Stark
It was late.
I was tired and my eyes were heavy, but inside I was settled. I was as close to happy and satisfied as I’d ever been. I wasn’t saving the world the way my mom always wanted me to, but there were moments when I was saving my little corner of it. Days when I could be a hero to someone who really needed one. I’d been at the police station with Titus for the last two days. He’d gotten a lead on a child pornography ring and wanted to know what I could do to help bring the organization down. It only took a couple hours to work on a program that would search all the major keywords and language patterns used by the perpetrators in the chat rooms, the ones spending money on their dirty perversions, across all social media platforms. Everyone was on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Even pedophiles. The program did its thing and searched all those platforms and more. Within twenty-four hours, we had names and addresses of over fifty adults who were using the site. It only took a couple hours after picking up the offenders until Titus had the names of the people in charge of finding the kids and filming the filth. They couldn’t wait to pass the buck and the responsibility.
I could have gone home hours ago, but I wanted to watch them do the perp walk. I wanted to see them dragged through the media circus out front. I wanted to hear what they had to say for themselves. As it turned out, it was a whole lot of nothing. No excuses. No remorse or regret. It was nothing more than business to them. They didn’t see the faces of the children they’d destroyed, or the lives they’d stolen . . . just dollar signs. It was infuriating. The world and the Point would be better off when they were dumped in a deep dark hole, and I was proud of myself for having a part in putting them there. Titus was already in line for one hell of a promotion, but a bust of this scale, one that would bring national media attention, meant he was going to be the face of all the major changes happening in our city. The good guys were finally keeping up with the bad guys even though every single day was still coated in cloudy, murky gray. Titus King was the war-hardened, battle-scarred general who was leading them to victory. It all made for a fantastic byline and a lead story on the evening news.
I took my glasses off so I could rub my eyes. I was a few steps away from my front door and just a couple more minutes away from crawling into bed next to my girl. She’d stopped by the station a couple of times to see if she could help. Titus put her to work scanning the matching hits from the program, and she was the one who had tracked down their locations using their check-ins and photos on social media. We made a great team, no matter what side of the law we were working for, but I hadn’t had enough alone time with her, hadn’t been able to taste her or feel her the way I wanted. When I didn’t have enough of her, the chill that she chased away found its way back inside of me. Winter filled me up and frosted over all the things inside of me she’d worked so hard to thaw out. Without her, I was frozen, covered in frost and ice. With her, I was human, a man who ran hot and fast. She made my emotions wild and I loved that I couldn’t control them or her. The way she made me feel was a problem I never wanted to solve because I’d had years of isolation, no check on my emotions.
I was reaching for the front door when a throat was cleared loudly behind me. It was testament to how tired I was and how good their training was that I hadn’t heard their approach.
The men in black suits. Noe had started calling them K and J, just like in the movie, whenever I brought them up. It was fitting. They still wore the same severe suits they’d had on when they took me away from my sister all those years ago. They’d aged, but then again, so had I. It was clear the current state of the world wasn’t easy on whatever no name branch of the government they worked. They looked as tired as I felt and possibly defeated.
“Gentleman.” I kept my voice steady and calm. I wanted to throw the door open and hide behind it. I wanted to run away from them but knew they would chase me. I’d been expecting a visit. There was no covering up the fact I was up to my old tricks and no longer working with a broken mind. I was back, which meant they wanted me to return to the fold. They had no use for a grieving brother and disenchanted son. But when I was a man with an agenda, a genius with a thirst for revenge, they couldn’t show up on my doorstep fast enough.
“You’ve been busy, Mr. Stark. All kinds of stories of your escapades floating around the Internet. We’ve been watching.” That was said by the shorter of the two, the one who threatened to throw me in jail alongside my father if I didn’t snap out of my grief over losing Savina.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Figured you would be.”
The taller of the two watched me carefully. He put his hands on his hips, pushing back his jacket and showing the gun and badge clipped onto his belt. He was trying to remind me that they called the shots, but they were on my turf. This was my city, I was the one with the upper hand here. “We have a classified project we want you to come on board for. What do you know about EMPs?”
I snorted. “Electromagnetic pulses? I know that paranoid end-of-the-world-preppers and conspiracy theorists think that an EMP can bring about the collapse of our society. I know that, theoretically, a pulse can turn a developed country into a third-world nation. I know there isn’t enough known about the long-term implications of weaponizing that kind of technology, but you’ve never cared about the implications much, have you?”
Both of them stiffened and exchanged a look. I wasn’t the scared, malleable teenager they’d conned into being their puppet anymore. Their agenda wasn’t mine, and I didn’t feel like I owed them anything any longer.
“It’s in your best interest to come with us, Mr. Stark. If you don’t, we can make life very difficult for you. Don’t forget you are still guilty of hacking into a secure government mainframe. That is a violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. We can throw you in prison.” That was a threat that used to scare me, but not now.
I crossed my arms over my chest and leveled them both with a hard look. “Did you kill my mother? Did the government make the call to have her lab destroyed when she wouldn’t give you what you wanted? I went looking for those answers and never found them. I’m much better at getting into the places you want to keep me out of now. You guys made sure I was trained to be the best. I can find the truth. I can drag that information out into the light, make sure everyone sees it. People are hungry for proof that our systems are flawed.”
The taller one started to look uneasy as the shorter one puffed up his chest and warned, “We can make you disappear, Stark. No one would even know you’re gone. Just like last time.”
He was wrong. Last time, my sister missed me so much she died and this time, well, this time I had someone who wouldn’t let me go without a fight. The door behind me flung open and suddenly a small, warm body was pressed into my side. I glanced down at Noe as she wrapped her arm around my waist. I took her weight and curled my fingers around her upper arm in a side hug.
“I’d notice if he was gone. The cop he’s been working with would notice. The guy who has this entire town in his pocket would notice. His friends would notice.” She narrowed her eyes at the men dressed in black suits and growled, “His father would notice if he stopped visiting, and I’m sure his sister’s spirit would notice if he was no longer stopping by to put flowers on her grave. She sure as shit felt it when you pulled him out of her life. You can’t have him. He’s mine.” Her fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt and she pressed even more fully into my side.
The short agent scoffed and pointed a finger at her. “We know who you are, Ms. Lee, formerly known as Alyssa Cartwright. You aren’t much of an obstacle standing between us and what we want.”
She looked up at me, dark eyes a shade lighter than the midnight sky overhead. Her lips were pursed in a sour look so I couldn’t resist a chuckle as I bent down to touch them with my own. The suits had no idea who they were dealing with.
She had never been Alyssa Cartwright. That girl never got a choice, never got a say. That wasn’t who she was. She’d put that girl behind her. She never wanted to hear that name again, just like she never wanted to see Aaron again. Those two belonged in a deep, dark hole that would never see the light of day. She was Noe Lee and she was a force to be reckoned with. She wasn’t afraid of the men who had taken me and broken me. She would do whatever it took to keep me right by her side. These idiots should be very, very worried.
She pulled away from me and pointed at the tall agent, body tense and fury making her spine stiff. She was stunning, all that fight and defiance that had first attracted me to her directed in my defense. “I know who you are too, Agent Franklin. You aren’t married but you do have a long-term partner. No one in your agency knows you’re gay, because you’re right, that knowledge would more than likely slow your fast-track to the top. No one in your agency knows that you’ve been trying to adopt a child from Russia, but I do. I know all about it. If your superiors had that information, they would shut it down considering they don’t want any of their agents to have any ties to Russia at the moment. It wouldn’t look good if that got out; imagine how the media would twist that story. Spy sells State secrets in exchange for a no-questions-asked adoption.”
The man went pale, so white that he appeared to glow in the dark. He swayed on his feet and refused to look at his partner who was now blustering and walking toward Noe.
“Ms. Lee, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.” He reached for her but before his hands landed, I was between the two of them, a hand on the center of his chest as I pushed him back.
“We know all about you too, Agent Grimes. We know about your gambling debt. We know about the first wife you beat and put in the hospital even though your buddies in the agency covered it up. We know about the money you stole from the warlord you took out during your last tour in Afghanistan, money that was supposed to go to fund schools and infrastructure. Money that was supposed to be used to rebuild the villages we destroyed. Money you pocketed. We know about the second wife who mysteriously disappeared when you went diving in Australia. The DoD covered that up as well. I’m guessing you have dirt on someone higher up than you, maybe the asshole who ordered the hit on my mom.” I gave him a shove that sent him stumbling back into his lanky partner. “While you’ve been watching me, it gave her,” I hooked a thumb in Noe’s direction. She bared her teeth in a feral smile that would make even the brassiest of balls draw up in fear. “All the time she needed to watch you. I’m not going anywhere, and if you think you can fuck with me again, we’re pulling the curtain back. Not just on you, but on how this all started. I know your people were responsible for what happened to my mom. You stopped me from proving it before, you won’t stop me now. I’ll start a scandal before you step off this porch. No one is ever impressed by the wizard. They love Oz, but no one ever wants to see who’s actually behind the curtain.”
The agents exchanged a look. The tall one was worried. The short one was impotently furious. He looked like he wanted to lunge at me, but he knew I could kick his ass. We had the same kind of training, but I was three times his size and had years of built-up resentment. “This isn’t over Stark. You owe your country.”
I shook my head. “No, but my country owes me. It owes me all the years I spent motherless and angry. It owes me for turning my father into a traitor, a man who valued revenge more than family. It owes me for not keeping my sister safe like it promised. When my country can put my family back together and fix the promises it broke, then maybe we’ll talk about who owes whom. Go away and don’t come back. If you do, I’ll dig and dig until both your graves are deep enough. There is a lot of dirt out there and the only person better with a shovel than me is her. You can shut me up, but there are people who will speak for me. Remember that if you’re thinking of doing something stupid like taking both of us out of the game. There are new players in place and most of them are a lot scarier than you guys.”
Noe peeked around my shoulder and snidely snapped, “They dress better, too. Did you get those suits at Walmart?” Considering she was dressed in one of her half shirts and a pair of sweats that were too big, it was particularly funny. She still dressed like she was going to be trolling alleyways and underpasses. I found it endearing. I liked that it kept curious eyes off her olive skin and tight little body.
“We’re done. You’re done. Go back to your bosses and tell them I’m not interested in war. I want to help people, not hurt them.” I turned to the door and backed Noe toward the house. I didn’t stop walking until she was inside and the door was shut firmly behind us. I wasn’t tired anymore so I bent and put a shoulder to her middle and hiked her up in a fireman’s carry. Her legs kicked in the air until I landed a hand on the swell of her ass. The smack was satisfying and so was the way her hands grabbed at my ass from her upside-down position.
“They’ll be back.” She sounded resigned but she wasn’t wrong.
I nodded as I stopped by the side of the bed, tossing her on the mattress. She bounced with a squeal, eyes gleaming like polished jet as I tugged my t-shirt off over my head by the collar. “They will be. We stay one step ahead of them. We make it known it’s a real bad idea for them to try and poke into our lives. We fight for what we have.”
She hummed a soft agreement and yelped again when I caught her ankles and dragged her to the edge of the bed. I kissed her hard and bruising. I wanted her to remember my mouth there while it was busy on other parts of her body. I stamped my intent on her. I wasn’t going anywhere and neither was she. I licked her bottom lip then dropped to my knees between her dangling legs so I could pull her baggy pants down. I kissed the sweet indent of her belly button, licked my way to the apex of her thighs. She was sighing into the darkness and wasn’t shy at all when she threw her legs over my shoulders. She never hid from me. It was all right there in front of me, wet, willing, wanting. Her body always ready for whatever I wanted to do to it, eager to respond to my touch.
She was already shiny and slippery, thighs tense and quivering by my ears. I breathed out a damp breath against her plump folds and growled in appreciation as one of her hands slid under her shirt so she could play with her nipples. Her hips lifted impatiently off the bed and I chuckled into her sweet skin. The vibration made her moan and her head started to thrash as I slid a couple of fingers inside of her. She pulsed around me, hot and silky. She moved with my hand and gasped my name as I touched my mouth to her tight clit. Her flavor burst on my tongue as she writhed in front of me. I fucked her with my face and my fingers, building her up until her body was as taut as a drawn bow in my hold. I rubbed the thumb of my free hand along the back of her thigh and traced a line up to the curve of her ass. We hadn’t taken things that far . . . yet. I never wanted to push her into anything she didn’t seem comfortable with, but the more time she spent at Nassir’s club, the more curious and creative she’d been. I was a man who was always looking to learn something new, so I was here for whatever she decided she wanted to experiment with.
She lifted up and wrapped her hands around my head, holding my face to her body as she chased after her impending orgasm. I added another finger, curled them, and tapped that hot spot that made her convulse and quake. She gasped loudly and rolled her hips as my tongue relentlessly attacked her clit. I could feel her getting ready to come apart. Her small frame coiled tight and her fingers tugged my hair and ears. The diamond studs I wore were going to leave marks in the soft skin of her inner thighs again, but she didn’t seem to care as her legs locked even tighter around my head. She was going to have those marks forever because I wasn’t taking my earrings out and I wasn’t giving up the way she tasted when she came on my tongue.
She moaned so loud I was sure the neighbors could hear her through our shared wall but I didn’t care. While she was still coming, languid and heavy lidded, I pulled my fingers out of her soaked opening and stood. She groaned in protest until I grabbed her by her hips and flipped her over so that she was on her stomach.
“Face down, ass up, Noe Lee.” I jerked my pants open and shoved them down so that my dick was free. Our size difference made taking her this way tricky unless I was standing behind her while she kneeled on the bed.
Obediently, she put a cheek to the sheets and lifted up her backside, wiggling her hips enticingly in front of my throbbing cock. I fisted the rigid shaft and leaned forward so I could drag the swollen head through her creamy wetness. I shuddered as her heat surrounded me, my dick kicking in approval. My fingers dug into the skin of her hips and I grunted in appreciation as her hand worked its way between her torso and the bed. Her clever little fingers hit her already sensitized and tender clit at the exact same time I thrust my length into her welcoming opening. Her body went liquid around me. I felt her pussy clench and a hot rush of pleasure surrounded me.
I pulled her back into my thrusts with a grunt of satisfaction. It was still a tight fit, still felt like she was custom made to take my cock. When I was inside of her, there was nothing else in the world that mattered. There was no space for anything other than me and her and the way we made each other feel.
Our skin slapped together creating an erotic soundtrack that mingled with our heavy breathing and her soft whimpers. I swore when I felt her fingers brush across my erection where it was spreading her open. Her fingers were slippery and soft against my heated skin. I felt her reaction to the contact when her inner walls shimmied around the heavy, thick skin working its way in and out of her. I bottomed out as she mumbled my name. She stopped touching herself so that she could brace her weight on her hands and push back against me. My girl was never one who laid there and got fucked. She was always an active participant. She always gave just as good as she got.
She was panting in time to my grunts as I rutted into her like an animal. There was no finesse to it, no plan or thought. I was operating on nothing more than feeling and sensation. It was the only time my mind went quiet and let my body and my heart take charge. It was the only time I felt normal.
I snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her up so that her back was plastered to my front. I palmed her breast, catching her puckered nipple in my fingers. I sank my teeth into her earlobe and brushed my nose along the gentle curve of her jaw. She lifted an arm behind her head and ran it over my hair. Her eyes were closed but her face was etched in twin lines of desire and need. She was perfect.
I replaced her fingers with mine between her legs and knew when her eyes popped open and her mouth went slack that she was close. Her fingers latched in my hair and she whispered my name as she was dragged into a second orgasm. Watching her response, knowing I was the one who put that pleasure on her face and made her body feel that good, sent me spiraling through my own. I nipped at the side of her throat and groaned long and loud into her sweaty skin. Now I was the one the neighbors could probably hear, and I hoped they enjoyed the show because I didn’t ever plan on being quiet about how she made me feel.
I kissed her on the back of the head and let her limp body fall in front of mine on the bed. She looked annihilated and it made me want to pound my chest with pride, and sure enough my diamonds had left marks on her inner thighs. Marks that were now wet and glistening with the evidence of how thoroughly we’d destroyed one another. If anyone or anything thought they were ever going to take any of this away from me, they were going to find out how dangerous a brilliant man could be when he was inspired.
I hitched my jeans back up over my ass and meandered to the bathroom so I could clean up and get her a washcloth to do the same. She hadn’t moved when I made it back to the bed, so I dragged the warm fabric over her skin, then got completely naked and pulled her on top of me.
It was silent in the dark as she nuzzled into the ink on my chest. That was the only mechanical heart I had left. My actual heart was all wrapped up in the woman I held in my arms. It beat only for her, functioned only when she was the one pulling the strings.
“You know I’ll chase you too, Snowden. If anyone tries to take you, if you vanish on me, I’m coming after you. I meant what I said out there . . . you’re mine.” She kissed the skin her cheek was resting on and I threaded my fingers through her hair.
“I am yours, Noe. Everyone else wants bits and pieces of me. You’re the only one who wants it all. My heart, my mind, my body . . . my future. They’re all yours. Everything I am belongs to you.” She was the only one who knew how to handle all that I was and all that I would be.
She sighed into the night and snuggled closer. “You’ve got me too, Stark. You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted to give myself to and the only one I’ve ever wanted to hold onto. No one is taking that away.”
It was a good thing our love was forged in the fire of the Point, because if it could survive the place we called home, then it could survive anywhere.
The good guys were getting a leg up, but so were the bad guys who did good when it benefited them. However, they weren’t alone. Standing next to them were even better women who had just as much at stake in saving this city. In a place that had been deemed hopeless and lost, love found its way into the darkest corners and scariest parts of the city.
There was light now.
There was a chance at something better.
There was hope and tenuous optimism.
And yes . . . there was love. Battered, dented, and a little rough around the edges, it had seen better days, but it was there.
Exactly like my heart.