Chapter 16
Silas
It’s been two weeks since Hayden found and freed the women trapped in a sex trafficking scheme.
Two weeks since I’ve had any communication with my ECP.
I stare at my phone screen dejectedly and will it to light up with a message. Am I being ridiculous over a girl that I’ve met in person twice? Maybe. Could I try to text her? Maybe. Am I going to stop moping around and do something about it? Absolutely the fuck not.
“Hello? Silas? Are you there? It’s your turn!” Randy’s voice crackles across my headset, and I jerk back to attention in my gaming chair.
“I’m not really feeling this today. You guys can campaign without me. I’ll text you later.” I power off the system and cut off their replies. This fucking sucks. I push my chair away from the desk and roll across the hardwood floor, coming to a stop at the edge of the rug beside my bed. I need to find something to do, but I don’t have the energy to do anything at all except for wallow in my self-pity and rejection.
Declan pops his head into my room and clears his throat. “How’s it going with Emerson? Any new updates?”
I roll my eyes and sink lower into my chair. Of course, the asshole would want to talk business right now. “Nothing new to report,” I mutter and fold my arms across my chest. “They run a tight ship and are not very trusting of new people.”
“Maybe you should work on getting closer to Emelia. She might be the key,” he offers and braces his shoulder against the doorframe.
“Don’t you think I’ve tried that?” I snap and glare up at him. “I’m doing my best. She hasn’t been around. I’ve been working mainly with Hector and Emerson directly, and if not them, then the digital security team that has been there for years.”
Declan holds up his hands in surrender. “Alright. Hayden has a job that could use your finesse, if you’re available.” He quirks an eyebrow at me.
“Clearly I’m so busy. Let me just check my calendar,” I mutter sarcastically and spin my chair in a slow circle because I don’t know what else to do with this fidgety energy.
“Meet him in the garage in thirty minutes. He’s planning on leaving when the sun goes down. He’ll give you the details on the ride over. You’re taking the bikes,” Declan adds after a moment’s pause. “He’s been obsessed with taking his bike everywhere and is refusing to use the cars for some reason.”
I roll my eyes again. “I can’t even begin to imagine what goes on in his mind. I’ll wear my gear. Thanks,” I call out to him as I disappear into my closet to get dressed.
Forty-five minutes later I’m standing in the garage with my black riding gear on and my helmet tucked under my arm. Hayden is sitting on his bike just staring at the seat in front of him with his helmet hanging loosely from his fingers. I clear my throat and note the way he shifts his helmet to his lap. “Am I interrupting something? I know people are super into their rides, but…” I trail off with a smirk as he scowls up at me.
“Get on. We’re going on a field trip.” He slides the helmet over his head and kicks the bike to life. I follow suit and switch on my Bluetooth. “We’re going to the safehouse that Emelia has been using to see if we can find any dirt on Emerson. The boss,” he sneers the word, “is not pleased with our slow progress.”
Our bikes rumble loudly as we take off heading east out of the city and down several winding, unmarked roads. “How did you find out about this place?” I ask as we kill the headlights and walk our bikes to a cluster of trees at the end of the long driveway. We leave our helmets on as we walk silently up the gravel.
“It’s literally in my job description,” he mutters and pulls out a small tablet. There are 4 video feeds displayed on the screen. A kitchen, a bathroom, a living room with the front door in view, and a bedroom. “She hasn’t been here in several days, but maybe there’s something we can use.”
My heart sinks to my soles, and I feel a wave of despair as my failure washes over me. I’m not pulling my weight for this job and they’re trying to cover the slack. “I’m sorry, Hay, I’m not in a good headspace right now. There was this girl.” I stop talking and inhale deeply.
“It’s always a girl,” he mutters under his breath and flips his visor up so I can see his eyes. They’re shining with determination and obsession. “A girl that has a vice grip around your entire body so that you can’t even breathe without thinking about her?”
I nod and silently gape at him. The look on his face tells me that he is so lost in his obsession with Emelia that someone is going to end up dead, and I’m not sure if it’s going to be him or her. I stop a few feet from the front porch and pull out my laptop. “Alarm system?”
“Yep,” he responds curtly.
“Security cameras?”
“Seven.”
“Points of entry?” My fingers glide over the keyboard, accessing the mainframe and pushing past the firewall.
“One door. Five windows. Small Hvac system and no crawl space.” I look up at him sharply but make no comment on how he so readily knows all this information. His eyes never leave the house.
Stalking is literally in his job description. I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s good at it. I click a few links, type in a code, and then close the screen. “Alarm has been disabled. Cameras have been set to loop on the same images. In and out, Hayden. I don’t trust these people not to have other means.”
“You think the house is booby trapped?” he asks incredulously and turns to face the small structure. It’s a small single-wide trailer sitting on stilted concrete pillars with a carport layed out directly under the house. The bottom of the windows are about nine feet off the ground. The front door is painted dark purple and nestled under a black awning at the top of a narrow set of stairs. The stairs split the driveway right down the middle and allow for two cars to be parked under the house.
“Give me a boost and I’ll look inside,” I order Hayden and stand directly under one of the windows. I’m guessing it’s either the kitchen or the living room given its close proximity to the front door.
“Fuck that. I’m not your personal step stool,” he protests and folds his arms across his chest.
I roll my eyes and mirror his stance. “I can’t lift you. You’re nothing but solid muscle. It’s this or we go in blind.”
He considers the options for a moment before muttering a string of curses under his breath and stalking over to me. “Clench up,” he teases before crouching down behind me and wrapping his arms around my thighs and knees.
My muscles seize as he lifts me into the air and I am acutely aware of the fact that the side of my left leg is pressed against his cheek. I remind myself to breathe evenly as he steps forward and allows me to peer into the dark room. Hayden adjusts his grip slightly and I can feel his muscles trembling beneath me.
“The suspense is killing me,” he grunts roughly. “Do you see any boobies or traps?”
“All clear,” I mutter, and he begins to lower me back to the ground. My brain misfires as his palms slide slowly up my legs and hips and my back brushes against his chest as my feet make contact with the ground.
His palms close around my hips as I shift to steady myself. That shift sends my ass brushing against the front of his groin. I feel his fingers tighten on my sides and his whole body stiffens behind me. “Let’s go. In and out.” His voice is rough and strained as he pushes away from me and drops his helmet at the bottom of the stairs.
“In and out,” I sigh breathily and adjust my tight crotch. Dammit, I thought I was past this! We made it abundantly clear that this was never to be addressed or spoken about. I drop my helmet next to Hayden's and take the stairs slowly, watching Hayden pick the lock and deadbolt on the door. His eyes cut to me, but he doesn’t say anything.
The door swings open with a slight creak, revealing a dark living room and kitchenette combo. A nightlight over the counter casts a dim yellow glow throughout the room. It’s small and empty. No photos, artwork, or any other personal effects. A loveseat, coffee table, and TV are nestled to the right, and the kitchenette with a small two-person table area to the left. There are two closed doors directly in front of us. One must be the bedroom and the other the bathroom.
“Surely she doesn’t live here all the time,” Hayden whispers and rifles through the couch cushions and small bookshelf under the TV.
“It looks like this is a safe house.” I open the refrigerator and note the snack foods present. The milk isn’t expired and there’s half-eaten Chinese takeout on the middle shelf. “I have even more questions now.”
“Right or left?” Hayden asks suddenly.
“What?” I turn to find him standing in front of the two doors. “Left. I think it’s the bathroom.”
“Your left or my left?” He quirks an eyebrow at me.
“They’re the same thing, you asshole,” I snap and shoulder passed him. “You have the unfair advantage of being here before.”
“I didn’t know it was hers!” he protests and opens the left door to reveal a bathroom. “And now I definitely know it is,” he says quietly.
The floor is littered with knives, bullets, holsters, and guns. It looks like an armory instead of a bathroom. There’s a pile of black clothes in the corner beside the porcelain toilet and a line of makeup products around the sink. My eyes roam around the room and narrow in on a flash of red hanging from the back of another door. A red wig.
Red hair. British accent. A hellcat in disguise. ECP is Emelia Coraline Pendleton. The room spins, and I can’t gather my wits enough to even form a coherent sentence. I lose myself, and my knees crash to the tile floor.
“Silas? What happened?” Hayden crouches down in front of me and shakes my shoulder.
I can’t look at him. I can’t tell him that his obsession is my girl. We can’t fight for the same girl. It would ruin us. My chest tightens, and I take a gasping breath. “I’m fine. Check the bedroom,” I whisper and drop my face into my hands.
He stands and opens the door that the wigs are hanging from to reveal another dark room. Moonlight from the window is the only source of light as Hayden leans into the room and looks from left to right. A deep growl echoes through the darkness.
“What was that?” I ask slowly and rise to my feet.
Hayden jumps back and nearly sends me sprawling as a large black mass with wicked fangs saunters into the room. The dog growls and snaps its jaws in our direction, but makes no move to attack. “Jesus!” Hayden mutters and leans forward to brace his hands on his knees. “That was not here the last time I visited.”
The dog steps forward and lets out another terrifying snarl. We both back out slowly with our palms out. “What is that? A shepherd?” I hiss and look over my shoulder, taking note of the distance between us and the front door.
“A hound straight from Hell by the looks of it,” Hayden responds. “Who’s a good dog? Such a pretty dog with pearly whites,” Hayden coos to the beast as it walks us slowly to the door. It snaps its jaws again when Hayden moves his hands in its direction.
“Don’t try to pet it!” I nearly shout at him. “You’ll lose a finger!”
“But I want to pet the puppy,” he whines and turns back to the dog. “You’re the bestest puppy aren’t you?” Hayden drops to his haunches and holds out his hand. “How about a belly rub?”
The beast lunges forward with snapping teeth and murder in its eyes. Hayden shouts a protest and jumps to his feet. I push the door open behind us and Hayden dives out, slamming into me and sending us both tumbling down the stairs and sprawling into the dirt.
We land with a hard thump in a cloud of dust. “You are literally the fucking worst,” I cough out from beneath him and jerk to try and dislodge my left leg from between his thighs. My right arm is under his left forearm and his chest is fully pressed against my nose. I inhale and his cologne drifts across my senses. My muscles stiffen as he shuffles to move his arms and remove himself from my face. His eyes find mine as I shift my shoulder, trying to free my arm from where it’s pinned against my side.
“Stop moving,” he growls, and his dark eyes scan my face. “Your head is bleeding.” I shuffle against him, trying to wiggle out, but he presses his hips down against me. “Be. Still,” he whispers harshly and squeezes his eyes shut.
“What’s with the face?” I ask and watch the pained look dance across his features. “I’m the one he doesn’t move. His body is a frozen statue above me.
And then I feel it.
His hips twitch, and I feel his erection against my stomach. I freeze and look around the yard, trying not to look at his face. His cock throbs and I feel my own throb in response. Fuck, this is not happening. Hayden inhales slowly, and I chance a peek at his face. His eyes are still squeezed shut as he breathes slowly in and out through his nose.
I open my mouth to say something, but the words never find a way past my lips. Hayden slowly presses his hips down, grinding his cock against me. My cock pulses against my seam as he repeats the motion and opens his eyes. I break away from his gaze and look down at the space where our bodies are touching.
I feel hot, like a fire is burning me from the inside out. Lust surges in my veins and I fight every instinct in me telling me to push my hips forward. I know that if my cock gets that friction I won’t be able to stop. My chest heaves as I inhale heavily, trying to calm my racing heart.
We agreed this can’t happen. It didn’t happen then and didn’t happen now. We need to get up, dust off, and get the hell out of dodge. “Hayden,” I say roughly and clear my throat of emotion. “I think –”
“Fuck it,” he hisses and surges forward until his lips press against mine. He’s not gentle as he twists his fingers into my hair and pulls on the roots. I gasp at the sudden pain, and he takes that moment to slip his tongue across mine. He drops his full weight onto me and pushes his hips forward. His thigh presses against my aching cock, and I bite back a moan.
My cheeks are on fire and the inferno is slowly traveling down my neck. I don’t know how I have any blood left in my body to blush with how hard my cock is right now. Hayden starts to pull away and break the kiss, but the fingers of my free hand grip the collar of his shirt and pull his face back to mine for another blistering kiss.
He thrusts his hips against my body slowly, timing it with the movement of his lips on mine. I jerk beneath him and moan as my cock pulses heavily in my pants. Hayden pulls away and topples off of me with a sharp inhale. He sits with his legs bent and his forearms braced on his knees, his face hidden in his hands. “We need to leave.”
I sit up on my elbows and draw in a ragged breath, reeling from the emotional whiplash and blue balls. “We have a lot of things to discuss,” I agree and push to my feet. “Like how we’re apparently pining for the same girl.”
His head jerks up at the bomb I just dropped at his feet. “Looks like we’re all keeping secrets,” he whispers with a glint in his dark eyes.
How many secrets can this house of cards hold before it collapses?