OZZY
In a few short weeks, Fallon has completely flipped the game, turning into the leader she was always meant to be, and negotiating like she runs a criminal empire. We’re out of trucks, in a cozy home, and have the freedom to be together without worrying about Mr. A. snatching her from my arms again.
We’ve figured out his identity thanks to Max’s keen eye and incredible memory, giving us the upper hand we’ve been desperate for.
Lex has thrown everything we thought we knew out the window, turning his attention to following him as closely as he has been with us all these months. We’re beginning to learn his routines, his staff, and where he spends his days.
I knew Masha was from the D.C. area, but now we’re tuned into the cameras outside their mansion, watching as Mr. A. runs his day-to-day operations. Lex is studying, alongside Fallon and Pepper, every chance they get.
It all flies over my head unless I’m looking at their poster boards, so I choose to let them work while I hang back and give them space.
Our next job begins tomorrow, and it’s much more our speed, even if we’re without Journey. We’re breaking into an executive’s office, cracking the safe to retrieve his financial ledgers, and even though it took an abundance of convincing, Fallon will be staying behind.
She’s desperate to get out into the field, but having her run comms while we’re out makes me feel much better, especially with how shaken up she was after the first meeting she had with our so-called boss .
Fallon is as tough as they come, but something about that encounter had her glued to our bed for two days, barely speaking as she worked her way through her thoughts.
It’s terrifying how much information this man has on us, and he intentionally rattled her cage multiple times to break her spirit. It was the correct choice, not having me sit beside her, because I would’ve wrapped my hands around his throat, security guards be damned.
Bringing up Angel and the website was his way of reminding her that no matter what he agrees to, he still has power over her. It’s cruel, giving her everything she asked for and then digging his heels into her open wounds. I had to beg her to get up and just talk to me, and I held her for nearly an hour under the rain of the shower while she washed away the pits of sadness he planted in her mind.
That was over a week ago; now she’s back to business, but I can still see that timidness in her eyes occasionally, knowing that he controls some part of her brain, and it fucking cuts down to my bones.
I’m not a patient man, but I’m ready to tear this entire operation down just to get my hands on him for one second, just because of how he made her feel, how he made her question every step she’s made, and how he turned her into someone who’s constantly looking over their shoulder, attempting to anticipate a strike that may or may not be coming.
She’s paranoid, and rightfully so, but it’s not a show I want a front-row seat to.
That’s why I’ve been giving her the space to work with Lex rather than interrupting or trying to break her focus. I know how she is when she latches on, and although that usually scares me, this time I know it’s what’s best to keep her mind active.
“Hey Oz, take a walk?” Max asks, breaking me out of my thoughts and holding up a joint.
Since Journey’s been gone, he’s found solace in Oliver and me, where normally he’d go to Journey as they were both the eldest of the group.
I don’t mind; I love picking apart his mind, but he’s sad most of the time, and I truly feel bad for him.
“Fuck it, let’s go,” I say, following him onto the back deck.
I don’t enjoy getting high, but with Fallon and I significantly drinking less, a little escape from my mind is something I’d never say no to. We’re back to the people we were when we met, Fallon on a three or four-drink limit, and me barely touching it unless we’re having a ‘family’ night. It was never my thing, but it did come in handy as a coping mechanism.
“What’s up, Max?” I ask, puffing the joint and passing it to Oliver.
“I think after this is done … it’s time for me to move on,” he says, and I raise an eyebrow at him as I cough through the smoke.
“You’re serious. What will you do?”
“Anything else besides this fucked-up shit. We’ve lost so damn much, done things that keep me awake at night... I can’t do it anymore,” he confesses, a sadness in his voice that runs straight to my heart.
I know exactly how he’s feeling. My deepest desire is to escape and leave this life of crime behind. Starting over somewhere new with beautiful scenery, a house that’s all our own, and most importantly, nobody pulling our strings.
Almost nothing can tear that dream away from me; most days, it’s all I have to get me through to the next sunrise. For once, Max and I seem to be on the same page.
“I’m with you, brother. Fallon and I, we’re getting the hell away from here the second this is over,” I say, which perks Oliver’s ears up and widens his eyes.
“Where?”
“Relax, Olly. She isn’t taking a step without you on her hip.” I laugh, and he seemingly sighs in relief.
Those two are something else, both only children who found their long-lost sibling, and I couldn’t be happier that in the midst of this crazy life, Fallon has found her other half – platonically, of course.
“We’re living somewhere warm. That’s my only condition.” He shrugs, stomping out the last of the joint.
“Max, you’re welcome to come,” I offer, turning my attention back to him.
“No, thank you. I need to be on my own for once. Find something I can do to rebuild the shredded pieces of my soul.”
“When you do that, you come find us. If there’s one thing I’m certain of, Lex won’t let us split up without ways to get back to each other.” I smile, pulling him in for a hug.
He’s not affectionate, and his arms are stiff at first, but he slowly warms up. It’s been years since we had a meaningful, heart-to-heart conversation, and it feels right. Maybe we can all finally heal from what was weighing us down after Masha, and Doc.
The high sweeps me under, letting my mind wander as I close my eyes and feel the sunshine on my face. It’s rare to get a moment just to enjoy the things around me, so I soak it in for as long as I can.
When my focus breaks and my eyes readjust to the light, I see Fallon leaning against the doorway, smiling at me.
She’s a vision, her hair lazily framing her face, and her curves highlighted in a cropped black tank top. I can see into those doe-like eyes from here, her thoughts, and the love she carries for me, on display.
“I told you all that weed you’ve been smoking is going to knock you on your ass,” she lectures, pointing her finger at me as she comes closer.
“You were right. I think I’m stuck here,” I say, holding my arm out until she tucks herself against my chest.
“You looked peaceful. What were you thinking about?”
“A life far away from here,” I tell her, listening as she hums in response to my words.
“One day, Ozzy,” she whispers, making my heart skip a beat, as I’m usually the one who reassures her.
This time, she’s lifting me up, and that’s one of the very many things I love about our relationship. Neither of us has a problem being cared for, or having to care for the other when necessary.
I stroke her hair as she lays on my chest, raking my nails down to the root when she yelps in pain once again.
At the base of her hairline, buried underneath her hair, is a bump that I’ve begun to notice, and I think it’s getting bigger. Fallon claims it’s an ingrown hair, but my gut isn’t buying it. All the hotel beds we’ve slept in could’ve attracted lice or bed bugs, but she’s resistant to seeing a doctor. It would put me at ease, but she’s so damn stubborn, I’d probably have to drug her just to convince her that it’s not the end of the world to seek help from a professional.
“I’m happy, I’m sober, and more importantly, I’m focused, Ozzy. Stop worrying about me, for like, one day?”
“Never going to happen, Bambi. All those little babies you want to have, just wait. I’ll be freaking out if one hair is out of place on their heads,” I say, and she cranes her neck to look at me, a bittersweet smile on her face.
“We’d be six weeks away from meeting him.”
“Shhh, don’t do that. It’s not worth it, okay? Did they give you an exact due date?”
“September twenty-eighth. He would’ve been stubborn, just like I am, so I doubt that’d be his birthday.” She laughs, but I hear the pain in her voice, the slight crack her tell-tale sign that tears may follow her next breaths.
“Well, we’ll celebrate him that day, and every year until we’re too old to remember why, how’s that sound, my beautiful girl ?” I ask, only doing what she’s comfortable with.
“It’s going to be really hard at first, but I think it’ll be beautiful, and maybe even a way to heal.”
Talking about Angel is, and always will be, a sad subject, but I’m hoping with time we can begin to mend our broken hearts over what could’ve been.
“I have half a mind to take you upstairs and put another baby in that beautiful belly of yours, Bambi,” I tease, trailing my fingers along the hem of her shorts.
“Practice only. We have a monster to slay, first,” she whispers, trailing gentle kisses along my neck.
Without another word, I lift her over my shoulder, whispering all the dirty things I plan to do with her once we’re behind the safety of a closed door.
“I dare you.” She challenges, tugging at my shorts as we collapse into the bed.
I pull her on top of me, staring into her dark eyes before I plunge into her neck, leaving rough kisses and bites across her flesh.
“Ozzy, I love you,” she whispers, just loud enough for me to hear under her moans.
It took a lot for us to get here again, and I’ll never take those three little words for granted. I’ll never skip the chance to remind her how much she means to me.
“God, I love you too, Bambi.” I slide my fingers under her shorts and panties, feeling how wet she is, and I tease around her clit, listening as soft sighs escape her lips.
“Do you want more?”
“Please,” she breathes, a greedy rasp in her voice that drowns out every one of my senses.
I give in, gently breaching her entrance with two fingers, and immediately, she arches her back in response, desperate for more.
“Kiss me, Bellissima ,” I whisper, not moving until her eyes latch onto mine and she gravitates toward me.
Our lips connect, and I ferociously search for her tongue, asserting my dominance by wrapping my free hand around her neck.
“More,” she groans, her body nearly levitating off the bed, and I pull out of her, twisting her until she’s face down, ass up.
Her hands tangle into the sheets, grasping at anything before I inevitably plow into her, but first I marvel at the sight before me, rubbing my palms over her perfect body. I trail from her shoulders and down her back until I reach her ass, slapping both cheeks forcefully while she screams into the pillow.
Perfect.
I wrap my hand around her hair, tightening my grip as I slip inside her, instantly feeling how she clenches around me, and her body reacts just the same.
“ Oh, God ,” she groans, her entire backside covered in goosebumps as I keep my thrusts slow and steady.
I grip her hips, squeezing with force while I keep her on the edge with the pace, and she arches her back, matching my thrusts with her own. Suddenly, we’re both breathing heavily, and I’m so close I need to stop, so I flip her until our gazes are locked into each other.
“You can be louder, can’t you?” I groan, taking both her nipples between my fingers and twisting, causing her screams to echo around this room.
“Yes, Ozzy, I can be louder,” she sighs, her hands gripping my forearms as I position myself to her entrance.
“That’s my good girl.” I thrust into her, catching her so off-guard that she claws my skin, biting her lip in what can only be described as pure ecstasy .
She’s almost too perfect like this, and I find myself staring at her, admiring just how beautiful she is.
I prop her legs onto my elbows, burying myself so far inside her that I’m unsure of where she ends, and I begin, causing her to scream my name, which may be the most exhilarating sound I’ve ever heard.
I lower a hand until I find her clit, gently swirling two fingers around her sensitive skin as she writhes beneath me, her words becoming less understandable the longer I’m able to drive her crazy.
“Ozzy! Please don’t stop,” she whines, and I don’t, not this time.
I want everything she’s got to give, and it’s not until her legs are a wobbly mess around my neck that I even think about slowing down.
Her hands go still around my arms, showing she’s lost in paradise, and I’m right behind her, pumping until my whole body tenses, allowing my release to pool in her core.
“Come here, my beautiful girl ,” I pant, lifting her back off the mattress as I gather every piece of her delicate frame into mine.
“You’ll always do it for me, every-fucking-time ,” she whispers, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me on top of her sweat-soaked body.
“There’s not a woman on this planet who could compare to you, Bambi. It’s you, or nothing,” I admit, and she smiles softly, like she knows exactly what I mean.
“We’re going to win this fight, you believe that, right?”
“I believe in you,” I answer, and she accepts that, leading me toward the bathroom attached to our room.
“You, Olly, and Pep are the only things keeping me going. If it weren’t for you three, I wouldn’t be here,” she confesses, and I can’t do anything but hold her in my arms, allowing the hot water to fuse us together.
We’re all hanging on by a thread, banking on the faint promise that we can survive this, but even the most optimistic person couldn’t stare hope in the eyes after all we’ve been through without wavering once or twice.
When the water runs freezing, I drag Fallon out, wrapping her in a towel and setting her onto the bed. She’s been exhausted lately, so I take the liberty of brushing her hair, raking through the tangles, and weaving it into the best braid I can, tying it off with a scrunchie.
Next, I slip her into one of my t-shirts, and her tiny shorts, while she’s nearly asleep, sprawled across the entire mattress.
I snuggle beside her, enjoying the fact that we can fall asleep together, and maybe tonight, she won’t run off to conduct more super-sleuthing.
A few times, I’ve woken up in an empty bed, only to find Fallon down the hall, buried in Lex’s laptop, pacing holes in the floors, or scribbling notes onto the poster boards she’s tacked onto every surface she can reach. This hunt is consuming her, beginning to steal her shine, and I can’t just stand by watching idly as the girl I love slowly slips into an abyss I may not have the power to rescue her from.
Her snores fill the otherwise silent room, and as I attempt to chase sleep, a light knock on the door brings me back to full consciousness.
“Come in,” I whisper, and Lex tiptoes across the room once he notices Fallon’s knocked out.
“I just got this in from the Boss,” he says softly, passing the tablet my way.
At first glance, I know it’s an email from Mr. A., but the details don’t make sense until I look it over a few times.
He wants bi-weekly, in person meetings with Fallon to discuss jobs and the future, as well as collecting the items we steal for him. Tomorrow is the ledger job, and he expects a meeting with her the following day.
“He can’t be serious.” I slip from under Fallon’s body, covering her back up before sneaking out of the room.
I follow Lex back to his room, offering a small wave to Pepper as she watches a reality show on TV from their bed.
“So, what do we say? I know you don’t want her around him,” he starts, and I shake my head, unsure of what is the right move.
Of course, Fallon will be all for it, always jumping at any opportunity to study this man or stalk her prey , as she likes to call it, but meeting with him every two weeks is dangerous, especially for her mental health.
“I’m not waking her up, she could use a healthy eight hours for once. Let’s bring it up at breakfast?”
“Sure, Oz. It’s late. I doubt he expects a response at this hour,” Lex says, powering down all his tech and arming the security system.
“I’m making blueberry pancakes, so don’t sleep too late.” Pepper smiles, and I nod in response, wishing them both goodnight.
Once again, the weight of the world feels like it’s draped over my shoulders, and although I promised Fallon I wouldn’t drown her with my fierce urge to protect her from everything, this may be something I have to push back on. She isn’t made of glass, and she’s made it perfectly clear that fragile isn’t stamped on her forehead, but I’m choosing to trust my instincts.
She doesn’t need to face the beast head-on in order to slay the dragon, but convincing her of that fact will be one of the greatest challenges I’ve ever faced.