Blackmail (9 page)

Kylie was seated outside on the balcony with Gabe’s parents when he returned to the house with Avery.

“Avery.” Kylie was surprised. “I didn't know you knew Gabe and his parents.”

The girls embraced each other.

“You two know each other?” Puzzlement edged Gabe’s voice.

“Yes, Kylie was the officer……… Oh, NO!” Avery’s shout startled the others. She paced the room, her fingers frantically dragging at her curls. “No, no, no, no. There is no fucking way Kylie is going into the club. I'll do it.”

Gabe moved in front of her and held her arms gently.” Calm down. What the hell is going on?”

“Kylie is
not
going into the club in my place, I'll do it. I would rather crawl back to Vince than allow her to be subjected to such filth.”

“But…” Gabe began.

Avery wrenched herself from his arms and rushed to where Kylie stood. She placed her hands on the officer’s shoulders. “Forget about this assignment, Kylie. It's too dangerous. If Vince got the slightest whiff that you are a cop, he'd kill you. It was bad enough when I didn't know who Gabe had in mind but knowing it's you,” she paused. “It's not happening.
End
of discussion.”

Gabe was beginning to understand how Avery had survived the past months. This girl had spunk, determination, backbone.

“Will someone please tell me what I was going to do and evidently, what I'm not doing now? I'm a big girl. I make my own decisions.”

“Sorry, not this time, you don't.” Avery was adamant. There was absolutely no room for negotiation.

Gabe's parents glanced at each of the young people in astonishment.

“Sit down and we'll talk about it.
Calmly
.” Gabe ordered.

The girls relented and sat. Gabe poured them a large glass of cola from the pitcher on the table before he sat next to Avery.

“Now, back up and tell me how you girls know each other.”

“Kylie was the officer who gave me the news about mother and daddy. She stayed with me for the first couple of days. Forced me out of the apartment to have a meal and helped me get through the funeral.” Avery scrubbed at a wayward tear.

“Since then, I have been dropping in on Avery once a week and taking her out for dinner. It's been the only decent meal she has.” Kylie added. “How do you know each other?”

“We found out Tegan had been working at a strip club with Avery. The detectives working Tegan's case thought I might be able to build a rapport with her and use her as an informant to get Tegan's killer. The problem is Avery had already quit as you no doubt know.”

Kylie nodded. She had been horrified when she had found out where Avery worked and relieved when she had quit. “So where do I fit into all this?”

“You don't,” Avery glared at Gabe.

Gabe glared right back. “Avery didn't want to go back to the club which I understood. I talked to the Captain this morning and he gave me permission to insert you with a cover story of being her friend and hearing about the club when you talked. Two other officers are to be inserted into the crowd for your protection.”

“I'll do it,” Kylie said.

“No. You. Will. Fucking. Not.” Avery spoke through gritted teeth.

“Seems you have an impasse, son,” Grant said.

Tears built in Avery's eyes and after marking a trail down her face, they dripped from her chin. Ruby offered a tissue and the tears were swiped away. “I can't let you do it Kylie. Vince is too clever. He would see straight through you. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. How would I face Glenda? No, I'll do it. I'm the only one Vince won't suspect. He’ll have heard how desperate I am. It won’t take much to convince him I’ve been living on the streets.”

Gabe dragged his fingers through his hair and pleaded with his father. “Dad, you were on the force for more than forty years. Explain to Avery how careful and organized we are.”

Before Grant could open his mouth, Avery interrupted. “Good, if you are all so careful and organized, you'll keep
me
safe. The others know me. They’re more likely to open up to me.”

“Avery,” Gabe growled. He couldn't allow her to go back. How would he stand in the crowd and allow other men to ogle her body? He'd mop the floor with the bastards.

She stared into his eyes. She noted the pleading and concern reflected there. “Vince said I would be back. That I would come crawling to him. I'm the obvious choice. You have all been so good to me, please let me do this for Tegan.”

“Did you know her well?” Ruby asked quietly. “What was she like when she worked at that horrible place?”

“Tegan was exquisite and in more than a physical sense. She was kind, gentle, patient. It was easy to believe she was older than fifteen. You raised a beautiful daughter and I vow to help you bring her killer to justice.”

“She had been so quiet for the past few weeks. We thought it was because she had exams coming up, she always worried. When she stayed out late, we never questioned she wasn't at the library or a friend's house.” Tears welled in Grant's eyes as he spoke.

“I'm so sorry,” Avery murmured.

“I wish she’d come to us. We would have found a way to get her out of there.” Gabe added.

“It might be too late for our daughter but let's get those fucking bastards behind bars before they hurt someone else’s daughter.” Ruby's swearing caused her husband's and son's heads to jerk around.

“Mom,” Gabe admonished. His mother never swore. It was totally out of character.

“Get over it, son. They are bastards, fucking assholes and a whole myriad of other gutter slime words I can think of.”

Ruby's attitude helped alleviate some of the tension and they all chuckled.

“Well, if that's decided, I'll get going. I'm happy to take over if Avery changes her mind. Call me.” Kylie hugged Ruby and Avery before Gabe escorted her back to the car. She opened the door but before getting in, turned to face him. “You make sure you have our best cops watching her. I swear to God if anything happens to her, I'll tear their fucking balls off and stuff 'em in their asses.

Gabe chuckled. “I'll make sure she doesn't get hurt. No way am I going to let anything happen to her, ever.”

So, the boss is losing his heart.
She was elated. Avery deserved a good man like Gabe.

“See you tomorrow.” She slipped behind the wheel.

As Gabe stood watching the car drive away, a sick feeling invaded his gut.

****

Avery sat alone on the balcony, deep in thought.
Good one, Avery. How the hell am I going to cope with being back at the club? At least I'll have an out this time. I'll be protected. Will Gabe be watching over me too? She shivered. I could pretend he is the only one there, my dance could be exclusively for him.

“We need to talk.” Gabe's voice brought her back to the present. Gruffness, almost anger tinged his speech. “Come down to the beach with me.” He offered her his hand and she slipped her soft hand into his calloused one.

Ruby appeared from the kitchen. “Where are you off to? Do I need to hold dinner?”

“How long do we have?” Gabe asked.

“A couple of hours.”

“We'll be back. We're going for a walk on the beach.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

Gabe and Avery were silent until they reached the cabana. She turned to face him, her head tilted back to stare into his eyes. “Are you angry?”

“A little. I don't want you at the club.”
And, not for the reasons you think. The danger is bad enough, I can protect you from that. It's those bloody pricks salivating over your body, that bothers me the most. The thought was excruciating, like acid corroding the lining of his stomach.

“I don't want to do it either but I will arouse less suspicion than anyone else.”

“I know you're right but…”

Avery placed her fingertips over his lips. He feathered tiny kisses on them.

She understood how he was feeling even though he didn't realize she did. It thrilled her that he didn't want her exposing her body to other men. He cared about her like she cared about him. “Will you be there?”

“I'll be front row. No-one, and I mean
no-one
, will get near you. If anyone lays one fucking finger on you, they’ll be carried out in a coffin.”

She chuckled. “You can't follow me to the dressing room and I expect Vince will be there waiting when I finish.” This was what scared her the most. Gabe and his officers could be trusted to protect her while she was on stage but, what was going to happen once she returned to the dressing room? Alone.

“We'll go over the details later. Right now, I have something better to do.” He gathered her in his arms, crushed her to his chest and thoroughly devoured her lips until she was breathless.

When he pulled away from her, she panicked. She didn’t want him to leave her alone at this moment. “Where are you going?”

He moved to the side of the cabana. “There are heavy, thick curtains that can be lowered for privacy. Right now, I want privacy.” He untied the first one and it billowed down to the ground. When he had released all the curtains, the sun was blocked out and the interior was dim, completely private.

He peeled off his clothes while she stood rooted to the spot. She would never get tired of worshipping his naked perfection. As he kicked off his boxer shorts, his cock sprang to attention.

Avery smiled. His cock was hard, purple tinged. The veins pulsated as blood rushed to the area.

“Like what you see?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Do you want it?”

“Yes, please.”

“Come and get it then.”

Avery approached him slowly, a little shy.

“Come closer.”

She stepped close enough for her breasts to brush his chest. Her nipples were hard, her breasts swollen with want. She reached out to enfold him but he backed away.

“Uh uh. I’m going to teach you the different ways to make love. Remember?”

“What do I do?”

“Take off your clothes.”

She tore off her dress, bra and G-string then stood waiting before him like an obedient soldier.

His gaze burned her with its smoldering intensity as he took in every inch of her delectable body.

“On your knees.”

“What?” She was a little confused.

“Kneel down.”

She dropped to her knees and he moved close. She was eye to eye with his swollen cock.

“Touch it. Run your fingers over it.”

Her hand trembled as she reached for him. “It's hard but so soft at the same time. Like steel covered in satin.”

Her hand fluttered over his cock with the lightest of touches. He struggled to stay upright. Droplets of cum glistened at the tip. She spread it with her fingers, lubricating his length. Before he could say anything more, she lowered her mouth and drew him inside. Her tongue seduced him, her fingers cupped and tormented his balls. He trembled, it took all his willpower not to collapse in a heap.

Avery sucked him in until his full length disappeared. Her tongue caressed every centimeter of the silken skin, she felt the ridges of his veins against her tongue. His pre cum was salty but sweet. A nip caused him to groan. Her pussy flooded with the juices of her arousal. Her nipples ached with want, she tried hard to ignore her own feelings of passion. She wanted to put what she had learned from books into practice. Hopefully her lover would approve.

He rested his hand on her head, gently gyrating his hips, easing his cock in and out with her rhythm. When she reached up with her free hand and held his ass firmly, he almost lost it. She had him pinned. His cock was being tortured by her talented mouth, in a nice way of course. His balls were being fondled to death, again in a nice way, and her hand on his ass was gripping and squeezing.

His body trembled as he struggled to remain standing. Her attention to his body was merciless.

He closed his eyes and groaned. “Fuck you have a talented mouth. Please, don't stop.” He was spinning out of control, everything around him was a blur as his whole body tingled. He threw back his head and with a roar, emptied the contents of his balls in to her mouth. To her credit she kept to her rhythm while swallowing his load.

She milked him for everything he was worth before allowing him to descend. When she allowed him to ease from her mouth, he collapsed onto the floor.

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Was it alright?” Her voice was laced with concern.

Gabe was stuffed. He had no idea where his head was at but, at the moment he would have sworn it wasn't attached to his body. His heart was beating out of control and his cock throbbed with satisfaction. He heard the concern in her voice but was too buggered to respond. He patted her knee. “Fucked.”

“Is that good?”

He nodded his head.
How the fuck did she manage that?
He had never come so hard in his life.
I am never letting her go.

They sat quietly for a few minutes while he regained his strength.