Authors: Sky Winters
“We need to find a vehicle and get out of the area.” She was helping him try one vehicle after another, until they found a blue muscle car. The logo on the back stated that it was a Charger. It was old, but it was easily hotwired under the expertise of Michael’s hand.
“I’m not even going to ask you where you learned that. I get this feeling like I shouldn’t know that much about you. Unfortunately, we are tethered together and I threw away the key, so that you can’t go searching me for it.” This was a bold face lie, but something that she felt was needed to keep him in line. Otherwise, she would have found herself being mauled. Maybe his hands on her wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
She couldn’t help, but to flush along her chest at that thought, but thankfully her uniform was buttoned all the way up to her neck. He reached out with his hand that was handcuffed to her wrist, moving it through her hair and undoing the professional ponytail. Her hair flowed freely over her shoulders and she looked a lot more feminine and soft, which only exasperated the condition of his already rampant state.
She didn’t let it be known, but Aria saw what he was trying to hide. She hadn’t had good sex in a long time. She concentrated on her career. There was no way that she was going to dip her ink in the company well. That was the way that rumors could get started quickly. That kind of thing could make her life a living hell. Of course, there were a few candidates that had caught her eye. She wasn’t willing to risk her career over a dalliance that might just be a one night affair.
It didn’t mean that she could keep it restrained forever. It had been two months, since the unforgivable sin of taking that walk of shame with her panties bunched up in her purse. She felt like such an idiot, becoming the dictionary meaning of a cougar. She had found some young thing in a club after hours and decided that she needed this. What she wasn’t counting on was the young man getting clingy and wanting more than what she was willing to offer.
The constant phone calls and text messages had gotten to such an extreme that she had to switch carriers on her phone and her cell phone. Travis finally got the hint after she confronted him in her parking lot. Once he realized that she was a police officer, it became clear that he might need to back off.
“I hate to interrupt what you’re thinking, officer, but maybe now is not the time for daydreaming.” He had allowed her to sit there and stew in silence, hoping that she wouldn’t interrupt, until they finally got to their destination.
“I’m just wondering what this is all about. You obviously got underneath somebody’s skin and made them want to react in a negative way. I’m guessing that you are some kind of sniper yourself. The way that you looked at the scene of the crime was like somebody that had been down this road a few times.” She was constantly checking her mic for any signs of communication. It was like the entire area was blacked out.
“You’re not the only one that’s wondering what this is all about. Your right, I was a Navy Seal sniper, but I’ve been out of that line of work for a while. There are times that I miss it, but there are also times that I think that walking away was the best thing that I could do for my mental health. Besides, they pretty much disallowed any of my actions and made me a sin eater. If you don’t know what that is, primarily it means that I took the shit that had rolled down hill. I was their scapegoat”
“That doesn’t sound fair to me. Everybody should be responsible for their own actions.” She remembered Travis with only one fond memory of that night together. The rest was a nightmare, until she finally stood up and took back the control with the use of her badge.
CHAPTER FOUR
“I still say that we should go to the police station. We may not be able to reach them, but I’m sure that we can get there. I don’t know how you convinced me to come here.” The place in question was a ramshackle building that looked like it had been a factory at one time. There was a condemn sign on the building and if you didn’t know any better, you would think that nobody lived there.
“I know that your first reaction is call for help. I believe that it might be easier for us to get the lay of the land with my friend. If anybody knows of anybody that’s coming after me, then it would probably be Tanner. Trust me; this guy has his hand in just about everything. If it was up to him, I would’ve gone into business with him in the black market.”
“I don’t think that you should trust him.”
“I don’t trust him, as far as I can throw him. I just think that he’s our best option of finding out what’s going on. If I have to convince him to help, then I’ll do that.” He had several ways that he could make somebody talk and all of them were torture in the eyes of a law. Unfortunately, overseas, the law was whatever you perceived it to be. You protected yourself and your buddies and tried not to have collateral damage.
“If this is all about a woman, then I am going to be very upset.” She had seen her fair share of domestic disputes in the two months that she was on the job. Most often than not, it was either a misunderstanding or something that was blown way out of proportion. “Let’s agree that if he can’t help then we will go to the station.” Her first reaction was to call for backup, but that was not a viable option at the moment. Aria also wanted to take this to her captain.
They reached the sliding metal pull up door. It looked like any other delivery door, except there was this small hole at eye level. He placed his eye against it. This scanning device with a red light began to check his pupils.
“That’s not something that you see every day. This Tanner guy must be well connected and into a lot of high tech toys.” She didn’t know the half of it. Tanner Wilson was one of the most respected hackers in the industry. He also knew how to kill. It was those two tools of the trade that were very sought after commodities by the government.
“Let me do all the talking. He’s a bit jaded. Besides, I think his first response to seeing me is to try to hit me.” As if on cue, the door opened and this man with glasses on stood there.
The punch came with a left hook that staggered Michael enough that he was almost knocked off his feet. Tanner made a sigh, turned on his heels and walked into the bowels of the building. The metal door was open. He had already gotten his revenge for how Michael had taken the one thing that he thought he loved.
“Michael, trust me, I would’ve done worse than that, but we both know how she can get you tangled around in your own thoughts. I’m kinda glad that you stopped me from making the worst mistake of my life. That girl was crazy and if I were to get in any deeper, I probably wouldn’t have half the stuff that I have today.” Tanner was wearing a white tee shirt with a local band favorite on the front. He had on a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a pair of flip flops that made him look like a fashion nightmare.
“It’s good to see you too, Tanner. It’s been a long time and had I had any other choice, I would’ve gone anywhere else. I’m just wondering if you’ve heard anything about somebody having a grudge against me. I know how that might sound, but humor me.” Aria was keeping a vigil, staying close, although that wasn’t all that hard to do with their hands still cuffed together. They had taken the precaution of keeping their hands low and away from the prying eyes of Tanner
“Now that you mention it, there has been some chatter on the black net. Apparently, somebody has been asking a lot of questions about you. Their handle is Vengeance. You can imagine how giddy with anticipation I was to find that somebody had taken an instant dislike to you. I really didn’t think much of it that is, until they started to get closer to where you lived. I was tempted to reach out, but I thought if anybody could handle themselves, it would be you.” With each step, lights began to illuminate the way.
“WOW.” This was the only reaction that Aria gave. Those lights had given off to an array of machines that would’ve made Steve Jobs proud to be in the presence of. These computers were running simultaneously and it looked like he had everything at hand.
“I don’t know who you are, but I appreciate your enthusiasm. It’s not every day that I get a sexy woman to admire my work.” It wasn’t lost on Tanner the way that Michael was subtly watching this woman with an interest that wasn’t exactly professional. “I don’t know how you got caught up in his problem, but you would be better off walking the other way.” He noticed something out of the ordinary. She looked like any other civilian, but those shoes could only come from one place.
“Easy, Tanner. There’s no reason to go off half cocked.” Michael could see that he was inching his way towards the concealed weapon that he knew was there from personal experience. He must’ve seen something to indicate that this woman was law enforcement. “She’s with me and she’s not after you. Whatever you have up that sleeve of yours is perfectly safe. There’s not going to be a contingent of SWAT coming through those windows.”
Seeing how Tanner was reacting was making Aria slowly unclip her gun from underneath her jacket.
“Michael, you bring a police officer right to my doorstep and you don’t expect me to do something about it. This woman could unravel my life’s work. I don’t need the government giving me a proctology exam. You know exactly what I do and having her here is only going to undermine everything that I have accomplished up to this point.” Tanner had his hand on the gun that was strapped underneath the table.
It was one of his prized possessions. This gun was silver and had a menacing glare that made most people back down under overwhelming odds. He had not fired it, but he was itching to put it to good use. There was something about having it in his hand that gave him power over others. He liked the feel of the steel digging into his palm and watching the faces of those that encountered it, became like his own personal aphrodisiac.
“Tanner, I just said that she was with me. I will take full responsibility for anything that she does. Besides, we both know that once we leave here that you’re going to pack up and move your ‘business’ somewhere else. I wouldn’t be surprised to come back here tomorrow to find this place completely barren.” Michael was standing in between Tanner and Aria. He was trying to be the referee and stop either one of them from doing something that they were going to regret later.
“Michael, this was not a good idea. We should leave here and go back to doing things my way. The police will be able to keep you in protective custody; until such time that they are able to unravel this mess.” She was trying to pull him towards the exit, but Michael wasn’t budging.
Michael saw something in Tanner’s mannerisms when Aria had mentioned law enforcement.
“What is it, Tanner? Don’t tell me it’s nothing, because you’ve got this look on your face that makes it appear that you are the cat that ate the canary.” He grimaced slightly, flinching from the pain in his shoulder. He had not mentioned it to Tanner.
“Fine…I’ll tell you, but neither one of you are going to like it.” Tanner had been on the other end of the chatter concerning Michael. It was two weeks of him listening to others show their hatred for a man that had made him feel less than adequate.
“I listened to everything that was being said on the black web. Some of the words that were being spoken by Vengeance had a ring of familiarity to it. I did my research and a lot of it comes from the training in the police academy.” Those words hung in the air. Each one of them looked at each other and didn’t know quite what to say.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Tanner. I know how you feel about me, but that’s no reason make me suffer. I understand the sentiment and I’ve been there myself several times.” He was lying on a table, letting Tanner administer to his medical needs. Michael noticed that he was having way too much fun poking and prodding at the wound. “I think that punching me was more than sufficient to get your point across.”
“You can’t be serious, Michael. It’s not every day that I find myself in a position to help you and hurt you at the same time.” They had both noticed Aria had become very quiet. She was sitting there with this faraway look in her eyes.
“Just be careful what you do, Tanner. I really don’t need any permanent reminder of what happened here today.” He still felt like Tanner was taking some liberties. It was the way that he was constantly smiling. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought that he was going to burst out laughing at any second.
“On a different subject, is she going to be OK? She looks like she’s in a bit of shock by what I had to say. I think it goes without question that going to the authorities is not exactly a good idea. You have no idea if this shooter is working with someone on the inside. It could be just someone that has a personal bone to pick with you. The way that they were talking on the black web, I can only assume that there is more than just one that has you in their crosshairs. I got the impression that your death was ordered by somebody with a lot of clout.”
“I can’t believe this is happening. I shouldn’t have gotten out of bed this morning. I should’ve called in sick. A lot of the officers are doing that. It’s called the blue flu. We are in the process of renegotiating our contracts with the union. There’s basically only a skeleton crew and those that are willing to step behind the enemy line. I felt it was my duty to keep my streets safe. I couldn’t in good conscience let them fend for themselves against those that would take advantage of a situation like this.”
Aria couldn’t even begin to fathom that a police officer would be responsible for something like this.
“I think you’re under the mistaken impression that these things only happen with postal workers. This is a lot more in depth than just somebody with an ax to grind. I can only imagine what kind of punishment the shooter is going to have for missing the target. If they aren’t killed, then they will be given a reprieve to correct the injustice that was done. It is possible that they will be killed and another one put into their place. If I were you, I would watch your back and keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.”
The bandage was on the wound and it was found that in went all the way through. The bullet had gone someplace else
“Why do you think that I came to you, Tanner?” Tanner slugged Michael on that bad arm, sending pins and needles down his arms and into his fingers. “Hey, you just finished bandaging that. I would rather not have the stitches pulled.”
“I can offer you a place to stay for the night, but then you really do need to get out of my hair. I have to go out for a few hours. Perhaps, I might be nice and bring you back something to eat. It must’ve been quite an ordeal running for your life.”
“You don’t have to say that with a semblance of glee in your voice.” Michael saw him clamp his mouth with his hand. He grabbed his brown bomber leather jacket on the way out.
“Michael, I just have to laugh at your expense. I know that might seem cruel and unusual punishment, but I can’t help the way I feel. It just makes me, so happy to see you miserable for once. I guess I still do have some unresolved issues concerning what you did to take away the one person that I loved. Maybe it wasn’t love at all. She had turned bitter and vindictive. It was just a good thing that we didn’t marry or have any kids.”
“Tanner, just be careful and be sure not to talk to anybody about us. I know how you like to drink excessively and open your big mouth to anybody that will listen. We can’t afford any leaks. It’s enough that we can’t trust her own department. If this has something to do with me and I have no reason to doubt otherwise, then whoever is doing it must have some interesting friends in high places. Nobody even knew where I ended up, except for a select few.” Michael touched the wound and felt a momentary feeling of discomfort.
“I am the best. You know that there will be very little scarring. I may not have the bedside manner with compassion, but at least I know what I’m doing. Just sit still and wait for me to come back.” He zipped up his jacket, feeling the lambskin against his arms and loving that he had splurged on something that was a bit expensive. He had ways of making more money.
“Michael, he may hate you, but at least he’s able to see past your differences. If he couldn’t, then we would be in some serious trouble. Michael, if this does involve law enforcement, then I guess it was a good idea that we didn’t go to them.” Aria was now accepting the fact that the members of her brethren in blue were not to be trusted. She had no idea who could be in league with assassinating a Navy Seal sniper. What she did know was that Michael seemed trustworthy, even though his friend Tanner was a bit on the dark side.
“He may not show it, but Tanner is not one to let an opportunity pass him by. I should’ve known that he was going to take pleasure in my pain.” Michael noticed that Aria was staring at him. He followed her gaze and saw that she was looking at some of the battle wounds that he had incurred overseas. “Excuse me, but my eyes are up here.” He was only teasing, but it did bring about an embarrassment that was quite evident by the way that her face had turned two shades of red.
Aria stood up and put her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat against her fingers and the way that he looked at her.
Before she even realized what she was doing, she leaned in and kissed his lips lightly enough to make the product of his desire begin to flex inside his pants. That adrenaline rush was their Achilles’ heel and it was causing them to reach out for comfort. Her fingers massaged his chest; pinching lightly on his nipples and making him arch his back with a moan that escaped within her own mouth.
They pulled away from each other, but their eyes were still glued and not moving a single solitary inch. This was a matter of lust at first sight. They had been through hell and had survived.
“Don’t do anything that you’re going to regret later, Officer Coleman.”
“I was about to say the same thing to you, Mr. Marsden.” He got up gingerly, trying not to put too much weight on that shoulder. He grabbed her hand and they made their way back to the offices. There was a pullout couch and she was the one that had to do most of the work to open it. They stood there looking at the mattress and then looking at each other and knew that the moment of truth was upon them.
What they didn’t know was that Tanner was outside looking at his tablet and seeing the six figure bounty on Michael’s head. “I’m so sorry about this Michael, but sometimes it is all about the money.”
Chapter six
“I don’t want you to think that I’m the type of girl that falls into bed with just anyone, Michael. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t usually allow my emotions to get the best of me. I get this feeling like we are the same in that way.
He lay down and outstretched his arms. He was already naked from the waist up. Michael watched, as she unbuttoned that uniform. He had never had any desire for women in uniform before, but she had certainly changed his opinion in a big way. Michael could see that she was doing it slowly. It was in this teasing way to get him to watch intently.
The shirt came off and she was wearing this black frilly bra, which made him think of what else she was hiding underneath those pants. She took off the belt and laid the gun over the chair. The chair was an ugly green model that had been around since the 70’s.
“I think that we can agree that this is going to happen, Michael. We may never see each other afterwards, but I think that we can take this memory and relive it over and over again. You are quite the specimen, Michael. I don’t know how you came into my life, but you’ve definitely made me aware of my own sexuality. I feel this need to please you and vice versa. It’s been a long time.” Her pants slid down her frame, her panties a well kept secret that only Victoria knew about.
She crawled onto the bed like a panther after its prey, hovering over him. as he reached behind to undo the clasp. Her bra fell away from her pendulum C cup breasts. Her nipples were already hard and now poking into his chest. He grabbed her ass and pulled her panties down over her already scalding flesh.
“I need to tell you that I haven’t been with anybody in quite some time either. I just never thought that I was worthy of love or affection. Everything that I’ve done in my life has revolved around the destruction of others. I live with those nightmares and those faces all the time. Seeing you like this and feeling you against me has given me that moment of peace. I’m not thinking about them or what I did. I’m thinking about you.” Michael buried his head in her cleavage, licking around the nipple, but not quite taking it into his mouth.
“Damn, I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be with a man. Maybe I just haven’t found the right one. I’ve always attracted the bad boy and that never ends well. They say that good guys finish last, but I see that you do have a good heart.” She placed her hand on his chest, moving further down, until she was encompassing his knob in her mouth. He hadn’t even noticed that she was undressing him and was too preoccupied with the vision of loveliness that had become something like a mirage to this weary traveler.
They were naked, completely at each other’s mercy and knowing that they were not going to leave this room, until they consummated this unusual relationship. This was out of both of their comfort zones and yet they had found a moment of reprieve to indulge in a sinful delight of the flesh.
“Aria, I know what it’s like to put your life on the line and how lonely an existence like that can be. I’ve had to deny myself, just so that I can do my job, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I think I found something that is worth fighting for.” He looked down at her and saw that the tip of her tongue was now lapping quite noisily and obscenely against his mushroom cap.
“I need to do this. You don’t know how much I have been aching for the feeling of someone next to me in bed. You don’t know how hard it’s been to walk through a house that’s empty and know that I didn’t have my significant other waiting for me. I want you to run me a hot bath and take me to my bed for a night of passion that will leave me shaking at the end of it.”
Aria had always felt that she was average in the bedroom, but right now she was calling upon something that was deep inside that she didn’t even know was there. She wondered where this wanton creature had come from. This was not something that she would normally do, but she was enjoying throwing herself into the unknown.
Her lips caressed his knob, drawing him across her tongue and into the back of her mouth. Once there, she accomplished something that she had never been able to do before. Even with somebody that was smaller, she was unable to take it all, but this time it felt almost natural.
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me, Aria. You need to stop. I have this hair trigger that’s ready to go off.” Michael really did believe that Aria would slow down. He didn’t take into consideration her carnal desires that were taking her by the throat and never letting me go. “I said that you should…oh god, it’s too late…oh fuck.” His seed was forcing its way out through the top and she was right there to take it and relish that flavor now dancing on her palate.
She had just finished devouring him whole. She kept him in her mouth, massaging his length and squeezing down with an insistence that had him staying exactly, as hard as he was a few seconds ago. They were both surprised by this latest turn of events, but they weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Grabbing her by the shoulders, Michael turned her around, so that she was on her back looking up at him. He moved her hair away from her eyes, seeing them looking at him and knowing that they were meant to be together. He was still feeling that twinge in his shoulder, but at least it was manageable. The painkillers that he had found were dulling the sensation of pain.
His cock was at her entrance and it was wet to the touch and easily accessible. “I want you, Michael. I don’t want to think about it. I just want to do it.” With those words came the penetration of his manhood, opening her up and letting that large invading presence take its rightful place where it was supposed to be. “Yes…my god…you are amazing.” Aria wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles and making sure that he wasn’t going to get away anytime soon.
“I’ve never met a woman quite like you, Aria. I don’t think that I will meet another woman quite like you. You are in a league of your own.” He was balls deep and was allowing her to adjust, before slowly pulling out and letting her feel every single inch. He had the head at the entrance, tickling those nerve endings and then he was feeding her that same injection all over again.
“I’ve been waiting for a man like you for too long, Michael. I always thought that the good ones were either gay or married. I just wasn’t looking in the right place. I should’ve been running for my life with an assassin on my heels.” This made them both smile, until she moaned with him now moving a little quicker than what he was already.