucked into the gruff and raunchy talk. This wasn’t about disrespect; the bikers were a tough group and their words could be as nasty as the missions they completed. It was a way of life for them, so Carson didn’t even bat an eyelash over the wordage.
“You have to work on your demeanor if you want pussy to fall in your lap. There are women everywhere but you get overlooked because you’re just too mean looking. No one wants to deal with that crazy shit. Put a fucking smile on your face and try to look like you won’t kill them after they blow you, and you’ll see your luck change.” Carson laughed at his friend as they fell into the same conversation that they always seemed to fall into when they talked.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s what you always say.” His voice trailed off, and Carson could hear voices in the background.
“You never try my way, so if you have to pay for it or use the 5 knuckle shuffle. Whatever you decide to do is totally up to you.” Carson missed just shooting the shit with his brothers, but not as much as he was enjoying being with Kelli. Well if you could get rid of the whole ‘he may lose his life and the life of the woman he was beginning to care too much about’ thing, he was practically in paradise.
“There is a lot of talk about you here. The boys are getting antsy, and Beast is sending out Crowbar to do the job you seem to be taking your slow ass time to complete. I was going to call you, but your phone goes straight to voicemail so I figured you must have dumped it and the other number just rings and rings.”
It sounded like Pacemaker was in a crowded place because the voices that he thought he’d heard before were louder and now there was accompanying music. That whole situation struck him as odd. The man liked solitude and quiet even though he did go out to be with his friends and talk to the ladies every once in a while, but he wouldn’t be talking to him if he was around other people or in a conversation prior to the call.
“Where are you, bro?” Carson asked.
“They are sending off Crowbar in style, and they took him out to Beverly’s for a dinner before we go out for drinks?”
“Why so much fanfare? I didn’t get a fucking dinner before I left.” Oh, shit. Something was definitely up, and it wasn’t looking good for whatever plans he was trying to work out on this end.
“Well that guy Dexter called back and doubled the fee to kill your mark and threw in a few perks for the business apparently. Beast is happier than a pig in shit about whatever is going on, but I think he wants to make sure this job goes as planned and quickly.”
“Fuck!!!!” Carson stood up and walked over to the balcony. He knew it was going to be bad, but he hadn’t anticipated this. Not only was this was going to make his job harder, but it was going to be impossible to keep this thing quiet. Here he was thinking he was getting close to a resolution, and now he finds out that he somehow swung this the other way and now Argo’s death was a priority.
“I know man. You need to get in there and finish this because it is going to look like hell if you have been out there playing titty winks with some girl while someone else has to come in and do your job.”
“It’s tidily winks, Pace.” Why in the world was he making small talk about this when he was dealing with such heavy shit he didn’t know, but it did make him feel normal. Fucking with Pacemaker was one of his favorite things to do, and even though his scowling face and rough voice didn’t show it… that man loved it too.
“I think it’s you playing with titties not tiddlies that’s making your crazy. You’ve got half the women in the metropolitan here asking for you and you’re keeping yourself tied up with just one set. Are you crazy? Do your job and save yourself. It sounds like you are on a sinking ship, and you need to pull the eject button.” The man wasn’t anyone’s fool, and he knew that the wisdom coming from his friend was well intended, but he didn’t know what he was going to do with this situation.
“I hear you,” Carson responded.
“I know you can hear me, but are you listening? There is a difference, and I’m hoping that you’re doing it and thinking with the brain that sits in your head and not your cock. That fucker has gotten you into trouble before, and damned if it doesn’t look like it’s rearing its ugly head again. Pussy is pussy.”
“Says the man who hasn’t had any in so long he thinks his hand is his girlfriend,” Carson was trying to make light of the situation, but no one knew better than him how fucked up this could end up being.
“Whatever man, do your job and come home. We’ll be waiting for you to return whether you fuck this up or not. You’ve got a family with us, and I don’t want you to forget it. Family forgives, but don’t make us have to.” Pacemaker had let all the jovial talk go for a minute, and he could tell that the man was being serious.
“Is that you or Beast talking? I can’t imagine that he is going to be that understanding that I’ve fucked this up.”
“You’d be surprised at what Beast is saying about you. I’d not tell you that because it was told to me in confidence, but I do know that you’d be welcomed home. So don’t worry about that,” Pacemaker explained. It sounded like the man had moved to a quieter place in the bar. “I’ve got to go. We’re on the move to the next place, but make sure you keep in mind what I said.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I mean it. Get rid of the girl, and get your ass back here safely.”
“I hear you, and I’m working on it.” Carson wasn’t going to leave his girl out here in the wilderness not knowing what could happen to her, and he wasn’t going to bail on Argo either. He didn’t know that man, but he did say he wanted to make sure everything got cleared up. It had been too easy in the past to just let things go when they got too hard, but he was committed to sticking it out for the cause. Even though the cause was Kelli.
The gruff grunt was Pacemaker’s classical goodbye as Carson didn’t think he’d ever heard a proper farewell from the man, but they knew where they stood, and he knew that the plan to kill Argo was escalating and he hoped it could be stopped.
This thing was like a live being, and it was growing hungrier an uglier by the minute. His only hope was that it wouldn’t eat up everything in its path.