Chapter 16
Hugo
She is barely eating the pasta I threw together.
“That bad?” I tease, trying to lighten things up a little.
Despite the lively dust-up on the stairs, over dinner Bess is back to being quiet and seems miles away, distractedly playing with the food on her plate.
“No, it’s good. I’m sorry, I guess I don’t have much of an appetite,” she apologizes, putting down her cutlery.
I get up from the table, gather up my own empty plate and her almost untouched one, and leave them by the sink. Then I walk back to her and hold out my hand. She looks at it and then at me.
“What are we doing?”
“The dog needs a walk and we could use some fresh air,” I suggest.
There is only a brief hesitation before she places her hand in mine and lets me pull her to her feet. I help her in her coat, shrug into mine, and clip the leash on Ragnar, who is already panting by the front door.
I scan up and down the road as we walk down the path to the sidewalk. This street is quiet, only a handful of houses on either side, so we don’t get a lot of traffic through here. It wouldn’t be hard to spot a person or a vehicle out of place.
I’m not sure whether it’s the fresh air making a difference, but I notice Bess is suddenly a lot more alert out here too. Good, she should be aware of her surroundings at all times, and I need to stop dragging my ass telling her why that’s more important now than ever.
“We made some progress today on the arson investigation,” I start, snagging her attention. “Not the one at the coffee shop, but at Main Street Mechanics,” I clarify. “We found a vehicle that was seen outside the garage before the fire started. It belonged to someone by the name of Victor Zhang.”
I keep a close eye on her to see if she reacts to that name at all, but she doesn’t flinch. She seems very interested in the subject though.
“He’s local to Spokane and known to law enforcement as a gang member.”
She reacts to that information, a slight gasp as her hand twitches in mine.
“It’s a small-time gang, local to Spokane but, according to the FBI, they’re affiliated with the Lotus Squad, part of their narcotics distribution network.”
We stop at the small park at the end of the street to let Ragnar do his business.
“I don’t understand,” she volunteers. “What issue would they have with Clem?”
“They don’t,” I respond. “But Clem has something in common with you, an address.”
“What are you talking about? His place is down the street from me. I’m at 140 and he’s at—”
“104,” I finish for her.
Realization flits over her face before it’s replaced with something more like fear. I hate making her afraid, but she needs to know what she’s dealing with. Whatever it is her brother did to piss his old gang off, it’s worth killing over.
Victor Zhang was found dead in the trunk of his petrol blue BMW XM, shot execution style. Rumor on the street is he fucked up on a job he was doing for the Squad, and they weren’t too pleased.
I’m keeping those details to myself, but there’s a reason I want to keep Bess as close as possible.
“That was meant for me.”
I drop her hand and fold her in my arms instead.
“Looks that way.”
Suddenly I feel her back go rigid under my hands.
“They’re trying to bait Ken. Draw him out in the open,” she deduces accurately.
That was the conclusion we came to as well.
And if Ken Choi is any kind of brother—estranged or not—he won’t likely sit by idle while his sister is under threat.
Only the coldest of monsters would willingly throw their own family under the bus.
From what I’ve been able to learn, Ken Choi was far from a choirboy, but he was not the devil incarnate.
“Probably. You should also know we’ve not yet been able to locate your brother, but we’re keeping a close eye out in case he decides to show up in Silence.”
She mumbles something under her breath I can’t quite make out.
“What was that?”
She lifts her face, looking up at me with resignation in her eyes as she takes a step back.
“I said, too late. He’s already here.”
My blood chills, even as my mind already starts filtering through what I might have missed. I don’t have to go far back to pick up on signals I may have dismissed at the time.
“He was at the coffee shop, in the alley.”
She confirms with a nod.
I try to keep a lid on the flash of anger at her failure to mention anything before.
“Was that the first time?”
The question comes out a bit harsher than I intended.
“Yes. I swear I hadn’t heard from him since I blocked his number.”
I doubt her blocking his number would’ve actually stopped him from calling if he’d wanted to. It would’ve been as simple as using another phone. But I think he decided it would be easier to come see her in person.
The sound of a vehicle coming up the street draws my attention, and I squint to identify the truck, while closing the distance to Bess. Ragnar stops sniffing at our feet and lifts his head as well, emitting a low growl.
My hand instinctively goes to the weapon I have clipped to my belt. I’m about to push Bess behind me when the truck pulls into the driveway of a house, just across the street from me, and the neighbor’s adult son and his girlfriend get out.
Exhaling audibly, I relax my hand and lift my arm around Bess’s shoulders, tugging her close while I tighten my hold on the dog’s leash.
“Let’s take this conversation back home.”
Bess
“Here.”
Hugo hands me the tea I asked for when he offered me a drink.
Ragnar is already asleep, sprawled out on his back with his legs up in the air at my feet. How he can sleep like that, I don’t understand, but it seems to be his favorite position. He clearly has no shame.
“Thank you,” I mumble, still a little subdued after I shocked even myself by my admission to seeing Ken.
It just didn’t feel right, keeping that information from Hugo when he’s being so caring and transparent with me. The last thing I want is for him to take risks he’s not prepared for. Information is half the battle, and he needed to know.
“So, just to recap,” he says, taking a seat next to me on his roomy couch as he pulls back the tab on his beer. “He still wants to disappear and needs your money, but now he wants you to go with him.”
“Yes.”
“And the reason for that is because your brother, in his infinite wisdom, spilled some incriminating information he should’ve kept to himself about the Lotus Squad to a cellmate, who then turned around and sold him out.
I mean, for them to go so far as to involve you in such a public way, by trying to burn down your place of business, it must’ve been some pretty damning information. ”
I nod, because…what else can I do?
I’ve given him as much of the story as he needs to understand the dynamics of what is going on.
There are just a few details I’m hanging on to.
Information that might do more harm than good, since it would surely bury my brother, and it would’ve all been my fault.
After all, if not for me, my brother wouldn’t even be in this situation.
“And you don’t know what it is he has on them?” Hugo asks me again.
“My brother never shared gang business with me,” I answer evasively.
That’s not a lie, but what he shared had nothing to do with gang business. Although, I have a feeling that’s a technicality Hugo won’t be able to appreciate once he finds out. Because I can’t bring myself to believe he won’t. Eventually.
I sip my tea quietly, giving Hugo a chance to process the information while he has his beer. The silence doesn’t last too long before he tosses back what’s left in his can and gets to his feet.
“I’m gonna have to make a few phone calls. Feel free to turn on the TV if you like.”
Without another word, he gets to his feet and, tossing his empty can in the trash in the kitchen, heads for the basement stairs.
He’s angry. I know it. But at the moment I sense that’s more about the situation than it is about me. However, that can easily change when he finds out the whole truth.
I grab the remote and mindlessly flip through the channels, but nothing catches my attention. Shutting the TV off again, I toss the remote on the coffee table and carry my tea mug to the kitchen sink and rinse it out. Then I slap my hand against my leg and call for the dog.
“Let’s go, Ragnar. Let’s go to bed.”
I’m going to need my buddy if I have any hope of getting even a wink of sleep tonight.
I wake up to a hushed whisper.
“Let’s go, buddy. My turn now.”
Next, the mattress shifts as my furry source of heat disappears, only to be replaced by a set of strong arms and a broad chest. I keep my eyes firmly closed.
“I know you’re awake, Twinkie. Your breathing changed and your body coiled up like a loaded spring the moment I touched you.”
“What do you want?” I grumble ungraciously, still with my eyes shut tight.
He rolls on his back, taking me with him so I’m now draped on top of him, the shirt I borrowed from his drawer bunched up around my waist and my ass hanging out of my thong.
Lovely. He doesn’t seem to notice my state of undress as he keeps one arm banded around me and, with his free hand, brushes the hair back from my face.
“Sometimes I go into bulldozer-mode. At least, that’s what Carson calls it when I become task oriented and forget who’s in front of me.
That’s what happened earlier when it may have felt like I was badgering you, only to walk out on you moments later.
I needed to confirm the information, digest and decide next steps, and finally delegate tasks to get us to the objective. ”
“Which is?” I ask, finding myself snuggling in against him.
“At the very top of the list: ensuring your safety. That’s nonnegotiable.”
I want to ask about my brother’s safety, but I sense that wouldn’t be a nonnegotiable issue for Hugo. Not when it could conflict with mine. There’s no doubt in my mind he wouldn’t think twice about sacrificing Ken if it meant he’d be keeping me safe. If that’s not trust, I don’t know what would be.
Trust is all he’s ever asked of me, and it’s the least I can give him.
But before I have a chance to end my guilty silence, his hands grab on to my exposed butt cheeks at the same time his mouth captures mine.
His deep growl reverberates through my body as his fingers dig into my dimpled flesh.
He doesn’t seem to care, and in all honesty, I’m not particularly concerned myself.
Not when I feel his body’s response to me pressing against my hip.
I love that Hugo is not all hard planes and sharp angles, but his strong body is covered by a comfortable layer I can melt into. In contrast, his dick is pure steel, rigid and unforgiving, and a shiver runs down my entire body with the need to feel him inside me.
“Fuck, you feel so damn good,” he rumbles in my ear as he rolls us over once again.
He wedges his hips between my legs, and I arch my back when he grinds his cock against me, the friction making me moan out loud.
Then he stops moving abruptly.
“Are you ready for this, Bess?”
My eyes snap open and lock on his clear blue ones, staring back. Little else exists in this moment and I nod my response. He drops a light kiss on my lips.
“I need the words, Twinkie. I need you to be sure.”
My body is raring to go, but I force myself to look beyond my libido and gauge where I am emotionally.
The times have been few and far between since I’ve taken the opportunity, or had the inclination, to engage in a sexual encounter with anyone, and even on those occasions it was more a matter of going through the motions without much emotional investment.
With Hugo things are different. There is a lot on the line and the investment is huge, for both of us, and so are the risks.
But I want this. I want it so badly. I grab on to his firm ass to keep him from going anywhere.
“I’m so ready.”
The words have barely left my mouth when I find myself being divested of my shirt, and next my panties, leaving me buck naked with Hugo on his knees looking down on me. But he doesn’t give me a chance to feel self-conscious.
“Jesus, Bess, you’re my every fucking wet dream.”
Then he shoves his sleep pants down his hips, but only gives me a brief glimpse of his fine physique before he drops down, wedging his shoulders between my legs, and blowing every rational thought from my mind with his mouth.
My orgasm takes me by surprise and feels almost like an out-of-body experience. I’m still coming down to earth when, moments later, Hugo nudges my entrance with the tip of his sheathed cock. He locks in on my eyes, and watches my reaction as he slowly and deliberately enters me.
I feel overwhelmed, both covered and filled by him, unsure anymore where one ends and the other begins.
I feel safe, alive, complete, and at peace, even as I stretch to accommodate him and every nerve ending in my body is firing signals.
My body is a raging storm, as my heart and my mind find balance.
And as Hugo starts to move, using his body expertly to drive mine to the summit, I’m hit with a sense of belonging I don’t think I’ve ever experienced.
Later, with my arms surrounding his body—still shaking from the force of our combined orgasms as he tries to catch his breath—and his face pressed into my neck, I try again to give him all of me.
“There’s something you should know. I—”
His fingers find my lips, covering them.
“Tomorrow,” he mumbles, barely awake.
As his breathing deepens, I let myself give into the draw of sleep.
Tomorrow it is.