Chapter Seven
I let myself out of the cockpit, clambering down the steps. My body ached all over from being crunched up in the tiny seat for hours and I stretched with a low groan. A figure approached through the gloom of the dark hangar.
“Good job,” Aquarius said, a bright smile on her face as she landed a brutal punch into one of my pecs. It hadn’t hurt, not really, but I rubbed it all the same.
“We’re not quite finished yet.” I jerked my chin towards the jet. “You need a hand getting lard-arse out of there?”
Aquarius’s shoulders sagged. “Please.”
“It’s my pleasure, Jugs,” I teased, smirking when she sniggered at my back.
“He’s awake now, crying like a little bitch,” she grumbled.
I stood aside to let her climb back up into the jet before following behind her.
True to her word, whimpering and snivelling greeted me and I scowled.
Garcia was curled up on the floor of the jet, blindfolded, gagged and bound – but not in the way I usually found so appealing.
Over his ears were a pair of headphones, blocking out the sound of our voices.
He was no looker – overweight and still dressed in only a speedo.
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” I muttered, rolling up my sleeves. “You want to grab the car and bring her around?”
“Sure.” Aquarius hopped back down the ladder, and I listened to her boots as they thudded away.
Moments later, the bright headlights of the BMW we’d driven here the day before speared the darkness. I listened as Aquarius killed the engine, returning to the jet.
“Okay, you want to pass him down to me here and—”
“Absolutely not,” I replied, sliding out of the jet to drop down beside her on the concrete. “You pass him down to me.”
Aquarius scowled. “I’ve got it. Who do you think dragged him out of the mansion in the first place?”
“Well, sure, but—” I grinned at her, flexing my bicep. “Let me help, yeah?”
Despite her irritation, I saw the sparkle of excitement in Aquarius’s eyes. “I mean, I guess.”
“Great. In you go, Jugs.” I smacked her firmly on her arse, making her yelp with surprise.
She held her finger up at me in a playful warning. “Don’t push it.”
I simply held up my palms in apology, still grinning as I watched her climb back up into the passenger compartment of the jet. A moment later, Garcia began to yell out, and Aquarius appeared back at the open door, dragging him behind her by his bindings.
“How do you want to do this?” she asked, already a little breathless.
“Just kick him out over the edge. I’ll catch him.”
“Okay, ready? Here he comes.”
Just as Aquarius nudged Garcia out over the lip of the doorway, I tucked my hands into my pockets. A guttural scream burst from him, and he plummeted from the jet, landing on the hard, cold, concrete floor with a loud thud.
“Oops.” I smirked up at Aquarius, pleased to see her fighting back one of her own.
“You’re bad,” she hissed, shaking her head before climbing back down to join me.
“You mean to say he’s not got much worse ahead of him?” I held eye contact.
After a moment, Aquarius grinned. “True enough.”
A low, pained groan drew our attention as Garcia regained consciousness, writhing around on the floor. Practically naked as he was, the fall had gifted him some nasty grazes on his knees and elbows and an egg was already swiftly puffing up on his forehead. He would live, unfortunately.
“Come on. Help me get him into the boot.” Aquarius bent at the waist to grab Garcia’s bindings.
I did the same at the other side and together we heaved him upright. He couldn’t walk, his ankles bound as they were, so we hoisted him up between us, carrying him towards the BMW – boot open and waiting.
I grabbed a fistful of the ropes that were twisted around Garcia, grunting with effort as I slung him into the boot. Ignoring his muffled pleas, Aquarius slammed the boot shut on him and dusted off her hands.
“Thanks.” She smiled up at me.
“No problem. He was heavy – I’m impressed you managed to lift him by yourself before.” We moved around to the side of the car, and I held out my hand. “You want me to drive us back?”
“Nah.” She shook her head. “You’ve just flown halfway around the world and back. I think you could do with an hour of shut eye.”
“But what about—”
“I caught up on a bit of sleep during the flight. Honestly, I’m good.”
I shrugged and obediently strode around the bonnet to the passenger side door before opening it up and sliding into the sleek BMW.
“If you insist. You’re the boss, hm?”
Aquarius cast me a knowing smirk before putting the car into gear and swinging it around, driving off into the darkness.
Just shy of two hours later, Aquarius was guiding the BMW back into the same underground parking garage that we’d exited from almost twenty-four hours earlier.
The noise of the shutter rising startled me, waking me from a deep and dreamless sleep.
I felt like shit, but the excitement of laying my eyes on Relay again after our little game back in the jet perked me up like nothing else.
I held my tongue as Aquarius drove straight past the empty parking space belonging to the BMW, instead heading to the back of the garage and down a ramp, the tyres squealing on the tarmac surface and echoing around us.
It was even darker on this lower level, but as the BMW came around a bend, I spotted another unmarked door as it was illuminated by the headlights. Aquarius brought the car in close before turning off the engine and plunging us into darkness.
“Get the lights, Relay?” she asked, opening the door and heaving herself out with a groan.
I followed suit and as the halogens above flickered and clicked, warming up, I felt my brow furrow. “You alright?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Aquarius replied, her voice tight as she held her hand to her side. “I took a bullet back at the target location. My vest stopped it, but it hurts like a bitch.”
“Do you want to get that looked at before we move Garcia?”
Aquarius flapped her hand dismissively, her body language guarded and cautious as she stretched her back out. “No, I’m good. I haven’t broken anything, I don’t think, just badly bruised. Come on, the sooner we get him inside, the sooner we can all rest.”
I had to admit, she wasn’t just a pretty face.
I hadn’t ever met anyone like Aquarius – she was tougher than she looked, but honestly, I wasn’t sure why that surprised me.
I knew as well as any of us you didn’t just fall into this line of work by chance.
I shook myself off, walking around the BMW to pop the boot.
Both of us leant in and grabbed hold of Garcia.
“On three, ready?” I said, bracing myself. “One, two… Three!”
To my surprise, Aquarius stepped back and released her hold on Garcia at the last second, just as I put the full force of my strength into lifting him.
I lost my grip, stumbling and falling backwards onto my arse, Garcia following me out and landing on top of me.
His weight knocked the air from my lungs and I coughed and spluttered.
“What the—?!”
“That’s for that stunt you pulled with the hatch door.” Aquarius smirked, crouching down beside me. I struggled to push myself up on my elbows and she clapped her hand on my shoulder. “Now we’re even.”
I laughed breathlessly, pushing Garcia off me, ignoring his muffled protesting. “Alright, that’s fair. I suppose I did deserve that.”
“Yep.” She grinned, grabbing hold of Garcia.
After waiting a moment until I had gotten back to my feet, we lifted him in unison and carried him towards the door. The locking mechanism clicked loudly, the noise bouncing off the concrete of the parking garage, and Aquarius nudged it open with her boot.
“This way,” she instructed, gasping for breath. “We’ll leave him here for now. I’ll deal with the rest later.”
We dumped Garcia down in the middle of a dark, dank little cell, both of us grunting and groaning as we stretched out our tired and aching bodies.
I followed behind Aquarius as she waited for me to exit before slamming the cell door shut.
More whirring and beeping came in response as the locks slid across.
“Where are you, baby?” Aquarius purred.
I knew she wasn’t speaking to me this time and I watched her hips swaying before me as we made our way down a long corridor towards yet another unmarked door.
“The office,” Relay replied and just the sound of his voice got my pulse thrumming.
I wondered what was going to happen once we were all back together. I didn’t expect everything to devolve into a threesome immediately – we were all exhausted, in desperate need of food and some sleep – but I did hope some of Relay’s frostiness towards me had thawed.
Aquarius slid her ID card through the keypad and the door clicked.
She held it open for me to pass through and I ensured it was shut firmly behind me before I followed her.
This place was like a maze, everything painted in a dull grey.
I was glad for Aquarius as she led us ahead.
It was clear she knew this place like the back of her hand, and I hoped I would too one day soon.
We turned off a corridor and after swiping yet another keypad, pushed inside. This room was not like the others, walls of screens surrounding us, keyboards, tablets… The air was charged with the hum of technology and in the centre of it all? Relay.
The other man was up on his feet, already busy packing away his laptop. He looked up as we entered, his eyes first falling to Aquarius.
“Welcome back,” he said, turning to face us as Aquarius strode to him and wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t hesitate to return the embrace, and I paused awkwardly at the doorway.
Just as the last time I’d seen them together, their bond was clear. Aquarius shifted back a step before capturing Relay’s mouth with a kiss.
“Are you all done here for now?” she asked him. “I am beat.”
“Yeah. I’ve prepared the bunk rooms.” Relay’s eyes met with mine. “For you, too.”
My brows rose, hope flurrying in my chest despite myself. I hadn’t thought things would go down quite so soon, but I wasn’t about to be refusing. My inner thoughts must have been clear on my face because Relay scowled.
“Not for that,” he snapped. “Our mission isn’t complete yet. None of us are allowed to leave until it is, but we also need to rest and recuperate. HQ has a number of private bunk rooms – a comfortable bed, a shower and a stocked fridge. I’ve unlocked one for you.”
“Oh.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “That makes more sense. Thanks.”
“C’mon now, don’t be so prickly,” Aquarius teased, pinching Relay’s cheek. “Hangman is our new playmate, remember?”
Relay muttered something under his breath, looking everywhere but at me. As much as the idea of a threesome excited me, I couldn’t deny Relay’s reluctance really got my motor running. I loved a challenge and when one was wrapped up as pretty as he was… It was damn near irresistible.
“Let’s get our heads down for a few hours and reconvene here in the morning. Sound good to you boys?” Aquarius looked between me and Relay.
“Fine by me, Jugs.”
My playful new nickname had another delicious scowl forming on Relay’s handsome face. He really was too easy. I could see why Aquarius liked him so much. Teasing him was great fun.
“Come on, let’s go.” Relay took Aquarius’s hand, leading her from the room. “I suppose we’ll—”
He faltered as I reached out, pressing my hand against his chest before he had the chance to walk past me. His eyes – green, pretty – flickered up to mine quizzically.
“Where’s my welcome back kiss, hm?” I smirked at the outrage on Relay’s face.
“I don’t think—”
I didn’t let him finish his sentence before I grasped his shirt in my fist and dragged him in.
Without a moment’s hesitation I slanted my lips over his, and capitalising on his surprise, slipped my tongue between them.
It was rough and messy, but even that small kiss had a familiar heat creeping up my back. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.
With a show of strength I didn’t think he was capable of, Relay slammed me into the wall before ripping his mouth away from mine. He was furious, but the flush across his cheekbones couldn’t be denied. As he gritted his teeth, flashing me a snarl, I smirked.
With one last shove, Relay released me and stormed past, throwing open the door. Aquarius caught my eye as she passed me by, fighting a smirk of her own.
“Naughty boy,” she hissed at me with a wink.
“Guilty as charged,” I growled with a laugh. I smoothed a hand over the neck of my shirt where I’d been manhandled, my eyes dropping to eye Relay’s arse as he towed Aquarius away.
Yep. This was going to be fun.