Chapter Twenty-Three
Gage awakens in the early predawn hours, restless with his mind on Kat. He’d invited her to come into the club while he worked the bar last night. She’d refused, stating he would be busy and she didn’t want to piss him off again. He watched for her all night, hoping she would change her mind and come in anyway. She didn’t.
His thoughts drift to the night they spent together. Memories of their bodies intertwined, slick with sweat, and how perfectly they fit together keep playing over and over in his head. The way they react to each other is almost frightening. It is like getting caught out in the open during a summer thunderstorm and being struck by lightning. There is nothing you can do to outrun it, and once struck, all you can do is feel the burn.
He feels out of control when she is around. He doesn’t even recognize himself. His base instincts and desires seem to have control over him when she is near and he doesn’t like it. In my line of work, I can’t afford to be out of control…ever! The way she yields to him, the things she lets him do to her; the way her skin feels and her body reacts to his touch is almost more than he can bear.
Now, not only restless, but sexually frustrated, Gage gets up, throws on a pair of sweats, an Under Armour shirt, socks, and a pair of Nike running shoes, and heads out for a run. At five in the morning, the sky is still dark. He wants to change, to run as an animal, a panther, but doesn’t, since the sun will be coming up before he returns. The air is heavy with moisture; dew clings to each blade of grass and to the leaves of the trees and shrubs that keep his property hidden from passersby on the street.
Gage begins his run along the centuries-old, red-bricked road that weaves its way in front of his property. He follows the uneven brick for miles until it stops and melds with the modern streets of ugly asphalt. As if proving the city is coming to life, he inhales, capturing the scents of freshly baked bread and cake as he runs past the historic bakery and little specialty shops that line his route. The sun now up, he returns home only after he’s run just over six miles.
Dripping with sweat, he grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and walks down the hall, stripping off his damp clothes. Turning on the shower, he steps inside. Gage had hoped that the long run would take his mind off of Katrina. It hasn’t. Standing beneath the steady stream of hot water as it caresses his body, his mind goes right back to their night together. They had showered together after making love in the ocean and on the sand. He’d used his bare hands to soap and lather her body, and she’d happily returned the favor. Touching turned to probing, then tasting, and finally fucking. Gage had picked her up and she’d wrapped her lithe legs around his waist as she slid all the way down on his long, hard cock, letting it fill her. Christ, now I can’t even take a shower without getting a hard on…Reaching for the hot water control, he turns it completely off and finishes his shower under a stream of cold water.
Eating a high protein breakfast of eggs, turkey bacon, and a vanilla protein shake, Gage isn’t surprised when he is interrupted by the notification alarm coming from his military-issued laptop. Logging in and going through the usual security protocols, he sits back and waits for his next assignment to appear on the screen.
“Fuck! You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The name showing on the screen is Richard Jameson, the Senator from New York. The picture that appears with all the background information is that of Katrina’s father. Someone higher up wants him taken out and they are assigning Gage to make the hit. He is provided with a four week itinerary of Senator Jameson’s activities, which means he has a month to plan the job, discreetly make his way to New York, take out Senator Jameson, make it look like an accident, and get out of there undetected. Slamming his fist down on the desk, he yells out, “Fuck, fuck, fuck…now what am I going to do?”
Kat is out on the beach playing fetch with Max. She throws a piece of driftwood she found along the shoreline and Max runs after it, picking it up in his mouth, and running back to Kat at top speed to drop it at her feet so she can start the process all over again. Kat loves their early morning playtime on the beach almost as much as Max does. Once they finish playing, Kat will take her morning swim, but Max never joins her. Yes, he’s a golden retriever; yes, it’s a breed known to love the water, but Max is just a big ole scaredy cat who hates the water. He doesn’t like to go in the ocean, lakes, pools, hell…he even hates taking a bath. He runs and hides around hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, the sound of fireworks, and thunder. Not realizing his size, anytime he gets scared or wants to snuggle, he takes his giant body and jumps up into Kat’s lap. Just imagine — legs and paws everywhere. He’s such a silly dog; a good dog, but silly, and loved like no other. Before they finish with their morning playtime, her cell phone starts ringing. “Hello?”
“Hi Kat, it’s Tony. What do you have planned today?”
“Nothing really. A quick swim, some breakfast, and lying out on the beach. Why, what’s up?”
“I have an appointment with Alex for my second sitting to get more of my tattoo inked. I was wondering if you wanted to go with?”
“Hell yes, I wanna go. What time do you need to be there?”
“Ten. I can pick you up around nine thirty, if that works for you.”
“That’s perfect, I’ll see you then.”
Tony arrives right on time, with the convertible top to his Mustang GT down and the matching tonneau cover on. Kat hears him pull up and is out the door before he can turn off the car to go to the door to get her. Taking her hand, he leans over and kisses her on the cheek. Placing the car in gear, they head off to Savage Ink.
“Tony, Kat,” Alex acknowledges them with a tilt of his head.
“Hi Alex.”
“How are you making out with your tattoo, Katrina?”
“Great. I love it.”
“Good. While you’re here, why don’t you let me take a look at it and make sure it’s healing properly? Did you use the ointment I gave you?”
“Yup.”
“Great. Now let me see.”
Unzipping her low-rise jeans and opening them, she drops them just low enough for Alex to get a good look at the tattoo.
Running a finger over it, Alex says, “It looks great. It’s healing really well, but you’ve been out in the sun haven’t you?”
“Yeah, we had the boat out yesterday.”
“Kat, you need to wait 3-4 weeks for that. Did you at least use sunscreen?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Well, at least you did that. Give it a few weeks and come back when Tony comes in for his next sitting. I may need to give it a touch up.”
“Okay.”
“And Kat, stay out of the sun, or at least, keep it covered under a pair of shorts or a skirt if you’re going to be outside or on the boat. And no swimming either for a while.”
“Damn! Alright, Alex.”
“Your turn, Tony. Get rid of your shirt, lower your pants and get on the table in room three. It’s time to get to work. I think I’ll do some filling in on the lower part of the dragon first, then take care of that section on your arm.”
“Sounds good. I’m ready when you are.”
“Then let’s get started. So where’s Bre today?”
“She had class.”
“Oh.”
“Why don’t I give her a call and see if she can meet us here after class?” Digging through her bag, Kat realizes she doesn’t have her phone. “Shit! I can’t find my phone. I guess I left it back at the house.”
Removing his shirt, Tony throws it on a chair by the tattoo table, then reaches in his pocket and pulls out his cell phone. “Here, use mine.”
“Thanks.”
“Can you hang on to it for me while I’m being worked on?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Thanks Kat.”
Lying down on the table so his back is exposed, Tony waits while Alex sets up his supplies, then cranks up the tattoo machine so he can get to work.
Removing a small tool kit from the front pocket of a jean jacket, the intruder slides the lock pick out and quickly goes to work on the lock until the tumblers click into place, allowing entry to the house. Not worrying about the risk being taken by breaking and entering during broad daylight, the intruder steps though the door and is greeted by a large barking dog. Side-stepping as the dog leaps forward, the intruder pulls the door shut, locking the dog in the garage. Once inside, the intruder makes haste opening every drawer, cabinet, closet, and canister within the living room, dining room, kitchen and the rest of the first floor. Not finding anything of interest downstairs, the second floor is next on the list to search.
Looking through each doorway of the second floor, it seems to be comprised of a couple of bedrooms and bathrooms, an office, and a combination ballet studio - workout room. After a quick look through the workout room and what looked like the spare bedrooms, the intruder takes plenty of time going through the office. The desk drawers are searched, nothing but spare supplies and a box of checks. The file cabinet holds a few personal documents with the name, Kat Saunders on them. The computer is hacked into and the history searched. There were links that had been recently used to pay bills electronically, and another that led to a bank account held at a CitiBank branch in New York. Removing an electronic device from another pocket in the same jean jacket, it is switched on and plugged into the USB port on the side of the computer. In mere minutes, the intruder is logged in to the CitiBank account registered in the name of Katrina Jameson. So, she did a shitty job of changing her name before she moved. Wonder who or what little miss perfect is running away from.
When the office and computer search don’t turn up anything else interesting, Kat’s bedroom and bathroom are the next stops on this tour of homes. Going directly into her bathroom, the intruder slides open the shower doors and inspects the insides. The bottles of Kerastase shampoo and conditioner on the shelf, along with the body wash, are grabbed and each bottle is opened and sniffed. Expensive taste…figures. The linen closet and vanity cabinet drawers and cabinets are searched. Finally, the medicine chest is opened. No prescription drugs, just over-the-counter pain reliever, a jar of ointment for sore muscles, a box of tampons and a box of condoms. Looks like she’s getting fucked regularly, the intruder thinks with a laugh.
The only room left to search is her bedroom. Starting with the walk-in closet, the intruder sorts through the designer clothes and shoes inside. No surprise Kat has money to burn, just look at this place. A box on the top shelf of the closet is removed, placed on the bed, and promptly opened. Inside are love letters and post cards from overseas signed, Love Derrick. There is a velvet box with a huge diamond engagement ring inside, a few pictures of a good looking guy with brown eyes shot with amber, long eyelashes, short brown hair, and a handsome facial structure. A white envelope holds a wedding invitation that is several years old, announcing the upcoming nuptials between Katrina Jameson and Derrick Saunders. The final piece of paper in the box is a funeral announcement of Derrick’s death. The box is closed and returned to the closet. Next are the nightstand drawers. They hold nothing but a few books, a television remote control, a set of keys, a bottle of body lotion, and a personal massage device. Hmm, so when she doesn’t have a man in her bed, she gets off with the rabbit.
Nothing is off limits. The intruder wants to know what she wears to bed, thumbs through her underwear drawer, even lies in her unmade bed. Getting up off the bed, the intruder strolls over to the chair in the corner of the room, which is adorned with a leather Ducati bike jacket. Picking up the jacket, the intruder sniffs it, inhaling a deep breath. The unmistakable scent of Gage Pantere fills the uninvited guest’s nostrils. Distracted by a buzzing sound coming from the top of the dresser, the jacket is quickly dropped to the floor. The noise emanates from a cell phone lying on the dresser. As it’s picked up, a text message from someone named Bre appears. Rec’d ur email. Leaving class now. C u at Savage Ink in 10.
Scrolling through several text messages, the intruder comes upon a conversation between Kat and Tony. The date of the messages appears to be the same night that Kat and Gage spent together.
Laughing out loud, the intruder quips, “Time to fuck with Gage.” And in the next moment, all the text messages between Kat and Tony declaring their love are forwarded to Gage. Deleting the evidence of the sent text, the intruder looks in the mirror and grins.
“Let the fireworks begin!”