Deception, page 10
The door clicked open, and I ushered a silent Everleigh inside.
The house was small; one narrow hallway led to the two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. It was clean and well-kept inside, a stark contrast to the neglected exterior.
I directed Everleigh to the small couch in the living room. “Wait here. I need to talk to Santino.”
Pulling off the sheet covering the furniture, she nodded. I hovered in the door for a few minutes, watching her turn on the small television on the side table.
Satisfied she wouldn’t pass out—or worse, sneak out—I joined Santino in the kitchen. “We need supplies to last us until tomorrow night. If you go to sort them out, I’ll speak to my contact at the airport.”
Cheddi Jagan Airport was about thirty minutes south of Georgetown. As soon as I found a flight, we could make our way there. Now that the threat of Maurizio was gone, I’d be able to get her on a commercial flight.
“Of course. Whatever you need. You want me to take the car?”
“It’ll be quicker. There’s a row of shops three blocks over.”
Santino left, and I went to the loose floorboard next to the fridge. I had a few passports, guns, ammo, and a couple burner phones in there.
I took out one of the phones, ignoring the rest of my stash, and dialed Officer Harris’s number.
He picked up before the first ring had ended. “Tell me what I just heard isn’t true.”
“Depends on what you heard.”
“You killed Maurizio.”
“Not quite. But he’s definitely dead.”
“Fucking hell. You knew we needed him alive. He had valuable information.”
He would have never talked, despite how highly Harris thought of his interrogation methods.
“I’ll get you something else, just give me a few days.”
“You have three days. If you don’t have something useful for me by then our deal’s off.”
I hung up, then turned the phone back off and placed it back into its hiding place, making sure the wooden slats were in place. Unable to fight the pull any longer, I went back into the living room and straight to where Everleigh was once again curled into a ball. She barely took up any space on the couch, and I sat down as close to her as I dared.
I brushed a hand over my face, suddenly feeling a hundred years old. “We leave tomorrow. You should try to get some sleep.”
Uncurling herself, she grabbed my hand that was resting on my thigh. “I’m sorry about your dad.”
I tightened my hand, relishing the contact, needing it to stay grounded. “I’m not. And you wouldn’t be either if you knew all the things he’d done. He was a bad man.”
“He was still your dad.”
She was right. Because despite all the horrible things he’d done, he was still my dad. I wouldn’t mourn him like a normal son. I’d never loved him. But I’d still felt a connection. He had been my last living relative.
I knew what I had to do, even if everything in me screamed to go with Everleigh. I had a responsibility, and it was time to end this.
I stood up, clenching my hand as if it would make the feeling of her skin on mine last longer. “I’ll make up the bed for you. You should get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us.”
She didn’t protest, turning off the TV and following me without a word.
Together we put fresh sheets on the double bed, the only thing in the room. Once done, I reluctantly walked toward the door. She needed to sleep. And I needed to accept the fact that this time tomorrow she’d be gone.
“Don’t leave.” Her whispered plea halted my movements.
She looked lost standing next to the bed, her arms wrapped around herself. And my answer was there as soon as she uttered her last word. Because there was nothing I’d ever deny her. Especially not a request such as this. Holding her one last time was an offer too hard to resist.
I approached, forcing my steps to be slow and even. When I made it close enough to touch her, I stopped.
She lifted her shirt over her head, baring herself to me. She was wearing a white bra, the design simple, the effect it had on me the same as if she wore the finest lace.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded, biting her bottom lip. I moved before my brain caught up to what was happening.
Aching to find out how her lips felt against mine, I leaned down and placed a whisper-soft kiss against her mouth. The touch was fleeting, but the sparks that ignited in my body at the contact stayed behind.
Her eyes were closed, and she swayed into me, a slight smile on her face. That was enough for me to do it again, this time winding my arms around her. I never thought I’d be able to hold her like this.
Everything felt different with Everleigh. In the short time we’d spent together, she’d become more important to me than I ever thought was possible. She’d broken through my armor, and I wanted nothing more than to keep her there.
Pushing away thoughts of what could never be, I deepened the kiss, touching my tongue to her lips tentatively.
She didn’t hesitate to open for me, and the rush of pleasure flooding my system consumed my every thought. Nothing could have prepared me for what it would feel like to get this close.
Her hands slipped under my shirt, caressing my skin, exploring. Her touch was scorching a path along my body, and I couldn’t get enough.
My foggy brain needed a moment to catch up when she ended our kiss and tugged on my shirt. “Take it off. I want to feel you.”
Her words broke through, and I whipped the shirt over my head, eager to have her skin on mine. My breath hitched at the sight of Everleigh taking off her bra and shimmying out of her pants.
Her every move was graceful. But the most alluring part was that she didn’t know how breathtaking she was. Everything she did resembled a beautiful dance. It was hard to look anywhere else. But when she noticed any attention on her, she’d blush and turn away.
I followed her lead, stepping out of my pants, leaving us standing in front of each other in our underwear.
As if by unspoken agreement, we stepped forward, coming together in another embrace, our mouths finding each other.
I let my feelings take over, needing tonight so I could face what would come tomorrow. And she seemed as desperate for me as I was for her, matching my passion touch for touch, kiss for kiss.
I craved her attentions, felt like I was going to crumble to dust without them. She was perfection. And for tonight, she was all mine.
Laying her down on the bed as if she was made out of the most breakable glass, I drank in the sight before me. The urge to touch her became overwhelming and I joined her. Our bodies intertwined, our hands roamed, our mouths clashed. Being with her was the highest high; nothing could compare.
And I couldn’t get enough, kissing my way down her body, not leaving an inch untouched by my lips and hands. I was addicted to the feel of her silky skin and soft little moans.
When I reached the tops of her thighs, I looked up, seeking permission before removing the last piece separating her from me.
She was watching me with a look that I would never forget. Not only could I see happiness and longing, but it was all directed at me. “I want you.”
Her voice was hoarse, her plea a whisper. I didn’t waste more time sliding her underwear down her legs.
Kissing my way back up her body, I held her eyes, wanting to see her reaction. Needing to see what she liked. We only had tonight, and I would make it count.
She bucked when I made it to her center. It spurred me on, made me grow impossibly hard. When I added a finger, she clenched around me, her hands going to my head, holding me close.
I loved how responsive she was, telling me exactly what she liked. She definitely wasn’t quiet and reserved in the bedroom.
Soon her back arched and her legs clamped around me. The moan that left her mouth when she found her completion was the icing on my delicious cake.
Crawling up her body, I found myself in her warm embrace. Her hands caressed my back, a half smile on her face. “Time for the main course?”
A laugh escaped me at her words. Everything seeming brighter when I was with her.
She widened her legs and drew them around me, drawing me to her heat. And I froze. “I don’t have condoms.”
Her limbs tightened around me before she took a deep breath. “I have an implant. And I haven’t slept with anyone in about a year since I broke up with my boyfriend. I got tested after, and I’m clean. But—”
She didn’t have to finish her sentence for me to know what she was asking. “I haven’t slept with anyone since being back in Guyana. And back in the States, we had to do a monthly physical for work. I’m clean as well.”
“I smelt perfume on you when you came back one night at the compound.” She avoided looking at me, her voice wavering.
I stilled, knowing exactly what night she was talking about. The deep line between her eyes told me this wasn’t something I could just brush aside. “Everleigh, look at me.”
She didn’t react and I caressed her chin, hoping she’d turn her head. I needed her to know that I wouldn’t lie to her and that she meant everything to me. Her chest moved up and down in a deep inhale before her vibrant blue eyes met mine.
Satisfied I had all her attention, I kissed her nose. “Nothing happened. Maurizio had girls in his office. But I never touched them. You’re the only one I see. The only one I want.”
Studying my face, she seemed to think my words over before nodding. “Okay. I trust you. And I want you.”
Leaning down, I kissed her again. I’d never be able to get enough of her plump red lips that seemed to fit mine like they were made for each other.
“Querida,” I whispered against her mouth. Then I entered her with an aching slowness that made us both groan.
I rested my forehead against hers, the sensation of finally being inside her almost too much. Everleigh lay beneath me panting, her chest heaving with each breath.
Moving slowly in and out, I savored the contact. My mouth took hers in a deep kiss, her desperation to get as close as possible matching mine.
She arched against me, opening her legs wider. Her breathing was growing faster, then faltered when I playfully dragged my teeth over her lower lip.
I grew impossibly harder, the overwhelming desire to get closer making my strokes slower, savoring each slide.
Everleigh shuddered against me, her eyes glazed over, her arms holding me close, her legs squeezing me tight.
And when she went over and clenched around me, I followed, the rainbow of color and sensation crashing over me in wave after beautiful wave.
I flipped us over, not ready to lose the connection.
Everleigh lifted her head from where it had been resting on my chest and kissed my chin.
I grabbed a handful of her ass, grinding into her. I was already semi-hard again.
“You’re precious to me. And I’ll do everything in my power to get you back home again.
Instead of a reply, she lowered her head to mine, kissing me with a gentle caress of her lips on mine.
We spent the rest of the night lost in each other, ignoring what the morning would bring.
Chapter 17
Everleigh
I woke up happy for the first time in months. The room was dark, the heavy shutters allowing only a faint glow of light inside. The door was open, the house quiet. I didn’t know what time it was. Or where Lucius had gone.
The ever-present exhaustion was still there, but I couldn’t go back to sleep. Lucius’s smell was all around me. I wished I could bottle it and bring it back with me. But for now, I’d settle for stealing his T-shirt that had been lying on the floor and putting on my pants.
Once dressed, I shuffled to the kitchen to find Lucius and something to eat. I already missed Mariana’s cooking.
The sun was slowly rising, casting a glow inside the kitchen, making it easy to find my way around without turning the lights on. A glance at the oven clock showed it was six in the morning. Someone must have bought the essentials, and I found bread and cold meats to make a sandwich.
But I didn’t taste a thing, the bread hard to swallow around the lump that seemed to have formed in my throat. Because I’d be leaving today. My feelings waged a war between elation and devastation.
A door opening and closing put me on instant alert. I grabbed the butter knife I had used earlier and inched my way back toward the window. It was closed, but the lock looked easy enough to flick open. When a tall and familiar form stepped into the kitchen, the knife clattered to the floor, the noise loud in the silence.
“There’re guns strapped to every piece of furniture. Next time grab one of them if you think someone’s inside the house who shouldn’t be there,” Santino said.
I heard Lucius’s raised voice outside and watched him yell into his phone, then throw it and punch a tree.
Santino looked at the ceiling with a sigh. “He’s still trying to be the good guy. But good guys get killed in our world.” He fixed me with one of his steely stares. “Especially if they’re distracted.”
I gaped at him, wondering if he was implying this mess was my fault. Just as I was about to defend myself, the back door opened, revealing Lucius.
Santino forgotten, I rushed up to him, lifting his hand that was now red and swollen.
He looked at it as if he didn’t remember punching the tree and flexed his fingers. “It’s nothing.”
“Are we in trouble?”
He pulled me into his arms, and I relaxed into him.
Kissing the top of my head, he ran a hand up and down my back in soothing motions. “We’re fine. Trust me.”
I tensed, leaning back to look at him. “I do trust you.”
He held me closer, as if afraid I’d slip away. “You’re all that matters to me right now. Just the thought of anything happening to you tears me apart. I know it’s crazy, and I can’t explain it, but please let me do this for you. Let me save you the only way I know how to.” He buried his face in my hair. “I know you’re not mine to keep. No matter how much I wish I could,” he whispered, and I almost missed it, not sure if he wanted me to hear it.
“You want to be with me?”
“More than anything. Eternity wouldn’t be enough time with you.”
His words lodged in my heart, making it feel a little less heavy, a little less like it was going to crack in half. I tipped my head back and kissed him as if he were my air, my soul, my reason for being. He returned the kiss just as desperately, his whole body pressed tightly against me.
How would I ever be able to let him go once the time came?
The sound of a gun magazine clicking in place made us break apart. Santino held out a gun to Lucius. “We don’t have much time left.”
They both strapped their guns on, and we left the house.
Lucius stepped inside my open door after I slid onto the back seat of the car. “We’ll be at the airport in less than an hour. I can’t go inside with you.”
He trailed a finger down my cheek, and I shivered as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss at the edge of my mouth.
Lucius looked in as much pain as I was and eventually turned away with clenched fists. “Let’s go.”
We drove through back streets and over deserted gravel roads, making the journey slow but also safe.
We pulled up in front of the main entrance that would take me inside, the busy airport overwhelming after my time spent in the jungle. Lucius opened my door, his face drawn. He hid his emotions well, while I was openly battling my own sorrow that threatened to swallow me whole.
I slid out of the car, and Lucius handed me my bag. He kissed me again, and I whimpered when he pulled away. “When you get back to the States, go to Chicago and find the offices of Locked Security. Ask for Elijah Anderson and tell him I sent you.” He handed me a small hard drive and a phone, closing my fingers around it when my hand stayed limp. “Give him these. It’s important that you don’t tell anyone else you have them. Only give them to Elijah, nobody else.”
He hugged me to him and I held on with all I had, burying my nose in his neck. When I’d composed myself enough to talk, I untangled myself and put a hand on his stubbled jaw. “Thank you for saving me.”
He pressed a hard kiss to my lips. “You’re the one who saved me.”
Throat closing up again, I turned to the front door. “Promise not to get killed.”
He grinned at me, and I nearly ran back into his arms. “I’ll try not to.”
I continued walking, turning back once I’d reached the doors. The car was still sitting at the curb, but pulled away once I was safely inside the building.
The rest seemed almost too easy. I checked into the flight Santino had organized for me and then boarded two hours later. The hardest part of my journey was getting on the plane, knowing I was leaving half of my heart behind.
But I could do this. If Lucius could sacrifice so much to get me out, I could be strong enough to get myself back home.
Chapter 18
Everleigh
I checked the address I’d written down and then looked up at the shiny chrome-and-glass high-rise. They must have paid someone a sizeable chunk of money to keep it that clean and sparkling. Even the doors were free of streak marks.
I’d flown straight from Guyana to Chicago, having arrived a few hours ago. I’d had to switch planes two times and had been travelling for nearly twenty hours. I desperately needed a shower and sleep. But I wanted to do this first. For Lucius.
Clutching the hard drive in a tight fist, my other hand holding the phone, I stood frozen on the sidewalk.
I didn’t know why I hesitated. All I had to do was go in, hand over the hard drive and phone, and get out. Scraping up what little courage I had, I opened the glass door.
Here goes nothing. Or everything.
Taking a deep breath, I walked up to the immaculate reception desk. “Hi. I’m here to see Elijah Anderson.”
