“Gauge,” she whispered, cupping his cheek.
He kissed her hard, pressing his hard cock against her quivering pussy. She spread her legs wider, willing him inside her. But he pulled back, ripping a condom from its pack and sliding it down over his shaft. She gasped at the size of it, seeing it fully erect for the first time. She licked her lips and groaned when he pressed the head of it against her opening.
He rubbed his cock back and forth over her wetness, kissing her neck just behind her ear. He slid against her opening but held still.
“Are you ready, baby?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she breathed under his wide chest, holding him close.
“Tell me to stop if it hurts,” he whispered.
Gauge pushed forward, sliding into her tight channel. Lola gasped at the size of it, stretching her around him. She moaned and he pulled back, just to slide in again, just a bit deeper. She grasped at his back, encouraging him to continue. He pushed further and she shucked in a deep breath through her teeth. It smarted.
Gauge stopped, pulled back and kissed her, rubbing his thumb over her clit. He sucked her nipples and then slid deeper, this time, pushing all the way through.
She groaned and clung to him, knowing he’d taken her. Lola dug her newly painted nails into his back and dragged them across his flesh. Gauge sucked a breath in her ear.
“Yeah baby,” he whispered. “I like it.”
Lola moaned and giggled, arching under his powerful hips. He pulled back and drove into her, thrusting fully for the first time. Lola’s eyes rolled back in her head at the intensity of it. Suddenly her body was alive with a completely new awareness. Lola looked up into his face and bit her lip, wanting so much more of what he could give.
“I like that,” she breathed.
“Oh yeah?” he said, pulling back to thrust again.
This time he didn’t stop. Lola mewled as his hips moved in a rocking rhythm into her softness. Her breasts bounced from the impact, and he sucked them into his mouth, one after the other. Lola put her arms back behind her head, riding the waves of pleasure that were Gauge. His powerful hips dove into her, bringing her closer and closer to a totally new kind of climax.
She gasped and her eyes went wide. A long moan flowed from between her lips and then she went silent. The pleasure seemed to have no bounds. The space between her and Gauge ceased to exist, and she was lost in the infinity of his body inside hers. He leaned down and kissed her neck, his teeth pressing hard against her tender flesh.
“I’m going to mark you,” he growled.
“Yes,” she groaned, but the last letter was cut off as he bit down on her neck.
Her body tensed and he thrust into her, making her come again. The bite sliced through her, awakening something beyond comprehension. She felt Gauge enter her soul, the mark binding them to each other in an eternal embrace.
He thrust again, this time, releasing his seed in a hot rush. Lola held him close, secure in his love for her. His teeth slowly retracted from her neck. Gauge withdrew and turned over onto his back as he held Lola against his chest.
He reached down and threw the condom in the garbage and then put both arms around Lola, kissing her on the head.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“Of course, I’m with you.”
She squeezed him harder and listened to his heartbeat under her ear. His strength and tenderness radiated from within him, and she felt bathed in his love. She closed her eyes, feeling their hearts and breaths synchronize. She knew that they were now as one.
17
They took their seats behind the district attorney in the Portland courtroom, and Gauge looked down into Lola’s face. Her eyes were shining as if she were holding back tears. Gauge squeezed her hand just a little more tightly to let her know that he was there for her.
She smiled weakly at him and watched the jury walk into the courtroom and take their seats.
"All rise for the Honorable Judge Cole," said the Bailiff. The judge walked into the room, wearing his black robe and took his seat at the bench. The courtroom was instructed to sit and everyone took their places.
The judge called the courtroom to order, and the attorneys for both sides gave their opening statements. As they listened to the defense lawyer give his statement, Gauge felt Lola bristle by his side.
Justin’s attorney was trying to make Justin look like some kind of cultural hero when in fact he was just a drug dealer and a terrorist. Gauge didn't want Lola to have to go through this, but he also knew she was strong enough. At the end she would be proud of herself for what she had helped accomplish.
Several experts gave testimony and then additional witnesses were called to the stand. It wasn't until later that Lola was finally called to give her testimony. Gauge squeezed her hand and smiled at her as she rose from her seat and walked down the aisle to be sworn in on the witness stand.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" the bailiff asked.
"I do," Lola said.
The judge invited her to sit, and she took her place in the witness stand. She was wearing the smart little skirt suit they had bought in Portland the day they’d gone shopping. Lola had put on some weight and was filling out her clothes attractively. Gauge couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked today, even with the pained and nervous expression on her face.
"State your name for the court," the district attorney said.
"My name is Lola Lockheart."
"And how do you know the defendant?"
"Justin Lockheart is my stepbrother. My mother married his father when I was ten years old."
"And how would you describe your relationship with Justin Lockheart?"
"I would describe my relationship with my stepbrother, Justin Lockheart, as being highly combative and abusive."
There was a stir in the courtroom as several people in the audience whispered. Justin himself growled beside his defense attorney.
"Could you describe these abuses you claim you suffered at the hands of your stepbrother, Justin Lockheart, the defendant?"
"When I was thirteen years old and he was twenty-three, he touched me for the first time in a sexually inappropriate manner."
"Was this the only time he touched you in this way?"
"No. When I was eighteen years old, the night after I graduated from high school, he sexually assaulted me by pushing me down on the ground, ripping off my shirt and masturbating on my chest."
"And after the incident on your graduation day, what happened?
"Justin promised me he would never assault me again. But I didn't believe him. Five years later he forced me to move up onto the compound where he cooks crystal in a cave. I was a prisoner there. He consistently threatened to rape or murder me if I ever tried to leave. He often suggested that he would allow the men to share me if I betrayed him in any way. The night the police raided the compound, he punched me unconscious. He told me that he was going to kill me."
"Thank you for that information Lola. I know this is hard for you." The prosecuting attorney said. "What can you describe of the crystal cooking operation headed by Justin Lockheart?"
"My position in the operation was to cut the crystal with other substances. I worked in the lab for approximately twelve hours a day, and was only given one day off a week. The living situation was horrendous. Last winter I got frostbite on two of my toes and thought I might lose them. I was starving for much of the winter, as were most of the men. The lab produced hundreds of pounds of crystal a week, which Justin had smuggled down the mountain and then aggressively sold it to the humans of Fate Mountain, causing an epidemic of drug addiction among the human population."
"Objection," the defence attorney said. "The witness is speculating."
"I will allow it," the judge said. "The witness has intimate knowledge of the activities of Justin Lockheart during his time at the compound."
"I have nothing further," the prosecuting attorney said. "Y
our witness."
Gauge could see Lola’s face darken as the defense attorney stood from his position beside her stepbrother. She leaned back slightly in her chair as the man approached the witness stand.
"You stated that you worked in the crystal laboratory at the compound." he said.
"Yes."
"You stated that you were kept a prisoner there," he continued. "Tell me, Ms. Lockheart, why would you stay if you disagreed with the production of crystal?"
"I told you, Justin threatened me. He threatened to rape and murder me if I tried to escape."
"Ms. Lockheart, we have evidence that you were a skilled outdoors woman. You could have easily left the compound at any time and made the ten mile hike down the mountain to safety. Why would you expect us to believe that you were not a willing participant in the manufacturing of crystal?"
"Objection," the prosecutor said. "The defense is badgering the witness."
"Watch yourself," the judge said to the defense attorney.
“I have no further questions for Ms Lockheart,” the defense attorney said. “I’d like to call Chris Cage to the stand.”
Lola left the witness stand as the young man who’d met Gauge down at the trail walked up to be sworn in. Chris took the stand and Lola sat beside Gauge, gripping his hand with her sweaty fingers.
“Chris Cage. How long have you known Lola Lockheart?” the defense attorney asked.
“Since elementary school.”
“And what can you tell us about her involvement in the Fate Mountain crystal operation?”
“Lola has painted herself as some kind of victim. But she’s anything but. Lola was actually the ringleader of the operation. Justin took orders from her. Lola worked tirelessly in the lab, processing the crystal for sale.”
“Objection, your honor. This witness was not included in pretrial disclosure,” the district attorney said. "I would like to ask for recess in light of this new evidence.”
"The court will recess until two p.m.," the judge said, knocking his gavel on to the desk.
Lola fell into Gauge’s arms. He knew she was holding back the tears and anguish. After everything she'd been through, someone was trying to frame her for Justin’s crimes. It couldn't get any lower than that
"It's going to be okay," Gauge said to Lola, rubbing her back.
"I can't believe that Chris would do this. We’ve known each other since first grade," she whispered into his chest as he held her.
People were wandering out of the courtroom and chattering loudly all around them, but they were in their own private space where nothing else could touch them.
"I'm so sorry you have to go through this," Gauge said into the top of her head.
They left the courtroom and went to lunch at a café around the corner from the courthouse. Lola could barely eat and Gauge couldn't blame her. She looked as if all of the blood had rushed out of her face and her hands were trembling as she picked at her sandwich.
They spent the rest of the afternoon in the hotel room they’d rented and finally went back to the courtroom later that day.
When they entered the courtroom and the judge brought the court back into session. Gauge squeezed Lola's hand and smiled, knowing that the prosecution had everything they needed to put Justin away for good.
"The prosecution would like to call Detective Gauge Stockwell to the stand."
Gauge stood from in the audience and walked up to the witness stand. He was sworn in and took his seat.
"Detective Stockwell," the prosecutor said. "You were the lead on this case, correct?"
"Yes."
“Did you see any evidence that Lola Lockheart was involved with the running of the operation?”
“Absolutely not. In fact, as soon as I arrived at the compound during my undercover investigation, the first thing Chris Cage told me was that Lola was not allowed to leave the compound.”
“Not allowed to leave? Can you explain?”
“Chris himself informed me that Lola wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone and she wasn’t allowed to leave. This led me to believe she was a captive there. Upon further investigation, I found out that it was indeed the case.”
"And can you tell me what else you found at the compound?”
"We found a fully functional crystal lab. The detailed documentation proving that Justin Lockheart was the ringleader of this operation has already been provided to the court. There are meticulous records in Justin's own handwriting outlining his entire operation.
“Aside from that, we also found a stockpile of nearly a thousand guns. Most were burnt in the raid but we were able to identify that the majority were not registered and were completely illegal. We did find another notably interesting weapon that was not burned in the munitions explosion. We found an unregistered handgun inside Justin Lockheart’s tent. This handgun matched the weapon used to murder Mrs. Lockheart eight years ago. It even still had bullets in the chamber that hadn't been changed since the same year of the shooting. The pattern matched the bullet shot at Mrs. Lockheart. It also had fingerprints matching Justin Lockheart on the handle and trigger. No other fingerprints were found."
"No further questions," the prosecutor said.
The defense attorney got up and asked Gauge several questions, trying to break through his testimony and rattle him. But he had a much harder time rattling Detective Bear than he had rattling Lola.
By the time the attorneys gave their closing statements, it was obvious to everyone in the room that Justin would be convicted for drug trafficking. He would also soon be tried again for murder.
Lola sat in stunned silence the entire rest of the trial from the time Gauge had brought the evidence of the handgun to light. When the judge excused the jury for deliberation, the audience was told that the court would reconvene in the morning.
Gauge and Lola went to their hotel room and tried to relax. Lola was in an agitated state all evening, pacing back and forth in the hotel room, talking about her suspicion that Justin had killed her mother all along.
Gauge was impressed at his mate's intuition, but he couldn't help but feel the tight agony that constricted her heart and made her want to weep with every pacing footfall she took.
"Come to bed now, babe," he said reaching out to her.
Finally, at midnight, Lola calmed down and climbed into the bed. She sniffled and cried silently beside him, he didn't try to stop her tears. He only held her until they both fell asleep late in the night.
The next morning, they showered and dressed and got ready for the day before getting a quick muffin and coffee on the way to the courthouse.
At nine a.m. the courtroom doors opened and everyone went inside. The judge called the court to order and asked the jury if they had come to a conclusion.
"We the jury find the defendant guilty as charged," the lead juror said.
There was an immediate reaction in the audience as people cheered. The judge hit his gavel to the bench and demanded order in the court.
"The jury has found the defendant guilty on all counts," the judge said. "For the crimes of drug trafficking and distribution, Justin Lockheart will be sentenced to thirty years in a federal penitentiary. For the crime of kidnapping and human trafficking," the judge continued. "Justin Lockheart will serve an additional twenty years." The judge hit his gavel to the bench. "This case is closed."
Lola and Gauge stood and held each other's hands as they walked out of the courtroom. Chris and the rest of the gang would soon bee tried and found guilty. He could feel her pulse pounding through her veins. As they stood on the court steps and everyone walked past them, Gauge looked down at Lola. He could feel her confused emotions stirring in her chest.
"They will prosecute him for your mother's murder," Gauge said. "He will serve no less than a life sentence."
"I can't believe it's finally over," Lola said. "I can't believe it finally came out that he killed my mom."
Gauge wrapped his arm around her shoulders, carefully helping her down
the court steps and into his truck that he had parked in a nearby lot. They'd already packed up their things in the truck and he immediately got on the highway and started to drive.
"I'm really free," she whispered through free flowing tears. "And I'm finally going home."
18
The news of Justin’s conviction spread quickly through Fate Mountain. The humans who had been his customers began flooding the Fate Mountain hospital, needing help with their withdrawals.
Many humans still blamed shifters for their problems, but for the most part, the community had come to a consensus that the introduction of crystal into the area had been bad for everyone. Humans and shifters alike. Justin’s promises that buying his drugs would fund a human revolution had been empty. Everyone saw that now.
Gauge couldn’t be happier to see Lola thriving. The summer was coming to a close and the locals were preparing for the last days of the summer celebration.
He and Lola had received an official invitation to the Fate Mountain Lodge’s end of summer celebration, and Gauge couldn’t wait to see all the Fate Mountain bears again.
They gathered their things and climbed into the truck, Lola telling Gauge that she wanted to go swimming during the BBQ. She’d worn her swimsuit under her dress, and he couldn’t wait to see her show off her healthy new curves. They drove across town to the Lodge and parked out front in the packed parking lot.
Gauge could feel the excitement in the air as they walked down the path around the side of the Lodge to the back yard where the patio and BBQ pits were located.
He could smell the scent of BBQ ribs and hamburgers filling the air. Famous bear chef Shane Keenan was at the grill, his adoring fans standing back to give the wild bear chef plenty of space.
Gauge squeezed Lola’s hand and smiled into her bright brown eyes. He adored her beyond anything he could have ever imagined and wanted to share his life in the community of shifters with his beloved mate.