They took my gun and suspended me until they can verify all the details of my story. The next day, I am out wandering the neighborhood in the middle of the afternoon. I need something to occupy my time. I have done all the research I can on my mother’s murder, and the only person I need to talk to is in jail. They won’t let me talk to him without my badge, so I go talk to a woman that was supposedly his girlfriend at the time, Brandi Davis. She isn’t exactly receptive to seeing me but lets me in when I explain my mother was murdered in front of me and her ex knows who ordered it.
“I don’t know what I can tell you. I mean, I’m sorry about your mother and all, but Manny was not exactly a talker.”
“I understand. He’s no different than most men. I was only wondering if you ever noticed anyone of significance meeting with him or his brother?”
“His brother? Victor? What does Victor have to do with this? He died years ago.”
“He was the one that raped and killed her.” She looks down at her feet as if she is remembering something. “What is it? Someone you saw with him? Something Victor might have mentioned?” She stays silent. “Were you sleeping with Victor, too?”
“No! No I didn’t want to; he didn’t give me much of a choice.”
“So you’re the reason the brothers had a falling out.”
“Yeah. Manny came home and found me in a bloody mess and his brother passed out on our couch, drunk. I thought he was going to kill him, but Victor managed to get away. The next day, a man came by and beat the shit out of Manny and threatened us both that, if we said anything, we would be killed and our bodies never found. I have never been so scared in my life. I don’t know who that man was. I was never told his name; all I remember was those steel toed boots he kept kicking Manny with. They had a red stripe down one side, like a stain almost, a bloody red stain. Oh and that horrible engraving; it left the skull and crossbones imprint on Manny’s skin for weeks. I was afraid it would never go away.” She shakes her head with a sarcastic laugh, “I’m sure it was to intimidate people, let them know he had killed before. You know, I don’t care anymore. I’m old, and it’s not like my life is all that great. Fuck him. He’s had us both running scared for a long time, having people come by here and force us to do things for him since Victor is gone. I don’t care anymore. I was diagnosed yesterday with lung cancer, so I don’t have much time left anyway. Thank God,” she says with a look that exudes pain and suffering. Life has beaten her down and worn her out. She doesn’t have any fight left in her, and I think, in this case, she believes God is doing her a long overdue favor. She gave me a few more details about the man, but nothing really stands out except for the boots.
I leave and return home, wandering around the area, thinking about what I can do to waste some more time until Preston gets home. I’m bored, and I need someone to talk to. I don’t know what to do with myself, and then he drives up on his motorcycle.
“Hey, Trouble. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be working?” he asks, fingering the curl of his hair back into place.
“I got into trouble at work, so they asked me to take a few days off,” I confess to him.
“You look so sad. I don’t like that.”
“I’ll be fine. I need to go find a hobby for a few days is all until they let me come back.”
“Or maybe you need to take a little trip with me?” he says.
“A trip to where?”
“Do you have to know every detail before you say ‘yes’? Can’t you simply be excited about the unknown and the idea of a surprise? Trust me.”
“Trust you? I don’t know if I can trust someone I am still getting to know.”
“You mean you’re sleeping with a person you don’t trust?” I laugh, shaking my head. “Come with me and let me surprise you; let me show you another side of me.”
“And what side is that?”
“That’s the surprise,” he says with a wink. “I have to go take care of some business, but I‘ll be back in an hour. Pack a small bag, and I’ll text you when I’m pulling around the corner to pick you up.” I try to get more information out of him, but he gears up his motorcycle and turns around to take off again. “A small bag,” he yells out to me.
I can’t believe I am doing this, but I rush up to my condo and pack the bare minimum of what I need and wait anxiously for him. When I get his text, I leave a quick note for Preston and rush out the door. The moment I see him coming, I smile so wide it hurts.
“Hey, Trouble, you ready to go?” I nod, and he slides my helmet over my head and adjusts it perfectly before helping me onto the back of his bike with him. With my backpack on my back, I take hold of his body and lay my head against his back with no regrets.
Chapter 14
Dace
The timing couldn’t have been better. Ettore needs me to keep an eye on one of his competitors, Rory Aksakov, who happens to be going to a resort for a sudden vacation that we suspect is a cover to meet up with one of our loyal family friends, Scott Ellington. The man doesn’t know me; he hasn’t seen me since I was a kid, so spying on him should be easy, especially with Austin at my side. I can blend in as another tourist with his girlfriend.
Driving up to the resort is amazing. Austin feels good against my back. This doesn’t seem like work at all. I’m excited to spend time with her without worrying about interruptions, and possibly finding out more about her is intriguing to me. But most of all, I want to find out why, when she said she thinks she could love me, that I suddenly became excited about the possibility. We arrive at the resort with little baggage, but I do not expect to need much, especially since Antony has already been here, setting up bugs and wires for me to spy on our old friend. Austin and I walk into our luxury cabin and find a bouquet of roses.
Austin gushes and smiles, assuming I did it. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you did this and on such short timing. You’re amazing,” she says, kissing me and whispering in my ear how appreciative she is. I need to remember to thank Antony later. The cabin is fully stocked with food, and an amazing view of the mountains rests beyond the large windows, including a nice line of sight to the cabin across the way where Aksakov is staying. I walk out onto our deck and take notice of the hot tub. “Going to need to use that while we are here.”
“This is beautiful, Dace. I have never seen anything like it. I thought you said a cabin, but this is a lot bigger than the cabin I used to go to as a kid,” Austin says, walking out and burying herself into my arms so I can keep her warm. “I love it. I could get used to this … as long as it’s legal.”
“You still don’t trust me. I really need to fix that. Don’t worry, it’s a family place, but I’m glad you like it.”
“Your family must do well in order for you to afford a place like this.”
“Is that another question?” I laugh at her. “Yes, they do well, and I have done well enough. I don’t rob banks or anyone’s homes to get it. I do work for it.” She seems to feel better about my answer. I move my hands underneath her coat and get in close to get personal with her. “What do you say we get this hot tub going and enjoy ourselves?”
“I didn’t bring a bikini or a swimsuit of any kind.”
“Who said you needed one?” She fights me on the idea for a while, but a little kiss here, a removal of this and that with another kiss, a persuasive feel of her body against mine, and I am able to lift her out of the cabin and out into the steaming, bubbling water. She claims not to be an exhibitionist, but the moment my dick slides into her, she rises up and leans back with her breasts bouncing in the cool night air. Her nipples go hard and call out to me. The steam from the water rises and envelopes our nude bodies, heating up our already wet skin. Wrapping her long legs around me, I lift her up out of the water and hold her against the side. She lies back onto the seat of the tub, and I begin to get a craving. “Turn around for me,” I whisper, giving her the choice. Austin kisses my lips, turns, leans down, and sticks her ass out at me with a bite of her bottom
lip. I feel up the back of her legs and down in between them, spreading her just like I want her. Taking hold of her hips, my perfectly erect tool dives in against the bare cheeks of her ass and into her pussy with throbbing pleasure. I nearly explode but, instead, grab her ass and smack it hard to give her encouragement to push back onto me.
Austin looks back at me with her pouty lips, “Dace.” She moans.
I lean down over her back, feel up her breasts, taking those beautiful lips in and then lick the water off of her neck with a deep push of my cock inside of her. She moans, and I feel her tighten. “Let me help you come.” I slide my hand down, tickling her clit with my finger. “Come Baby, I want a feel you come hard.” She gasps as her body begins to shudder. She becomes so wet that I crave having my own release even more. With her bent over, I hold her hips still and fuck her so hard that she screams her pleasure into the night with wild abandon, causing us to gain some attention. Our sudden audience doesn’t force me to stop; I come proudly. Rory Aksakov, I’m sure, can’t make us out fully with the surrounding steam, but he certainly can make out the smile on my bright face.
Once Austin is sound asleep, I sneak out of bed and meet up with Antony who has been staying in the nanny suite attached to the back of the house. He has been listening in on Aksakov and waiting for our friend to show. “Any sign of him?”
“Sounds like something is going to happen tomorrow night; he is expecting a dinner guest,” Antony says, handing me some headphones to hear what he is referring to.
“I will have everything ready by seven. We can meet after that. Just make sure you have my payment,” Scott says.
“I’ll have it. I will even provide dinner, but if you bring me shit, then I will make sure your dinner is poisoned,” Rory says.
I take the headphones off and hand them back to Antony. “So maybe I need to borrow some spices for dinner?”
“From what I am hearing through the walls, you have got enough spice. You need some cold water and cool your dick off. I am not sure how you can concentrate on work.”
“Don’t worry, little brother. I’m concentrating just fine … on everyone.”
“Okay, but how about we take the easy route and cut Scott off before he gets to the house full of armed guards?”
“You always want to take the easy route,” I laugh, agreeing to his plan.
Austin is happily playing with me as I take a shower, and I am rather enjoying her teasing, but I have to be careful not to get too excited. I need to make an excuse here soon and leave for a little while, and I’d prefer to do it without a hard on. “Hey, watch the hands. I am trying to clean up nice for you.”
“Why bother? Let’s have fun.”
I wrap my arms around her and kiss her lips gently. “I want to make a nice dinner for you, and I need to go out and get a few things to do that.” I kiss her forehead and step back. “So, I need to calm down in order to fit into my pants. They prefer you dressed when you’re in public around here.”
She sighs, relinquishing her pursuit of me. “Oh, actually, I could use a few things too. We can both go and maybe do a little shopping in town?”
“Oh. Well… I was really hoping to go and get back as soon as possible. We could go shopping tomorrow if you like? Yeah, it will be better tomorrow. The afternoon is when all the stores are open. Most of the ones you want will be closing by the time we get there now.”
“They close early here, huh?”
“Yeah, most tourists don’t spend the nights shopping here.” I nudge her. Cornering her, I hover around her. “Stay here, relax, and enjoy the quiet because when I get back …” I lean into her ear. “We are going to be busy making a lot of noise,” I whisper to her instant smile.
Austin isn’t easy to say goodbye to, but I somehow manage to get away and meet up with Antony. There is one road into this area, and thankfully, we know the time Scott will be coming down it. Antony waits with the hood of his car up and parked in the middle of the road to make sure the asshole has no choice but to stop and help him. The plan seems simple, but Scott is no ordinary passerby. He would rather kill you than bother with helping you do anything. To prevent anything from going wrong, I wait nearby but out of sight.
“Antony, the signal from Scott’s phone has him heading this way. He should be coming over that hill any minute now. Are you sure you are okay to do this?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Dace. Stop worrying about me,” he says, already acting out his fussing over his car and in good time. Scott heads his way and slows down with some obvious cursing. He is not one to help out of the goodness of his heart, but in this case, he has no choice.
He slams his fist against his steering wheel and gets out. “What the fuck are you doing in the middle of the road, you stupid fuck? Pull the damn car over to the side.”
“I’m sorry. I would, but I can’t do it by myself.” Antony amps up his inner gay and plays helpless.
“A motherfucking fag! Awesome.” Scott slams his car door shut, walks over to Antony, and pushes him out of the way. “Move Peter-Puffer!” Scott gets in and puts the car into neutral before getting out and shoving Antony in the car. “Now drive the fuck over there while I push.” Antony does so, but as soon as Scott starts to push, Antony starts the car and backs up into the ass.
I run out, exasperated, and make sure to hold my gun on Scott who is lying on the ground, screaming in pain.
“You dumbass! What the fuck is wrong with you!?” he yells until he sees me.
Antony gets out of his car, comes over, and kicks the shit out of Scott. “Want to call me a name, asshole?! Go ahead, call me a few other things! Go ahead!” Antony enjoys himself for a while before I pull him back. “What are you stopping me for?!”
“Because we need him to tell us a few things.”
“I ain’t telling you fucks nothing,” Scott spits out with the blood in his mouth.
“Oh I think you are. Otherwise, my brother is going to do some really nasty things to you and your son, Sam, is it? I hear he is now getting his business going too.”
Scott jumps up in anger. “Don’t talk about my son. I’ll kill you both, rip your bodies into a million pieces, and feed them to my pet rat. Who the fuck do you think you are?”
I step into his face. “My name is Dace Colletto.”
Scott steps back with wide eyes. “Dace?” He looks over at Antony.
“Yeah, dumb fuck, I’m Antony Colletto.”
Scott falls to his knees in front of us. “I thought you both were dead. Your father said you died with your mother.”
“What are you giving Aksakov, Scott?”
He holds his head down. “They are paying me for the key codes to enter Michael’s headquarters and homes. They want to destroy his campaign before he becomes any more popular.”
Scott makes an odd movement and suddenly he pulls a gun from his ankle. Before I can pull the trigger, Antony pulls his and kills him instantly.
“Well that felt good,” he says.
“Good, now you can help me put him in his trunk and leave his car for Ettore’s men to come get him?” I say to him. “I have a dinner date I have to get back to, and did you get the items I asked for?”
“Yes, and yes. I found all the items on the list even though I didn’t know what half of them were. Thankfully, this very sweet man helped me find what I needed. I had to flirt a little bit, but I am sure you will repay the favor. Right?”
“Sure.” I smile happily, patting him on the back
“Dace, that ‘sure’ didn’t sound too sincere,” he teases as I grab my bag from his car and jump on my bike to go back to the cabin.
I open up the door and am greeted with a huge hug. Suddenly, I feel at home, and it has nothing to do with the cabin. “Hi Beautiful, miss me?” I ask, tossing my bag of groceries to the side for later.
“I did. Now let’s play.”
“What would you like to play, Trouble?”
“The one who pins the other one gets to decide who does t
he dishes.”
“Oh but Sweetheart, there’s a maid for that.”
“Hm, then let’s just fight for … clothes.” She punches me in the gut and runs off with my belt.
“Quick hands, but mine are quicker.” I chase after her, laughing along with her as we play. She’s fun and comforting. Even through dinner we enjoy pretending, pretending we are other people—without secrets.
The beauty around us is serene and placid, but as great as it is, having Austin in my arms with her bare breasts pressed against my chest and her perfectly rounded ass out for me to admire, is the ideal moment—the moment I never thought would happen to me. Though she lies here with me, I crave more. I crave her eyes and her lips, and the feeling of her legs wrapped around my waist, but mostly, I crave her arms and the heaven that I find within them. No one has made me feel so at peace as she. She suddenly moves and wakes up to smile up at me.
“Hi,” I say simply, playing with her long blond hair that flows down her back.
“Hi. I missed you.”
I laugh, “You missed me? When? I’ve been right here.”
“No, in my dreams. You weren’t in them, and I missed you, so I woke up to find you again.”
Her sweet words cause the blood from around my heart to flow with a greater warmth than I ever thought possible. I lift her face up to mine and kiss her. “I’m sorry. I will never be absent from your life or your dreams again. I will follow you everywhere, even into the clouds of your fantasies.” I reach over to my bag and pull out a leather necklace with a carved wooden elephant attached and put it around her neck. “Keep this near your heart, and I will be able to find you wherever you go.”