Chapter 17
After changing into a black hoodie and black sweats, I meet Cea at the front door. I throw the spare hoodie I grabbed for her as soon as she looks up.
“What’s this?”
“A hoodie. Have you never seen one before?” I tease.
“Yes jackass. Why did you give it to me?”
“It’s the only thing I had to semi-hide your identity and what we’re doing tonight…you’re going to want to be hidden.”
“Please don’t think this is my first rodeo.”
She smirks, taking the hoodie and pulling it over her head. It swallows all of her curvaceous figure, but I must admit, it’s one of the sexiest sights I’ve ever seen. Cea in my clothes. Right next to her being naked of course.
She looks up at me as I go to pull the front door open. Leaning into her before we walk out, I whisper, “Maybe I also just wanted to see you in my clothes. I have to say Mama, I’ve never seen anything hotter in my life.”
Her eyes widened and I walk out, headed toward my Jeep. It doesn’t take long before her feet rush after me. I open the back of my Jeep, remembering Elijah had told me to check it. A big black satchel sits there.
I scan my surroundings, wondering how and when someone was able to sneak up and place it here. Then again, he’s Elijah, and he’s capable of accomplishing anything.
Cea stands next to me. “What’s that?”
Unzipping the bag, I dig inside finding everything we could need to make tonight successful. Guns, knives, rope, hell there's even a couple of grenades and smoke bombs in here.
I’m smiling from ear to ear as excitement rushes through my bones, the thrill and adrenaline at the thought of getting to create mayhem tonight. My girl right next to me, I'm sure if there’s a heaven, this would be right next to it. There’s just one thing missing.
“I understand needing to hide our identity,”
Cea says as reaching into the bag and pulling out a Taurus GX4, semi-auto pistol. It’s sleek black, outlined in purple. She handles it naturally. “But the hoodies are not going to fully cover our faces.” She finally looks up at me and arches her brows when she sees the look I'm sporting.
“Don’t worry about that Mama, I got us covered.”
I look in the visor mirror, staring at the mask Blaze insisted I wear. I’m not sure why he had masks ready to go in the back of his trunk and I certainly didn’t care to ask, although I may be a little intrigued.
The purge mask, neon purple glowing bright, giving me a scary vibe, stares back at me. I can’t say I’m that mad about it. It matches the gun I grabbed and at the end of the day, I don’t mind looking cute and matching.
I glance over at Blaze, wearing a skull balaclava painted across the top half off his face. I would never admit it out-loud, but he looks really fucking hot. Dark and dangerous. I must be finally losing my mind, because I want nothing more than to ride him in his driver's seat, screaming to kingdom come.
His eyes stand out against the dark paint and I can feel myself squirming in my seat until he flashes his eyebrows at me. I scoff in fake disgust, as if he really thinks he’s getting to me. In all actuality I think he is. I can’t deny the attraction to this man and the chemistry I feel brewing every time we’re near each other.
Blaze pulls into a parking spot on the side of the road. A couple of miles from the target. The moon is only beginning to rise, which tells me we still have maybe an hour before we can put our plan in action. His phone goes off and I watch as he pulls it out, turning the screen on to check the incoming message. Me being the nosey bitch I am, can’t stop myself from barely leaning over and reading his screen.
Elijah: Your tickets are being transferred to your email right now.
Sure enough, an email notification comes through at the top of the screen,
Elijah: Get in and out as quickly as possible. Two vans will be waiting at the back entrance at 11:30 p.m. sharp.
Elijah: Meet me tomorrow. Same place & time. Don’t disappoint me.
“As bossy as ever,”
I mumble, leaning back into my seat. I can feel Blaze’s stare burning into me so I look over and he looks like he’s one second away from a demon possessing him. “What?” I ask, rolling my eyes, returning my attention back to my Taurus to make sure it’s locked and loaded.
“How well do you exactly know Elijah? In fact, how long have you known him?”
Blaze growls, barely able to get the words out of his mouth.
“I don’t see how that is really any of your business,”
I spouted.
“Anything involving you from now on, is most definitely my business.”
I scoff at his audacity. “Sorry to tell you bud, but it’s most definitely not.”
In a flash, half of Blaze’s body is in my seat, a grip on my chin forcing me to give him my full attention. “Either tell me Mi Cielo or I’ll make you tell me.”
I’m not entirely sure what the hell he just called me, but the look in his eyes tells me he’s dead serious and I really don’t want to tear up any more underwear.
“I met Elijah when I was 16. I was an angry teen, always getting into fights with people who thought they could walk all over me.”
“Was? I’m pretty sure you’re just angry in general,”
Blaze teases, leaning back into his seat, his grip leaving my chin, his full attention focused on me.
“Are you going to keep talking? Or are you going to shut the fuck up and let me finish, asshole?”
I ask and Blaze puts his hands up in surrender, encouraging me to keep going. “I had just got into a fight with this boy. He had been picking on this younger kid, so I beat the shit out of him.” I gaze out the window, the images as clear as the day it all happened. “I can still remember jumping onto his back and choking the living shit out of him until he fell to the ground. He didn’t have a chance to get up, before I was on him, repeatedly punching him in the face. I kept going, I could feel the crunch of his nose bleeding. I didn’t stop until some man pulled me off, demanding that I calmed down.”
“Elijah?”
Blaze asks.
“Elijah.”
I nod. “He told me he had a team I could be a part of that would help me release all my anger and fury. He could even give me proper training so I would always be able to properly defend myself. It also didn’t hurt that one of the perks was the shit ton of cash I got paid for every team mission I completed.”
Blaze looks at me confused, his thumb and pointer finger rubbing his jaw, lost in full concentration. “So what kind of team is this and why the hell would they scout a sixteen-year-old?”
I sit and think, trying to figure out the words to explain. “Well, you know what Elijah does…what his family does. He said he saw the talent in me, the things I could be capable of. I trained for a year before I got sent on my first mission. It was an easy kill.” I shrug.
“Elijah was a role model to me for the longest time. I looked up to him so much and in some ways, he truly did save me. The next year, it just got harder. My psyche deteriorated more and more with each mission and kills I performed. The day before my eighteenth birthday, I opted out. Told him I couldn’t do it anymore and started working at the bar. Now here I am.”
Blaze stares at me, and I do everything to avoid eye contact. I’ve never felt so vulnerable before. Never shared so much of my life with anyone. Hell, even Daren doesn’t know about my double life back then.
“So, here you are,”
Blaze concedes.
I finally look over to him, the sun has set, the moon is high in the sky.
Blaze leans across the seat once again, bringing his hand to my face, rubbing his thumb over my cheek. “Well, I’m sorry you’ve had it rough, but I’m so glad the road has led you to Mi Cielo.”
“What does Mi Cielo mean?”
I ask, breathless.
“Maybe I’ll tell you one day.”
He places a kiss on my cheek and gets out of the Jeep. I’m not used to the softness Blaze shows me, but my body screams for more.
I am completely and utterly fucked.
“There he is,”
I say waiting with Cea in front of a closed dress shop, across the street in front of the privately owned club. Our target wastes no time walking past several men dressed in nice tuxedos and a few women wearing fancy dresses waiting to enter the establishment.
I glance over at Cea and notice her looking at the guests and then down at her outfit. I already know she’s thinking the same thing I am.
“How the hell do you expect us to get in there dressed like this?”
she asks, throwing her arms out to the side. “Only having the invite is not going to gain us entry,” she scoffs.
I don’t reply, scanning the building when I see a fire exit on the side of the building, going all the way to the top. “We’re not going to be going through the front.”
Her brows pull down in confusion. “What do you mean? How the hell do you expect us to get in then?”
She puts her hand on her hip, giving me a look that, if I had a dime for every time she turned it my way, I could retire from my job by now.
“I hope you’re not scared of heights,”
I smirk at her.
“What?”
I take off, and she follows.
I study the ladder, the thing isn’t in the best shape, but looks sturdy enough for us to climb up safely.
“Ladies first,”
I suggest, taking a step back and gesturing for Cea to start climbing.
She looks at the ladder then gives me a death stare. “You cannot be serious right now,”
she whisper-yells.
I quirk my eyebrow, letting my facial expression tell her just how serious I am.
“Absolutely not,”
she says with a half laugh. “This thing is rusted to hell and back! I don’t plan on being on 100 Ways To Die’s next episode. No sir. Not happening.” She folds her arms across her chest, staring me down.
Too bad this isn’t going to go the way she wants.
“Look, you go first so if the worse comes to worst, I’ll break your fall.”
Her mouth drops open, probably thinking I’m insane. But if she hasn’t learned that already, she’s in for a rude awakening. Better to rip the Band-Aid off. I stride to her until we’re toe-to-toe and pull her chin between my thumb and forefinger.
“Mama, you can either get your sexy ass up those stairs and help me do the job tonight…or…you can stay down here. I’ll call Elijah and inform him the helpful partner he assigned me, isn’t very helpful and can’t do her job. Add that to the fact that if anything happens to you down here, while I’m inside tending to the business, I am going to be one very pissed off man.”
Grazing her bottom lip with my thumb, I lean in closer. “Not only will whoever harmed you be dead…obliterated…but by the time I’m done with you, that ass’s new shade is going to permanently be red. Make your decision.” I let go of her chin and take a step back.
She must decide I’m serious, because she makes her way to the ladder and immediately starts climbing. I go right after her, not being able to help myself from checking out her ass in her black skinny jeans. God, what I would do to be able to sink my teeth into it right now
“Focus asshole.”
A deep chuckle leaves me before a scream leaves Cea’s mouth. A piece of metal comes flying down by my head and I look up to see the next rung she went to pull herself up on and broke off. Losing her balance, Cea slides down toward me. I double down my hold on the ladder, using my other hand to grab her around the waist pulling her in close.
Her breathing is fast and heavy.
“Shh baby, it’s okay. I got you.”
Her breathing finally regulates, and I feel her body relax, her head leaning more back into me.
“You caught me,”
she whispers, her head slightly turning my way and I bury my face into the side of her neck, inhaling the scent of cherries.
“I’ll always catch you, Mi Cielo.”
I gently place a kiss on her neck and feel the shiver running through her body. “Come on, let’s get off this godforsaken ladder.”
She takes a deep breath, nodding, and begins climbing.
We finally make it to the second to last window, thank God it was unlocked and empty. Cea easily pulled the window up and crawled through. I throw our bag of weapons in and I make it through the window, to find a 5'5,”
angry, sexy as sin, woman staring at me. Our sweet moment from a few moments ago is long gone and forgotten about.
“I fucking told you that ladder was not safe!”
she yells.
I scrunch my face, praying the music in the building is louder than her. “Quiet down crazy lady. Do you want us to get busted?”
Guilt covers her face, but it’s gone in a flash and she’s back to glaring.
Walking around her, I head to the door, peeking out to make sure the coast is clear. There’s only a couple more doors in this hallway, the stairs to the left. Music playing from the performances they’re putting on bleeds through the walls.
Closing the door, I turn to face Cea once more. “Put your mask on,”
I commanded, grabbing mine from the front pocket of my pants, pulling it over my face. Cea pulls hers out from the front pocket of her hoodie, then onto her face.
I never knew I’d have a thing for a masked woman, but I think a new kink has been unlocked. We will definitely be bringing these into the bedroom. Sooner rather than later.
She struts toward me pausing, grabbing me by the balls. Not too hard, but just tight enough to have my shoulders hunched up and my body tense. She leans in closer, her lips barely touching the tips of mine.
“The next time I say something is fucking dangerous and I don’t want to do it, fucking listen to me, or it’ll be your balls turning a permanent shade of blue. Got it?”
Her words come off poisonous, but I can feel my cock hardening next to her hand. Her eyes grow wide and I smile innocently at her.
“Loud and clear.”.
She snarls her lips at me, finally releasing me, then heads into the hallway.
Fuck, I love this woman.