Okay, I know it's late, but here's the next part finally since I have a spare moment to myself. And I'm sorry to post and run but it's late where I am, so I'll shout out next time. Sorry guys.
Part 19
Isabel looked over her shoulder at Maria who was in the very back of the Jeep, surrounded by her machines. Maria gave her a thumbs up before typing something on one of the keyboards. Seconds later Isabel could hear Liz’s voice over the headset she wore.
“Target acquired. We’re on our way.”
“Affirmative Manx,” replied Maria into her microphone.
She continued to watch the monitors while Isabel turned on the ignition. The moment Liz and Tess climbed into the back seat and closed the doors, Isabel put the Jeep into drive and pulled out onto the road.
There were a few tense moments until Maria finally pulled her headset off and spoke to them. “We’re clear! We did it!”
All of them sighed with relief before Liz let out an enthusiastic ‘whoop’ and gave Tess a high-five. As Maria powered down her computers, Isabel exchanged grins with them and even lifted one hand from the steering wheel to give them a high-five.
All four of them had reason to celebrate. This was the first successful mission of Team F, the felines. Sure, it was almost stereotypical since the guys team used dogs as code names, but it’s what they had agreed to use after Tess had come up with the idea.
The day after the three girls had talked at headquarters on the bunk beds, Maria had began working on a message to be sent through the information highway which would put out the word that there was a team for hire. And a few hours later, Liz had talked to Isabel about the new group the girls were putting together and the plans they had for the team.
Isabel was curious about the new team and asked Liz more questions, like what was each member going to contribute to the team. Needless to say, once she’d heard more, she’d asked if she could join and help them out. At first Liz said no because Isabel was just a civilian not trained in things like them.
Then Isabel had pulled out her ace in the hole. Turned out that Isabel had an uncle who used to be a race car driver who would take his favorite niece out for a spin or two despite her mother’s protest. Then once Isabel had gotten her license, she’d been allowed to drive her own race car, even though it was under her uncle’s watchful eye and not during a real race.
Needless to say she’d been practically raised around race cars since she had preferred to spend time with her uncle rather than with her mom. Of course, she had to take Liz out for a drive somewhere where there was virtually no traffic and way under the police radars.
Liz was impressed by Isabel’s driving, but decided to put her personal feelings about Isabel dating Alex aside the moment to ask Alex to test Isabel’s skills. Liz wanted to be sure Isabel really was good enough and stable enough to handle a job with the kind of pressure someone in their line of work would have.
So Alex took Isabel out and came back nearly speechless. He finally told Liz and the others that there really wasn’t anything he could teach Isabel that she didn’t already know about handling a car. In fact, he had liked the way she’d handled his car. It was as if she’d been born behind the wheel ready to take on the world. The only thing Alex said they had to worry about was if Isabel could be cool under fire.
Liz had never known Isabel to panic or fly off the handle and Alex agreed that what he already knew about Isabel made him think she might pull it off. They all knew the only way to find out was to put her in a real situation.
So after reminding her a few times that things could get dangerous and that it might be wise to learn some kind of self defense, they decided to let Isabel join. After all, no matter how many stories they told her in an attempt to let her see just how dangerous their jobs could get, Isabel never seemed to crack under their onslaught.
Once Isabel was allowed to join, things seemed to fall into place. Within two days the girls had come up with their code names and Maria had come up with a plan to post on the internet. Even the guys lent their support and advice to the girls, with the exception of Max.
He was still being the stubborn one, telling Liz it was a bad idea and too dangerous. Plus, he refused to give Liz any helpful advice like the others were doing. His constant warnings and nay saying got so bad that eventually Liz just stopped telling him anything about the group’s progress.
Michael was kind enough to let the girls plan their first mission and prepare everything they needed to at his house. Of the three guys, his place was the most central location, plus Kyle only lived in a small one bedroom apartment. The girls used his spare bedroom as their make-shift headquarters where Maria, with Kyle’s help, had managed to set up a workstation that could be taken apart at a moment’s notice just in case they needed to move.
Nearly five days after Maria had put the team’s advertisement that the were for hire on the web, she received an email at the account Kyle had helped her set up that someone wanted to hire the team. After checking it out and discussing it, they decided to go ahead and take the mission.
Once they’d accepted it, they were told they would have five days to carry it out. So they began to put together the best possible plan for the mission, then they began to practice several scenarios in Michael’s backyard.
So for the next two days, Michael and Kyle had worked with Liz, Tess, and Maria at his house while Alex took Isabel out for driving lessons. Isabel did work with the girls for the important parts, but they knew it was also important for her to train with a master at driving like Alex was.
He took her to a special course designed for training drivers that would be in situations such as the ones their teams were often in. The agency obviously had a training facility for almost anything, just like they had private hospitals and other organizations everywhere.
By the time the designated day came for them to carry out their mission, Alex believed Isabel was as good as she could get and all they could hope for at that point was that the mission went off without a hitch. For her part, Isabel was a little nervous but overall she was still in control of herself.
As the girls went to perform their mission, which required them to retrieve a stolen artifact from a mob boss who lived in a mansion that was better protected than Fort Knox, the three guys remained at Michael’s house as backup just in case they were needed. They only planned to interfere if it appeared that the girls were in deep trouble that they couldn’t get out of.
Knowing that Tess and Liz already had years of experience under their belts and Maria had already done a few missions with Team B, the guys trusted them to get the job done. Granted, Tess and Liz had more experience working alone rather than on a team, but the guys were hoping that was more than enough to get them through it.
Luckily for them, the girls had pulled off the mission without a hitch and as soon as Maria was certain they were in the clear, she’d not only announced it to the girls but sent word to the guys still anxiously awaiting news from them. As soon as Isabel pulled the car into Michael’s garage, the guys were there to congratulate them on a job well done.
Immediately after that, Maria and Kyle went into the spare bedroom to send a message that the artifact had been retrieved so an exchange could be made. As soon as the drop off location was given and everything had been arranged so that the team would get money wired to the account they’d set up once the artifact was returned, they all went their separate ways to celebrate.
********************************************************************************
Liz was the first to leave Michael’s house, heading to her place first before going over to Max’s. She knew he was expecting her to go over for a while. Basically, his body had healed without Kyle and Maria ever being able to discover what chemical had been injected to slow down the healing process.
The agency was already saying Max could return to work within a week since his last doctor’s visit had given him a clean bill. The doctor had even put Max’s body to the test through physical activities and said while Max was still a little sore, it wasn’t anything that would seriously deter Max from doing a good job.
As Liz let herself into Max’s place with the key he had given to her, she assumed he’d be asleep since the lights were off. However, the moment she passed the living room door, a lamp light went on. Liz stopped to glance into the room where she saw Max sitting in a lounge chair staring at her.
“Where were you?” he asked in a quiet tone.
Liz quickly put on the smile she always wore when she was trying to look as if she hadn’t been up to something. “Out doing the things I told you I was going to do.”
“I called your cell three times and left a message twice. Why didn’t you call back?”
Liz almost reached into her pocket on instinct, but caught herself before she could give anything away. “Really? My phone hasn’t rang all day.”
This time she reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone. “Oh no! It’s on silent.” As she pretended to scroll through her missed calls she added, “It looks like I accidentally set it to silent sometime in the afternoon.”
Max watched as she put the phone back into her pocket before she hoisted her bag higher on her shoulder. He remained silent for a few more moments before he slowly rose from the chair.
“You’re lying to me,” he said in that same quiet voice that told Liz he was about to become a storm.
“Max, I told you I’d…”
“I went over to Michael’s intending to visit with him while you were busy. Unfortunately he, Alex, and Kyle seemed to be too occupied with what they were listening to on their headsets to even hear the sound of my motorcycle…”
“You rode one of your bikes! Are you…”
“Don’t change the subject Liz! You and the girls formed that team, didn’t you? And somehow you got the three guys to help you all out in that crazy idea of yours!” he growled.
Liz didn’t respond to that since he’d just raised his voice. Instead, she looked him dead in the eye and waited for him to stop his tirade. When it looked like he was out of steam, she waited a few beats before she calmly spoke to him while never once losing eye contact with him.
“Yes, we formed a team. And yes, the guys were lending a hand. But they were only acting as backup and it was they who volunteered their services. We didn’t ask for anything other than some advice, but they wanted to help so we let them.”
Max narrowed his eyes and Liz could tell he was about to say something to dissuade her once more, but she beat him to it.
“Whether or not you like the idea of the girls and I forming our own team Max, we have done it. And right now, right here I’m telling you that you can bluster and growl all you want, but it won’t do you any good.” She paused for a moment before going on. “Our first mission was a success and because of that, we’re going to continue working together as a team. If you can’t accept that, then we don’t have anything else to say to each other.”
Max didn’t speak right away. Instead, he felt as if he was torn between wanting to strangle her and wanting to wrap his arms around her to protect her. In the end, he settled for something a little in between the two.
“Fine, have it your way. Obviously I can’t talk you out of this crazy idea of yours, but I’m not going to pretend that I’m all for it either. So, be a team but don’t you dare come crying to me when something goes wrong. Don’t say I didn’t warn you about the dangers of something like this.”
Liz nodded. “I know Max. Believe me, I know what I’m doing.”
He looked at her for a moment before turning and heading to his bedroom. “And don’t expect me to keep quiet when something does happen to you. You know I’m going to say I told you so.”
Liz heard that last remark even though it was mostly mumbled as he walked away from her. Frowning, she went after him with her own ammunition.
“Really? Cause I could say the same about you. I know the doctors said you couldn’t get back on a motorcycle until they gave you clearance. And you haven’t gotten that!”
She smiled in satisfaction when she saw Max’s shoulders tense slightly before he disappeared into the bedroom. Following right after him, she knew they weren’t finished with their argument. Then again, sometimes a good argument is what the two of them needed to get their blood going. Without a doubt, Liz knew they were both going to sleep good tonight.
********************************************************************************
It was not long after Liz left Michael’s house, that Alex and Isabel had left too. Since Kyle and Maria were still messing with the computers, Tess and Michael decided to keep themselves entertained by watching television while Alex and Isabel bid them all goodbye.
Alex drove Isabel home and listened to her talking excitedly all the way to her apartment. She was still high on the adrenaline rush as she opened the door to her place and Alex followed her in.
“God! That was such a rush Alex! I can’t remember the last time I felt this free!”
Alex chuckled. “I’m just glad it all worked out okay. I’m really proud of you Isabel.”
She grinned at him. “Thanks. So, this calls for a celebration and I just so happen to have a bottle of sparkling cider in the fridge. Care to join me?”
Alex laughed. “Tell you what, I’ll prepare the cider and you go change out of your work clothes, deal?”
Isabel leaned in to place a quick kiss on his cheek. “Deal.”
As he watched Isabel head for her bedroom, he smiled to himself. He was more proud of Isabel than he could ever really describe. He’d known she was nervous when she left for the mission even though she’d done her best to appear unfazed. And when she’d returned unharmed along with the rest of the group, his pride in her had known no bounds.
He knew how she was feeling because he could remember the first time he’d gone on his own mission and had it succeed. There was no doubt in his mind she’d be riding the adrenaline wave for quite some time.
He made his way into her kitchen to get the cider and two glasses for them to celebrate her success. He had spent a lot of time over at her place despite Liz’s threats and had gotten to know his way around Isabel’s place very well. Once he got the cider and glasses, he returned to the living room to wait for her.
It didn’t take long for her to join him on the couch. Dressed in a pair of cream cotton shorts and a red baby tee, she looked incredibly beautiful to him. In fact, if he didn’t know better, he’d think she’d dressed that way on purpose.
She smiled at him as she sat down next to him. “Good, you found the cider.”
“Yep,” he replied as he handed her a glass before opening the bottle.
She held her glass out for him to fill it before he filled his own and set the bottle down on the coffee table in front of him. Holding up their glasses, they clinked them together as Alex toasted her.
“Here’s to the completion of your first successful mission!”
She grinned. “To the first!”
They both took a drink from their glasses before Isabel set hers down.
“Thank you for coming over Alex. And thank you so much for helping us out when you really didn’t have to.”
Alex reached out and took her hand in his as he shrugged. “It was only natural for us to lend a hand. But I’m thinking you ladies will be able to handle yourselves on your own from now on. At least you’ve proved it to me.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You handled yourself very well in the car. I guess the only thing I have to worry about now is that you get the right training to defend yourself should you need to. But I’m going to hope you never need to.”
Isabel chuckled as she leaned closer to him. “Hm, well let’s hope I spend most of my time with you then.”
Alex smiled. “I don’t have a problem with that at all.”
She gave him a soft laugh as their faces came closer together. Looking into his eyes, she whispered. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” he whispered back right before their lips met in a kiss that quickly turned heated.
With her body still on the adrenaline rush from her mission, Isabel felt bolder than she usually was. Plus the fact that she’d talked excitedly about the mission all the way home had only fueled the fire. Now sitting on the couch with a man she knew she had feelings for, she suddenly felt much more free that she usually did.
As their kiss deepened, Isabel leaned her body closer to his making him lean back against the cushions. She ran her hands up his chest and around his neck before burying one hand in his hair.
Alex knew what Isabel was feeling. It was the same thing he felt every time he had a great mission. And he wasn’t naïve enough to think she was ready for what she thought she was. Granted, she felt wonderful in his arms and her body felt good pressed against his, but now wasn’t the time for them to take the next step.
As much as he would have liked to spend the night in her arms, he knew she wasn’t ready. So, mustering all the willpower he had, he gently pulled her arms from around him and sat upright until she’d moved back to her place next to him.
Frowning in puzzlement she looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
He sighed as he continued to hold her hands in his. “Isabel, as much as I want to do this with you…as beautiful as you are to me…I just don’t think you’re ready for that.”
“Alex, I want to…”
He placed a finger against her lips to stop her from making that mistake. “You think you do, but it’s the adrenaline rush talking Isabel. Trust me, honey I’ve been where you are now.”
She sat there not saying anything for a few moments which made him think she was getting upset. Finally she sighed before slowly nodding.
“You’re right. I know you’re right.”
Alex smiled as he cupped her cheek in his hand. “I want you to know though…when you’re ready, I’ll be there for you.”
She gave him her most dazzling smile. “Thank you Alex, for everything.”
He returned her smile with one of his own as he whispered, “Anything for you, my lady.”
In that moment as they shared an intimate hug, Isabel knew one truth. She was seriously falling for Alex Whitman, the reformed playboy.
TBC...
An Altered Existance(M/L,Adult)[COMPLETE]
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Shadowlynxbehr
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult)Pt18(pg9) 3/19
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"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
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Shadowlynxbehr
- Addicted Roswellian
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- Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2003 9:44 pm
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult) A/N 6/4
Part 20
Michael looked around the room, making sure everything was in place. Maria had called a few minutes ago to tell him she was on her way over. She had just finished a debriefing at the new headquarters that the girls had recently moved into.
It was a small office space in a high rise building which Isabel had procured for them using her financial and clerical smarts combined with Tess’ family money and Liz’s money she’d saved from her jobs. Since Tess’ father had been in the military and she’d been an only child, everything he’d had went to her upon his death. Her mother had left them when she was only two years old and there were no more surviving family members.
Granted, her father wasn’t rich, but he’d saved enough so that Tess had invested it and hadn’t touched it since she’d started working as an assassin. Suffice it to say, by the time the girls decided to start their own team, she had a tidy amount put away for whatever she wanted to use it for.
Liz had also managed to save up some of the money she’d earned on some of her missions although it wasn’t quite as much as Tess. Still with the money the two of them had, they were able to lease the small office space for the time being. Then they’d used Maria’s knack with bargaining and Isabel’s financial help to begin procuring the machines and other supplies they needed to fill their office with.
On top of that, the office was officially known as a computer repair shop. With Isabel acting as the secretary, Liz and Tess as the field technicians, and Maria as the head of the computer repair shop, it was the perfect cover for their real work. In no time at all, the girls had the place up and running and had been able to conduct several missions over the past few months.
For their part, the guys continued to support the girls but only interfered when asked to. Since Max was now back on the team with a clear release from the doctors, they had their own jobs to worry about now. That meant the girls were on their own, which suited them just fine.
Still, Michael continued to work with Maria when they were alone at his house and as the weeks and months had gone by, their closeness had grown. Every day he seemed to feel more proud of her accomplishments and it only seemed to intensify his feelings for her. It was precisely why he was now getting ready to make the next move with his girlfriend.
As he finished cleaning up the living room, he heard Maria putting her key into the lock. Taking a deep breath, he mustered up his courage and went to meet her as she opened the door.
She smiled the moment she saw him. “Hi sweetie,” she greeted as he moved to give her a hug.
“Hi. How was your day?”
Maria chuckled. “Oh, you know. Same old, same old.”
Michael grinned and raised an eyebrow. “That easy, huh?”
She shook her head. “Not that it was hard, but you know how tense any situation like that is going to be.”
He nodded. “True, but I take it there weren’t any problems.”
“Nothing we couldn’t handle.”
He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Good to hear.”
She smiled as he led her into the living room and pulled her down to sit next to him on the couch. Before he said anything, she glanced around the living room and grinned.
“My, my. Someone was busy, you cleaned the place up good!”
Michael gave her a soft smile. “Yeah, I kinda had something on my mind so cleaning helped me sort it out.”
“Really? Do you want to talk about it?” she asked with a concerned note in her voice.
He slowly nodded. “Yes, um do you mind if I just talk for a moment?”
She shifted on the couch to better face him and took both of his hands in hers. “Go ahead, I’ll listen.”
Michael looked down at their hands for a few moments as if gathering his thoughts before he finally looked into her eyes. It was a few more heartbeats before he started talking.
“Maria, I just wanted to tell you… um, I just wanted to let you know that I’m really proud of you. Of how far you’ve come in these past few months. I mean, would you have ever thought that you could go from a shy, quiet librarian to the woman you are now?”
As a faint blush began to creep over Maria’s cheeks, he continued on. “I look at you now and I see a strong, independent and intelligent woman. And I see how you control and use your telekinetic powers and how good you are at it. I know it wasn’t all my doing, but I’m glad I was along for the ride. To see you grow and mature the way you have. To see you take the shy and quiet girl you were and make it into the stealthy woman you are now . It makes me proud to be a part of your life.”
When he finally paused, she gave his hands a squeeze and whispered, “thank you Michael. I’m glad you’re here with me too.”
He reached up to caress her cheek as he lowered his voice. “And I hope to be here with you for a very, very long time.”
As she smiled at him, he reached a hand behind him to fish something out of the couch. “In fact,” he said as he turned back around to face her. “I’m hoping to make it permanent.”
With those words, he held up the small velvet box he’d been eager to present to her.
Maria’s eyes went wide as she saw the diamond winking at her from the opened box. The diamond was cut in a shape resembling a cat’s eye with a tiny emerald stone set on either side of it. It wasn’t hard for her to get the symbolism he’d been going for.
“Maria?” he asked before waiting for her to look up at him.
“Maria DeLuca, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she breathlessly replied before he’d even finished the question. “Oh yes Michael, I’d love to!”
With a huge smile, Michael removed the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger as she held out her hand to him. As soon as it was on, Maria held up her hand and wiggled her fingers admiring the ring.
She looked up at him with misty eyes. “Oh Michael, it’s perfect!”
“Not as perfect as you are to me,” came his heartfelt reply.
She gave him a dazzling smile before pulling him into a hug. As she whispered an “I love you, Michael” into his ear, she knew without a doubt that it would always be true.
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Tess lifted her hand and deflected the arc of electricity a few seconds before it managed to hit her. From the other side of the room she heard someone let out their breath. Turning in her chair, she saw Kyle running his hand through his hair.
“Whew, for a moment there I was worried.”
Tess arched her eyebrow. “You were worried. I thought you could feel electricity before it struck just like I can? Don’t the hairs on your skin stick up like mine do?”
He nodded as he made his way to her side. “Yeah, but I react as soon as I feel it. You seemed to delay a bit there.”
She winked at him. “Sometimes it’s good to throw your enemy off.”
He grinned as he plopped into the chair next to her. “Well then, I’m glad I’m not your enemy.”
She gave him a smile before turning back to the computer screen in front of her with a frown. Kyle simply sat there and watched her as she tried to figure out how to work with a computer. Tess could do the basic things with a computer, like checking email or surfing the web. Things that most people could do in their day to day business. However, she wasn’t a computer whiz the way Kyle was. Even Maria was better at it than her.
Still, she was hoping she could learn more about them in the hopes that it could benefit someone with her powers the way it tended to benefit Kyle. When she wasn’t busy with her team and Kyle with his, she spent time trying to learn more about computers and her powers with Kyle’s help.
Despite them spending that time together working on honing their powers, there were also plenty of times when the two of them went out together. Even with the time spent together in which they got to know more and more about each other she was still in denial. No matter how much fun she had with him or how much he made her smile and enjoy herself, she was still wary of letting their budding relationship go further.
For his part, Kyle was a patient guy. He enjoyed being with Tess and loved the conversations they often had about the things they had in common. He had been amazed that they had more in common than even he had thought. Plus, Tess liked to go out and have fun. And now that he knew he could dance, the two of them liked going dancing together.
Honestly, Tess had taught him a lot of things in the time they’d been dating and he knew he’d even taught her some things too. Kyle knew without a doubt that his feelings for Tess were growing deeper. He’d already gone past the point of his attraction to her being based solely on her looks.
He knew he was falling in love with her for the way she made him feel when she was with him. He liked the way the two of them could have fun together and the way they could talk about anything as if they’d known each other for years. He no longer felt like she was out of his league and didn’t feel flustered when trying to strike up a conversation with her.
Even with all of that, he knew she was still hesitant about him. He couldn’t blame her. After all, she was older than him and he knew without a doubt that she’d experienced so much more than he ever had. He’d lived a sheltered life even after his powers had come into play.
She’d been a military brat traveling all over the world with her single father. A father who had treated her more like a son than anything else. With such a militant father and growing up on various bases, she’d learned things most normal girls wouldn’t have learned if they’d had someone else to care for them.
However, she had seemed to grow into more of a woman than most people would have expected. And Kyle was hoping that it would be the feminine side of her that would look past the age and worldly experience to see the companionship and care he was willing to give her.
“Damn it! I swear computers don’t like me!” Tess hissed at the screen as it refused to cooperate with her.
Kyle leaned in to see what she’d been working on. It took him a few minutes before he sat back and looked at her. “What are you trying to do?”
“I’m trying to put this program into it, but it seems to be stubborn.” She handed him the sheet she’d been working with.
He looked it over before looking at the screen again. Once more he sat back and nodded. “Okay, why don’t you start over from the beginning…”
“I did that already, but the computer is stub…”
“It’s a machine Tess. It doesn’t have feelings. Even when I rant at it, it doesn’t get its feelings hurt.”
She sighed. “I know, I know. I’m just getting impatient again.”
He gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. “Start from the beginning again and maybe this time we can catch what went wrong the first time.”
Tess nodded as he handed her the paper back and she tried the program from the beginning. This time he sat and watched her do the entire thing and when she got to the part that had gone wrong, he glanced at the papers she had making her stop what she was doing.
She leaned over to look as his finger trailed over the paper until it reached a certain point. The moment it did, her eyes went wide.
“Oh my God! That’s it, isn’t it! That’s what I was forgetting to do!”
Kyle smiled up at her. “I don’t know, why don’t you try it and see?”
She nodded enthusiastically as she turned back to the computer and continued working. Sure enough once she’d caught her mistake and continued on, the computer finally began to run the program she’d put in.
She gave a squeal of delight before wrapping her arms around Kyle and kissing him soundly. He chuckled as she pulled away even while she remained slightly in his lap.
“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I was so close to frying that machine!”
He tsked. “Well then I think you should keep me around for a while huh?”
She blinked at him for a moment before she broke into a sultry grin. “Why Kyle Valenti, I just might take you up on that offer.”
“Whoa! Hold on a minute there! There’s to be none of that hanky panky in here while there are others in the building!” came Alex’s cheery voice.
Both of them turned to see Alex and Isabel walking into the room, hand in hand. Alex had his normal good-natured smile on his face while Isabel was giggling behind her hand.
Tess tsked them before she gave Kyle another quick kiss on his cheek and moved back into her chair. “I was only thanking him for helping me figure this thing out.”
“Really? That’s not what it looked and sounded like from here,” teased Alex.
“Alex, leave her alone. Just congratulate her for figuring out how to work with the computer, huh? She’s gonna be as good as Maria and I pretty soon.”
Tess gave him a smile. “Thanks Kyle, but I don’t think I’ll be that good. Still it’s nice to know some things.”
“So, what are you two doing here?” asked Kyle.
Alex shrugged. “Michael called me and said to meet him at headquarters because he needed to talk to me.”
“Really? Any idea what it’s about?”
“None whatsoever.”
“Hi guys! Anyone seen Maria?” asked Liz as she and Max walked into the room.
They all shook their heads, but before anyone could say anything, Michael walked into the room and rubbed his hands together.
“Oh good, everyone’s here!”
They all turned to see Michael walking towards them with a huge grin on his face and an equally excited Maria besides him.
“Hey Maria, why’d you want to meet me here?” asked Liz.
“Oh I figured this was the best place to tell you since I knew Tess and Isabel would be here too.”
Isabel exchanged puzzled glances with Alex. “How did you know I was going to be here?” she asked.
“Because Michael asked Alex to meet him here and we knew you’d come with him.”
Tess looked around the room before looking at Michael. “And Maria asked Liz to meet her here which meant you knew Max would come with her.”
Michael chuckled.
“And of course no one had to call Tess or me since it was already a given we’d be here, huh?”
Maria grinned. “Well, now. It seems you and Tess think alike too!”
Tess and Kyle glanced at each other before looking away with embarrassed smiles on their faces.
“Okay, now that we know that you two wanted everyone here, would you mind telling us why?” asked Max.
Michael nodded. “Yeah, why don’t you take a seat and we’ll tell you.”
As soon as the others had found places to sit, Maria moved to stand next to Michael and took his hand in hers. He gave it a gentle squeeze before looking at the others. “I’ve got some good news! I asked Maria to marry me…”
“…and I said yes!” Maria finished as she held out her hand with the engagement ring on it.
For a moment or two there was only silence before Isabel squealed and rose from her seat to hug Maria. “Oh my God!” She moved over to Michael as she continued. “Congratulations you too!”
Kyle stood up from his seat which was right next to where Michael was standing and held out his hand to Michael. “Congrats man, it’s good to see you happy.”
As Tess was congratulating Maria, Alex walked up to Michael and clapped him on the shoulder. “Way to go Michael, wish you two the best.”
Liz waited until everyone else had congratulated the two before she walked over to Maria. She leaned in and gave her a hug. “I’m happy for you Maria. I know you and Michael will be great together.”
Maria returned her hug. “Thanks, Liz.”
Liz nodded as she turned to give Michael a hug too. “Congratulations Michael, you’re getting a great girl.”
Michael smiled at her. “Thanks, don’t I know it.”
As the girls gushed over Maria’s ring, Max made his way up to Michael. “Can I talk to you and the rest of the team for a minute?”
The guys gave Max puzzled looks. “You want to have a meeting right now?” asked Kyle.
At Max’s nod Alex replied, “Come on man, can’t it wait? We should be celebrating Mike’s future.”
Max hissed through gritted teeth. “That’s precisely what we need to talk about!”
Michael sighed. “Max, I’ve made my decision…”
“I know you have, but have you even thought about what it’s going to do to the team? This isn’t something you can take lightly Michael. It’ll affect all of us!”
Kyle shook his head. “I don’t understand, how does Michael getting married affect the team.”
Max glared at the three of them. “What are you? Idiots? You’re all members of an elite secret assassination team! You know the rules!”
At his words, the girls stopped talking and turned to look at him. With a frown Liz made her way to Max’s side.
“What’s going on, Max?”
Without taking his eyes from Michael he answered, “Nothing, this is something the team has to talk about.”
Michael stared right back at Max. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’ve made my decision.”
Alex stepped in. “Look Max, we’ll deal with this okay? But right now isn’t the time to discuss it.”
“There really isn’t a right time to discuss it, is there? It should have been discussed before you even asked her!” snapped Max.
Maria moved to stand next to Michael and raised her head. “You want to just come out and tell us why you seem to be the only one against this, Max?”
Before Max said anything, Tess interrupted. “It’s not that he’s against it, Maria. It’s that it’s a little unusual for an assassin, especially one like Michael is, to have a life outside of this job. I mean, there are very good reasons why people like us don’t get tangled up in complicated relationships.”
Maria looked at Tess. “So, you’re not exactly happy about this either?”
Tess opened her mouth but seemed at a loss for words, so Alex spoke up. “We’re all happy for you two Maria. A little worried, but happy.”
Michael, who had been in a staring contest with Max squeezed his fiancé’s hand. “What they mean is that someone in my line of work leaves himself openly vulnerable when he becomes emotionally attached to someone.”
“Aren’t we all already emotionally attached to each other?” asked Isabel.
Alex sighed. “This is different.”
“How is this different?” whispered Maria.
“It isn’t,” replied Michael.
Max growled at him. “This is going to disrupt the sync our team has built, Michael and you know it!”
“Max…” started Alex.
“Don’t Alex!” he snapped. “You know as well as I do that having a married member on a team like ours is going to mess up everything. He won’t be able to concentrate on his job without thinking of her too!”
“I know what I’m doing Max,” replied Michael in a calm voice.
“Do you? Are you willing to risk everything for this?”
Liz reached out to place a hand on Max’s arm. “Max, just let it go for now.”
Max snatched his arm away from her as he snapped at Michael. “You knew the rules Michael. Everyone who signs up for this knows that emotional commitments are the bane for anyone in a job like ours.”
He glanced at Maria before finishing. “And you know that if this gets out, they will use her against you! Are you prepared for that?”
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and stormed out of the room. The others watched him leave, but Liz was the first to break the silence.
She gave Michael then Maria another hug. “Don’t listen to him. We are all happy for you two! I know you’ll both be happy together.”
Maria gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks Liz.”
Liz nodded and congratulated them one more time before heading out after Max. The others remained behind and continued to congratulate Michael and Maria, turning the mood into a festive one once more.
********************************************************************************
“Max! Max wait up!” called Liz as she ran after a swiftly walking Max.
He reached his bike and swung his leg over it before glancing up at a heavily panting Liz who was now standing besides him.
“Forget it Liz, I’m not going to congratulate them.”
Liz took a deep breath. “They’re good for each other Max.”
He shrugged. “That won’t save them you know.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “God, you are so….uh, I don’t know what!”
Max turned his bike on and glanced up at her. “You coming?”
She sighed. “Maybe he’s thinking of moving on Max.”
Max didn’t say anything as he shifted the bike and kicked up the kickstand.
Liz shook her head as she slid on behind him. Leaning forward, she spoke into his ear. “Look, I’m not saying marriage is for everyone, but I can’t condone Michael for wanting that. After all, he was the one who asked her, so it must mean he’s ready for that commitment. All we can do is support him because it’s what will make him happy.”
Max revved the bike before turning to look at her over his shoulder. “Yeah, but how long do you think the happiness will last before something destroys it?”
Liz couldn’t answer that because Max chose that moment to peel out of his parking space, racing through the underground garage and out into the road.
TBC...
Michael looked around the room, making sure everything was in place. Maria had called a few minutes ago to tell him she was on her way over. She had just finished a debriefing at the new headquarters that the girls had recently moved into.
It was a small office space in a high rise building which Isabel had procured for them using her financial and clerical smarts combined with Tess’ family money and Liz’s money she’d saved from her jobs. Since Tess’ father had been in the military and she’d been an only child, everything he’d had went to her upon his death. Her mother had left them when she was only two years old and there were no more surviving family members.
Granted, her father wasn’t rich, but he’d saved enough so that Tess had invested it and hadn’t touched it since she’d started working as an assassin. Suffice it to say, by the time the girls decided to start their own team, she had a tidy amount put away for whatever she wanted to use it for.
Liz had also managed to save up some of the money she’d earned on some of her missions although it wasn’t quite as much as Tess. Still with the money the two of them had, they were able to lease the small office space for the time being. Then they’d used Maria’s knack with bargaining and Isabel’s financial help to begin procuring the machines and other supplies they needed to fill their office with.
On top of that, the office was officially known as a computer repair shop. With Isabel acting as the secretary, Liz and Tess as the field technicians, and Maria as the head of the computer repair shop, it was the perfect cover for their real work. In no time at all, the girls had the place up and running and had been able to conduct several missions over the past few months.
For their part, the guys continued to support the girls but only interfered when asked to. Since Max was now back on the team with a clear release from the doctors, they had their own jobs to worry about now. That meant the girls were on their own, which suited them just fine.
Still, Michael continued to work with Maria when they were alone at his house and as the weeks and months had gone by, their closeness had grown. Every day he seemed to feel more proud of her accomplishments and it only seemed to intensify his feelings for her. It was precisely why he was now getting ready to make the next move with his girlfriend.
As he finished cleaning up the living room, he heard Maria putting her key into the lock. Taking a deep breath, he mustered up his courage and went to meet her as she opened the door.
She smiled the moment she saw him. “Hi sweetie,” she greeted as he moved to give her a hug.
“Hi. How was your day?”
Maria chuckled. “Oh, you know. Same old, same old.”
Michael grinned and raised an eyebrow. “That easy, huh?”
She shook her head. “Not that it was hard, but you know how tense any situation like that is going to be.”
He nodded. “True, but I take it there weren’t any problems.”
“Nothing we couldn’t handle.”
He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Good to hear.”
She smiled as he led her into the living room and pulled her down to sit next to him on the couch. Before he said anything, she glanced around the living room and grinned.
“My, my. Someone was busy, you cleaned the place up good!”
Michael gave her a soft smile. “Yeah, I kinda had something on my mind so cleaning helped me sort it out.”
“Really? Do you want to talk about it?” she asked with a concerned note in her voice.
He slowly nodded. “Yes, um do you mind if I just talk for a moment?”
She shifted on the couch to better face him and took both of his hands in hers. “Go ahead, I’ll listen.”
Michael looked down at their hands for a few moments as if gathering his thoughts before he finally looked into her eyes. It was a few more heartbeats before he started talking.
“Maria, I just wanted to tell you… um, I just wanted to let you know that I’m really proud of you. Of how far you’ve come in these past few months. I mean, would you have ever thought that you could go from a shy, quiet librarian to the woman you are now?”
As a faint blush began to creep over Maria’s cheeks, he continued on. “I look at you now and I see a strong, independent and intelligent woman. And I see how you control and use your telekinetic powers and how good you are at it. I know it wasn’t all my doing, but I’m glad I was along for the ride. To see you grow and mature the way you have. To see you take the shy and quiet girl you were and make it into the stealthy woman you are now . It makes me proud to be a part of your life.”
When he finally paused, she gave his hands a squeeze and whispered, “thank you Michael. I’m glad you’re here with me too.”
He reached up to caress her cheek as he lowered his voice. “And I hope to be here with you for a very, very long time.”
As she smiled at him, he reached a hand behind him to fish something out of the couch. “In fact,” he said as he turned back around to face her. “I’m hoping to make it permanent.”
With those words, he held up the small velvet box he’d been eager to present to her.
Maria’s eyes went wide as she saw the diamond winking at her from the opened box. The diamond was cut in a shape resembling a cat’s eye with a tiny emerald stone set on either side of it. It wasn’t hard for her to get the symbolism he’d been going for.
“Maria?” he asked before waiting for her to look up at him.
“Maria DeLuca, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she breathlessly replied before he’d even finished the question. “Oh yes Michael, I’d love to!”
With a huge smile, Michael removed the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger as she held out her hand to him. As soon as it was on, Maria held up her hand and wiggled her fingers admiring the ring.
She looked up at him with misty eyes. “Oh Michael, it’s perfect!”
“Not as perfect as you are to me,” came his heartfelt reply.
She gave him a dazzling smile before pulling him into a hug. As she whispered an “I love you, Michael” into his ear, she knew without a doubt that it would always be true.
********************************************************************************
Tess lifted her hand and deflected the arc of electricity a few seconds before it managed to hit her. From the other side of the room she heard someone let out their breath. Turning in her chair, she saw Kyle running his hand through his hair.
“Whew, for a moment there I was worried.”
Tess arched her eyebrow. “You were worried. I thought you could feel electricity before it struck just like I can? Don’t the hairs on your skin stick up like mine do?”
He nodded as he made his way to her side. “Yeah, but I react as soon as I feel it. You seemed to delay a bit there.”
She winked at him. “Sometimes it’s good to throw your enemy off.”
He grinned as he plopped into the chair next to her. “Well then, I’m glad I’m not your enemy.”
She gave him a smile before turning back to the computer screen in front of her with a frown. Kyle simply sat there and watched her as she tried to figure out how to work with a computer. Tess could do the basic things with a computer, like checking email or surfing the web. Things that most people could do in their day to day business. However, she wasn’t a computer whiz the way Kyle was. Even Maria was better at it than her.
Still, she was hoping she could learn more about them in the hopes that it could benefit someone with her powers the way it tended to benefit Kyle. When she wasn’t busy with her team and Kyle with his, she spent time trying to learn more about computers and her powers with Kyle’s help.
Despite them spending that time together working on honing their powers, there were also plenty of times when the two of them went out together. Even with the time spent together in which they got to know more and more about each other she was still in denial. No matter how much fun she had with him or how much he made her smile and enjoy herself, she was still wary of letting their budding relationship go further.
For his part, Kyle was a patient guy. He enjoyed being with Tess and loved the conversations they often had about the things they had in common. He had been amazed that they had more in common than even he had thought. Plus, Tess liked to go out and have fun. And now that he knew he could dance, the two of them liked going dancing together.
Honestly, Tess had taught him a lot of things in the time they’d been dating and he knew he’d even taught her some things too. Kyle knew without a doubt that his feelings for Tess were growing deeper. He’d already gone past the point of his attraction to her being based solely on her looks.
He knew he was falling in love with her for the way she made him feel when she was with him. He liked the way the two of them could have fun together and the way they could talk about anything as if they’d known each other for years. He no longer felt like she was out of his league and didn’t feel flustered when trying to strike up a conversation with her.
Even with all of that, he knew she was still hesitant about him. He couldn’t blame her. After all, she was older than him and he knew without a doubt that she’d experienced so much more than he ever had. He’d lived a sheltered life even after his powers had come into play.
She’d been a military brat traveling all over the world with her single father. A father who had treated her more like a son than anything else. With such a militant father and growing up on various bases, she’d learned things most normal girls wouldn’t have learned if they’d had someone else to care for them.
However, she had seemed to grow into more of a woman than most people would have expected. And Kyle was hoping that it would be the feminine side of her that would look past the age and worldly experience to see the companionship and care he was willing to give her.
“Damn it! I swear computers don’t like me!” Tess hissed at the screen as it refused to cooperate with her.
Kyle leaned in to see what she’d been working on. It took him a few minutes before he sat back and looked at her. “What are you trying to do?”
“I’m trying to put this program into it, but it seems to be stubborn.” She handed him the sheet she’d been working with.
He looked it over before looking at the screen again. Once more he sat back and nodded. “Okay, why don’t you start over from the beginning…”
“I did that already, but the computer is stub…”
“It’s a machine Tess. It doesn’t have feelings. Even when I rant at it, it doesn’t get its feelings hurt.”
She sighed. “I know, I know. I’m just getting impatient again.”
He gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. “Start from the beginning again and maybe this time we can catch what went wrong the first time.”
Tess nodded as he handed her the paper back and she tried the program from the beginning. This time he sat and watched her do the entire thing and when she got to the part that had gone wrong, he glanced at the papers she had making her stop what she was doing.
She leaned over to look as his finger trailed over the paper until it reached a certain point. The moment it did, her eyes went wide.
“Oh my God! That’s it, isn’t it! That’s what I was forgetting to do!”
Kyle smiled up at her. “I don’t know, why don’t you try it and see?”
She nodded enthusiastically as she turned back to the computer and continued working. Sure enough once she’d caught her mistake and continued on, the computer finally began to run the program she’d put in.
She gave a squeal of delight before wrapping her arms around Kyle and kissing him soundly. He chuckled as she pulled away even while she remained slightly in his lap.
“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I was so close to frying that machine!”
He tsked. “Well then I think you should keep me around for a while huh?”
She blinked at him for a moment before she broke into a sultry grin. “Why Kyle Valenti, I just might take you up on that offer.”
“Whoa! Hold on a minute there! There’s to be none of that hanky panky in here while there are others in the building!” came Alex’s cheery voice.
Both of them turned to see Alex and Isabel walking into the room, hand in hand. Alex had his normal good-natured smile on his face while Isabel was giggling behind her hand.
Tess tsked them before she gave Kyle another quick kiss on his cheek and moved back into her chair. “I was only thanking him for helping me figure this thing out.”
“Really? That’s not what it looked and sounded like from here,” teased Alex.
“Alex, leave her alone. Just congratulate her for figuring out how to work with the computer, huh? She’s gonna be as good as Maria and I pretty soon.”
Tess gave him a smile. “Thanks Kyle, but I don’t think I’ll be that good. Still it’s nice to know some things.”
“So, what are you two doing here?” asked Kyle.
Alex shrugged. “Michael called me and said to meet him at headquarters because he needed to talk to me.”
“Really? Any idea what it’s about?”
“None whatsoever.”
“Hi guys! Anyone seen Maria?” asked Liz as she and Max walked into the room.
They all shook their heads, but before anyone could say anything, Michael walked into the room and rubbed his hands together.
“Oh good, everyone’s here!”
They all turned to see Michael walking towards them with a huge grin on his face and an equally excited Maria besides him.
“Hey Maria, why’d you want to meet me here?” asked Liz.
“Oh I figured this was the best place to tell you since I knew Tess and Isabel would be here too.”
Isabel exchanged puzzled glances with Alex. “How did you know I was going to be here?” she asked.
“Because Michael asked Alex to meet him here and we knew you’d come with him.”
Tess looked around the room before looking at Michael. “And Maria asked Liz to meet her here which meant you knew Max would come with her.”
Michael chuckled.
“And of course no one had to call Tess or me since it was already a given we’d be here, huh?”
Maria grinned. “Well, now. It seems you and Tess think alike too!”
Tess and Kyle glanced at each other before looking away with embarrassed smiles on their faces.
“Okay, now that we know that you two wanted everyone here, would you mind telling us why?” asked Max.
Michael nodded. “Yeah, why don’t you take a seat and we’ll tell you.”
As soon as the others had found places to sit, Maria moved to stand next to Michael and took his hand in hers. He gave it a gentle squeeze before looking at the others. “I’ve got some good news! I asked Maria to marry me…”
“…and I said yes!” Maria finished as she held out her hand with the engagement ring on it.
For a moment or two there was only silence before Isabel squealed and rose from her seat to hug Maria. “Oh my God!” She moved over to Michael as she continued. “Congratulations you too!”
Kyle stood up from his seat which was right next to where Michael was standing and held out his hand to Michael. “Congrats man, it’s good to see you happy.”
As Tess was congratulating Maria, Alex walked up to Michael and clapped him on the shoulder. “Way to go Michael, wish you two the best.”
Liz waited until everyone else had congratulated the two before she walked over to Maria. She leaned in and gave her a hug. “I’m happy for you Maria. I know you and Michael will be great together.”
Maria returned her hug. “Thanks, Liz.”
Liz nodded as she turned to give Michael a hug too. “Congratulations Michael, you’re getting a great girl.”
Michael smiled at her. “Thanks, don’t I know it.”
As the girls gushed over Maria’s ring, Max made his way up to Michael. “Can I talk to you and the rest of the team for a minute?”
The guys gave Max puzzled looks. “You want to have a meeting right now?” asked Kyle.
At Max’s nod Alex replied, “Come on man, can’t it wait? We should be celebrating Mike’s future.”
Max hissed through gritted teeth. “That’s precisely what we need to talk about!”
Michael sighed. “Max, I’ve made my decision…”
“I know you have, but have you even thought about what it’s going to do to the team? This isn’t something you can take lightly Michael. It’ll affect all of us!”
Kyle shook his head. “I don’t understand, how does Michael getting married affect the team.”
Max glared at the three of them. “What are you? Idiots? You’re all members of an elite secret assassination team! You know the rules!”
At his words, the girls stopped talking and turned to look at him. With a frown Liz made her way to Max’s side.
“What’s going on, Max?”
Without taking his eyes from Michael he answered, “Nothing, this is something the team has to talk about.”
Michael stared right back at Max. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’ve made my decision.”
Alex stepped in. “Look Max, we’ll deal with this okay? But right now isn’t the time to discuss it.”
“There really isn’t a right time to discuss it, is there? It should have been discussed before you even asked her!” snapped Max.
Maria moved to stand next to Michael and raised her head. “You want to just come out and tell us why you seem to be the only one against this, Max?”
Before Max said anything, Tess interrupted. “It’s not that he’s against it, Maria. It’s that it’s a little unusual for an assassin, especially one like Michael is, to have a life outside of this job. I mean, there are very good reasons why people like us don’t get tangled up in complicated relationships.”
Maria looked at Tess. “So, you’re not exactly happy about this either?”
Tess opened her mouth but seemed at a loss for words, so Alex spoke up. “We’re all happy for you two Maria. A little worried, but happy.”
Michael, who had been in a staring contest with Max squeezed his fiancé’s hand. “What they mean is that someone in my line of work leaves himself openly vulnerable when he becomes emotionally attached to someone.”
“Aren’t we all already emotionally attached to each other?” asked Isabel.
Alex sighed. “This is different.”
“How is this different?” whispered Maria.
“It isn’t,” replied Michael.
Max growled at him. “This is going to disrupt the sync our team has built, Michael and you know it!”
“Max…” started Alex.
“Don’t Alex!” he snapped. “You know as well as I do that having a married member on a team like ours is going to mess up everything. He won’t be able to concentrate on his job without thinking of her too!”
“I know what I’m doing Max,” replied Michael in a calm voice.
“Do you? Are you willing to risk everything for this?”
Liz reached out to place a hand on Max’s arm. “Max, just let it go for now.”
Max snatched his arm away from her as he snapped at Michael. “You knew the rules Michael. Everyone who signs up for this knows that emotional commitments are the bane for anyone in a job like ours.”
He glanced at Maria before finishing. “And you know that if this gets out, they will use her against you! Are you prepared for that?”
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and stormed out of the room. The others watched him leave, but Liz was the first to break the silence.
She gave Michael then Maria another hug. “Don’t listen to him. We are all happy for you two! I know you’ll both be happy together.”
Maria gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks Liz.”
Liz nodded and congratulated them one more time before heading out after Max. The others remained behind and continued to congratulate Michael and Maria, turning the mood into a festive one once more.
********************************************************************************
“Max! Max wait up!” called Liz as she ran after a swiftly walking Max.
He reached his bike and swung his leg over it before glancing up at a heavily panting Liz who was now standing besides him.
“Forget it Liz, I’m not going to congratulate them.”
Liz took a deep breath. “They’re good for each other Max.”
He shrugged. “That won’t save them you know.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “God, you are so….uh, I don’t know what!”
Max turned his bike on and glanced up at her. “You coming?”
She sighed. “Maybe he’s thinking of moving on Max.”
Max didn’t say anything as he shifted the bike and kicked up the kickstand.
Liz shook her head as she slid on behind him. Leaning forward, she spoke into his ear. “Look, I’m not saying marriage is for everyone, but I can’t condone Michael for wanting that. After all, he was the one who asked her, so it must mean he’s ready for that commitment. All we can do is support him because it’s what will make him happy.”
Max revved the bike before turning to look at her over his shoulder. “Yeah, but how long do you think the happiness will last before something destroys it?”
Liz couldn’t answer that because Max chose that moment to peel out of his parking space, racing through the underground garage and out into the road.
TBC...
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Shadowlynxbehr
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult)pt20(pg13)6/8
Part 21
*Three Months Later*
“Michael Guerin, you may now kiss your bride.”
As Michael leaned in to kiss Maria, their entire wedding party wore huge smiles. The moment they pulled apart and the reverend announced them as Mr. and Mrs. Guerin, the room erupted into cheers.
Maria turned to Tess, her Maid of Honor, to retrieve her bouquet before Michael offered her his arm and they walked through the room. Tess followed behind them on the arm of Michael’s Best Man, Kyle while Alex and Isabel took up the rear.
From her chair at the front of the room, Liz beamed at them all when they walked past her. She had declined to be a part of the wedding party since she knew how hard it would be for Michael to find someone to stand with her after Max had refused to be a part of the festivities.
Despite Max’s refusal, Michael had still sent an invitation to him, but it was apparent from his absence that he had chosen not to attend. It was because of Max’s refusal that Michael had asked Kyle to be best man and when Liz had told Maria that she was going to just attend the wedding, Maria asked Tess to be her Maid of Honor.
Liz wasn’t upset about it at all since she wasn’t really looking forward to being a part of all that wedding craziness. Still, she was there to help if needed despite the fact that they all knew Tess had it under control even with the short time frame.
After they had announced their engagement to everyone, Maria and Michael had decided to try for a wedding within five months. So when they found out that they could pull it all off in three months, they decided to go for it. They had managed to get a reverend and a suitable hotel to have both the small ceremony and reception in within that time.
Now three months later, the wedding had gone off without a hitch even with the glaring absence of Max Evans.
********************************************************************************
With the reception beginning to wind down Alex, Isabel, and Liz were sitting at a table enjoying themselves when Kyle sat down and joined them.
Looking at Liz he asked, “So, how’s Max these days?”
Liz raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. “Why are you asking me? I’m not the one who seems to be seeing him these days. That would be him,” she said as she pointed to Alex.
Alex raised his hands in submission, although technically it was true. Granted, Liz still saw Max if only for the few hours on the nights one of them wanted a little satisfaction. While she knew that was no way to get Max to open up to her, she couldn’t refuse him. She had convinced herself if she couldn’t get him to stay, at least she still had a piece of him.
There was also the fact that being on the team with the rest of the girls seemed to be taking up a lot of her time these days. In between that had been preparations for the Guerin’s wedding. So, there really hadn’t been much time to spend with Max.
While she and Max seemed to be growing apart, so had the team of guys. After Max’s words to Michael and Maria that day, Michael had tried to talk to Max once more alone. It hadn’t ended well between the two of them and the very next day Max had ended his part on the team with them to go at it alone.
The rest of the team had begun to drift apart too since Kyle had opted to spend most of his time helping out the girls team by acting as backup to Maria. Michael had mostly spent his time preparing for the wedding and fixing up his house to make it suitable for both him and Maria to live in together since Maria had said she liked his house better than her small one. Of course, she liked his because she thought having spare bedrooms and a huge backyard would come in handy for them one day.
Since the others had found things to do, Alex had seemed to drift when he wasn’t with Isabel. The girls didn’t really need his help since Isabel was extremely good at what she did. So when Max asked Alex if he’d help him out on mission requiring a backup, Alex had agreed to do it. After that, Alex helped Max out whenever he needed it and that was why Liz said Alex spent more time with Max than she did.
“He’s keeping himself busy with work,” was all that Alex would say.
“Uh huh,” replied Kyle. “My guess is all the missions our team was supposed to be getting is now going to him.”
Alex shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, the missions given to us had pretty much been meant to be team missions. The kinds of missions Max goes on can be handled by him alone. I only go when he calls me up and asks if I could be backup a time or two. Truth is, I’ll bet Max could handle even those alone, but it’s always nice to have a backup.”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, I can’t really imagine ever working alone on jobs like those. Too creepy for my tastes.” As he got up from his chair he continued, “Well, tell him hi for me will ya? I haven’t been able to catch him at home it seems.”
“He’s never really at home,” said Alex.
“Yeah, but I’ve left messages on his cell too. Guess he’s that busy. Just tell him I said hi.”
Alex nodded. “Will do.”
As Kyle walked away from the table, Alex exchanged uneasy glances with Liz. Kyle had just confirmed what both Alex and Liz had suspected, Max was distancing himself from everyone else too, not just Liz.
With a sigh, Alex started to get up from the table. “Well, I’m in the mood for some refreshment, anyone else want something to drink?”
Isabel smiled up at him. “I’ll take a club soda.”
“Of course, milady. Liz?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she grinned.
Alex chuckled. “Okay, that’s one club soda and vodka on the rocks coming up.”
The girls laughed as he began to make his way through the room towards the bar area. With the passing of time, Alex had learned to just be himself around Isabel and she never once judged him for it. If he wanted alcohol, she wasn’t going to condemn him for it even if it was something she didn’t drink herself.
Since they had learned to take each other’s differences in stride and still thought the world of each other, Liz had eventually set aside her wariness of Alex’s intentions and realized he really was a good guy. After all, if she could change why couldn’t he?
Liz glanced over at Isabel to see her smiling in Alex’s direction. She had to admit that Alex was indeed good for her best friend since Isabel seemed so much more radiant and alive these days. Not that she hadn’t been before, but lately there seemed to be that little something extra.
“Isabel?” Liz waited until she had her friend’s attention before continuing. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m really happy for you and Alex. I mean, I know I told you to watch out for him, but I get what you meant now. He truly is a great guy and I’m glad that he makes you happy.”
Isabel grinned as she took Liz’s hands in hers. “Thank you Liz, that means a lot to me. He really does make me happy.”
Liz gave her hands a squeeze. “That’s good. So, what are you two officially?”
Isabel giggled at Liz’s teasing voice. “We’re an exclusive couple.”
“Exclusive huh?”
Isabel nodded before leaning in to whisper. “Yeah, can you imagine Alex dating just me exclusively?”
“Well maybe not until recently, but I think I’m getting used to it.”
Isabel giggled again. “Oh Liz! And he’s still such a gentleman!”
Liz’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Um hm. Now don’t breathe a word of this okay?”
Liz nodded. “Promise.”
“Okay, back when we had our first mission I was really excited afterwards ‘cause we did so well right? That night at my place I really came on to him.”
“No!” she gasped, then added as an afterthought, “What happened?”
“He calmly stopped me from making a big mistake and told me that as much as he wanted me, he wanted to wait until we were both ready. He wants to do this right!”
Liz grinned, glad that Alex was still proving her wrong. “Aw!”
“I know! He’s such a sweetie!” gushed Isabel.
Liz nodded her agreement. “So, then you’re still…”
Isabel blushed. “Yes, I mean we’ve gotten to second base a few times, but honestly I don’t think we’re going to be there that much longer.”
Liz raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
Isabel sat back with a sigh. “I think I’m in love with him, Liz.”
With startling clarity Liz realized those words didn’t even raise her hackles. Instead, she gave Isabel an honest smile as she said, “I think he just might feel the same way about you Izzy Belle.”
Isabel beamed. “Really?”
Liz nodded sincerely. “Yes, really.”
“Oh Lizzie, I hope so!” she said as she enveloped Liz in a hug.
********************************************************************************
“Okay, I think that’s everything,” Michael announced as he joined the small group on the sidewalk.
Maria pulled away from hugging Liz and turned to her husband. “Are you sure? You didn’t forget…”
“Got them right here,” he replied as he held up their plane tickets.”
“And the…”
“Passports. Check.” He pulled them out of his jacket pocket.
The others laughed at the way Michael was reading his wife so well. As she joined them in laughter, Maria kissed him on the lips.
“Okay then, we’re ready.”
“You two enjoy your honeymoon, you hear?” Alex ordered.
“Yeah, we’ll see you both in a week,” added Kyle.
Isabel nodded. “Yes, you guys have fun being all alone for a whole week okay?”
“With no interruptions!” added Tess.
“And no thinking about work or anything mundane like that!” ordered Liz.
Maria grinned at the way all of them where trying to usher her off to keep her from worrying. She gave them all a mock salute. “Okay, commanders we’ll make sure to follow those orders.”
Michael chuckled as he waved goodbye to the others and helped Maria into the limo. “See you guys in a week.”
A chorus of “bye” “have fun” “see ya” followed in the wake of the retreating limousine.
********************************************************************************
Kyle shut the door to his apartment as he removed his jacket. “Man, that was something wasn’t it?”
Tess nodded as she plopped down on the sofa. “Yeah and I’m glad it’s over. I’m still amazed I was able to help Maria get it together in just three months!”
Kyle grinned as he joined her on his couch. “Well, you did an amazing job.”
She winked at him before leaning against his side as he slid his arm over her shoulders. They sat there in silence for a few moments, each one lost in their own thoughts.
Kyle leaned over to brush his lips over the top of Tess’ head. “I was just wondering, what do you think Mike’s gonna want to do when he gets back? I mean, will he want to go back to work or…”
Tess shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I was wondering the same thing about Maria. I mean, she’s already hinted that she and Michael want to start a family someday. I just don’t know when though.”
Kyle tsked. “Yeah, I can’t imagine Michael doing the kind of work we do with a family to raise.”
Tess sat up with a nod. “Yeah, I can’t imagine either one of them doing that.”
Kyle studied her profile as she stared at nothing in particular. After a few moments, he spoke up. “What about you? Could you continue to work with a family?”
Tess appeared to look puzzled for a moment before she shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I haven’t really given it any thought.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
Tess turned to look at him, sensing the underlying meaning in his question. She reached out to take his hand in hers. “Kyle, it doesn’t mean I don’t want one. I just haven’t thought about it.”
He gave her a smile. “I know, Tess.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
She sighed as she leaned in to press a soft kiss against his lips. “There’s something I’ve got to tell you.”
His eyes sparkled. “What is it?”
“Have I told you lately that I love you?”
His smile widened. “Well, not today…”
She laughed. “Well, then. I love you Kyle Valenti.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “And I love you Tess Harding.”
Her smile matched his as his lips claimed hers. It wasn’t long before he’d gathered her up into his arms to carry her into his bedroom where they would finish showing each other how much they meant what they’d said.
Two months ago Tess had finally managed to let go of the last few barriers that had kept her from truly opening up to the younger Kyle. It was almost as if she’d woken up that day and realized she was making a mountain out of a mole hill.
She couldn’t remember feeling that content and peaceful throughout her life with anyone else. Kyle truly seemed to care for her just the way she was. He wasn’t asking her to be someone she wasn’t and he wasn’t making any demands on her at all.
Instead, he simply liked to spend time with her. He loved making her laugh and doing fun things with her. In fact, she had realized just how much the two of them really liked to do things together. And that day, she realized just how natural it was for the two of them to gravitate towards each other when they were close by.
She had come to realize that she loved his naiveté because of the way he used it to look at the world. It wasn’t that he was stupid because he was smart enough to know that he’d been raised differently than most. It was that naiveté that made him listen intently to the stories she told him about her life or stories anyone else told him for that matter.
Plus, his innocence made him that much more open to learning and experiencing things he hadn’t before. And for some reason, Tess seemed to be learning and experiencing things in a whole new way with him even if she’d done it all before. With Kyle, everything she experienced was so much better and more enjoyable than it had been the first time she’d done it.
And since his fresh way of looking at life had rubbed off on her, she was now looking at him as a fresh new experience worth taking on. Especially when Kyle let her know that he was not intimidated by her experience. In fact, he was looking forward to all the things she could teach him.
So, with things now clear between them and her admittance that she loved him for the way he was, she was more than ready to make it official between them. For his part, Kyle was actually floored that Tess was admitting that she loved him and hastily told her he’d loved her the moment he’d watched her kick ass.
So, without further ado they had become a couple and two nights later, Tess had invited Kyle to stay with her. That night, she had taught him some things that he had heard about and could now say with glee that he had experienced. Needless to say, a few weeks and many experiences later, Kyle had turned the tables on Tess and taught her some things she had not experienced yet, multiple orgasms being one of them.
“Oh Kyle!” Tess moaned as Kyle quickened his pace above her.
He leaned down to capture her lips in a heated kiss before burying his head in her neck. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and buried the other one in his hair. Lifting her hips to meet his deepening thrusts, her panting began to match his short grunts.
When his shaft hit her sweet spot, she tossed her head back. “Yes! That’s it baby! Right there!”
Kyle continued to thrust into her, making sure to hit her spot each time. She began a soft keening as her body started to tighten in preparation. When he felt her thighs tremble around his waist, he knew she’d arrived.
“Yesssssss!” she cried as her walls squeezed him hard.
Kyle continued thrusting to prolong her orgasm, knowing she would like that. And it wasn’t until her cry had begun to fade that she managed to give as good as she got. Tightening her legs around his hips, she lifted her hips higher and tightened her walls around his cock.
Kyle gritted his teeth as he felt the beginning of his own orgasm being squeezed out of him. Without hesitation, he let himself go and allowed Tess to milk him for all he was worth.
“God, Tess!” he roared as he lost himself in the wonderful feeling of giving his all to her.
She held him in her embrace until she was certain he had emptied himself completely. And even then, she didn’t let go until he rolled off of her to curl up at her side. They remained curled up together in silence, listening to each other breathe for a few moments.
When he knew he could talk again, Kyle leaned over to whisper into her ear. “I was just wondering, what do you think about us moving in together?”
********************************************************************************
In another part of the city, a petite brown-haired woman pried open the bedroom window hoping to find her lover in his bed since he hadn’t answered his door. Crawling into the room, she straightened up and sighed in resignation as she realized the bed was empty.
Making her way to the closet, she opened it up and leaned in to search the back of it. As she searched, she took out her cell phone and dialed his cell number once more. When the voicemail came on, she flipped her cell closed and pulled out of the closet with a frown.
She knew he had to be out on a mission again. It seemed he was always out on one of those lately. Shaking her head at her feelings, she made her way back to the window and climbed out of it. Closing it with the same care as she had opened it, she silently stood up and began to make her way back to her lonely apartment.
********************************************************************************
Miles away, a silent figure in black sheathed his sword as he made his way to his bike hidden in a grove of trees. Quickly removing the limbs covering his bike, he swung his leg over it and pulled off his mask. Leaning over, he opened the bag to put the contents he’d retrieved from his job only to see his cell phone lit up.
Glancing at the face of the phone, he saw that he had four missed calls. He knew who they were from without even looking at the log. Who else would call him this late knowing he’d answer if he recognized her signature ring.
With a scowl, he stored the contents in the bag and closed it before turning on his bike. She would know he wasn’t answering because he was working tonight. At least she should’ve known the first time she’d called and he hadn’t answered. But that hadn’t stopped her from calling three more times, had it?
Pulling the bike onto the road, he began to head in the direction of his home hoping she wouldn’t be there waiting for him. At least a part of him was hoping. The other part prayed she’d be there waiting for him with open arms and no questions asked.
Twenty minutes later that part of him was sadly disappointed when he arrived to a cold, empty house.
********************************************************************************
Mr. P walked into the room with an agitated gait. He glanced at the others who had gone silent at his entrance and grumbled, “Well? What have we come up with?”
The others looked askance before one of them spoke up. “We’ve received word that the newlyweds are on their way to their honeymoon.”
He nodded, “And?”
Once more they looked at each other before another one spoke up. “Isn’t that enough? We can hit them while they’ve dropped their guard.”
Mr. P scowled at him. “No, the boss wants to leave the newlyweds alone for now. Thinks they should at least have a taste of happiness.”
Several of the others snickered at that.
“What’s going on with the strong one?” Mr. P asked.
“We think he’s at his place, why?”
“The boss thinks we should try looking into taking him out. Says if the strong one’s down then maybe we won’t screw up again.”
At those words the room went silent again. Only a few scuffles could be heard and a nervous cough. Mr. P looked at all of them once more before moving closer to them all.
“Listen up fools. The boss is getting antsy what with all the near misses we’ve had over the last few months. Says we are all to get with the program or we’ll be made examples of just like the others who’ve failed to do the jobs all those other times.”
“Man, we’re ready to do the job, if the boss would just give us one! It’s been months man! What’s with that?”
“The boss was too angry with the botched jobs that were done. What with failing to take out the spotter and his whirlwind girlfriend. Then the mess made after our Digger failed to cleave the swordsman in two. After that, every time we set up a trap for them, they seemed to anticipate it. Let’s hope these few months of normalcy will have let them lower their guards down enough for us to finally succeed in doing what the boss wants. Cause if we fail again, there’s gonna be a whole new group in this room.”
With those foreboding words, Mr. P spun on his heels and left the room.
TBC...
*Three Months Later*
“Michael Guerin, you may now kiss your bride.”
As Michael leaned in to kiss Maria, their entire wedding party wore huge smiles. The moment they pulled apart and the reverend announced them as Mr. and Mrs. Guerin, the room erupted into cheers.
Maria turned to Tess, her Maid of Honor, to retrieve her bouquet before Michael offered her his arm and they walked through the room. Tess followed behind them on the arm of Michael’s Best Man, Kyle while Alex and Isabel took up the rear.
From her chair at the front of the room, Liz beamed at them all when they walked past her. She had declined to be a part of the wedding party since she knew how hard it would be for Michael to find someone to stand with her after Max had refused to be a part of the festivities.
Despite Max’s refusal, Michael had still sent an invitation to him, but it was apparent from his absence that he had chosen not to attend. It was because of Max’s refusal that Michael had asked Kyle to be best man and when Liz had told Maria that she was going to just attend the wedding, Maria asked Tess to be her Maid of Honor.
Liz wasn’t upset about it at all since she wasn’t really looking forward to being a part of all that wedding craziness. Still, she was there to help if needed despite the fact that they all knew Tess had it under control even with the short time frame.
After they had announced their engagement to everyone, Maria and Michael had decided to try for a wedding within five months. So when they found out that they could pull it all off in three months, they decided to go for it. They had managed to get a reverend and a suitable hotel to have both the small ceremony and reception in within that time.
Now three months later, the wedding had gone off without a hitch even with the glaring absence of Max Evans.
********************************************************************************
With the reception beginning to wind down Alex, Isabel, and Liz were sitting at a table enjoying themselves when Kyle sat down and joined them.
Looking at Liz he asked, “So, how’s Max these days?”
Liz raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. “Why are you asking me? I’m not the one who seems to be seeing him these days. That would be him,” she said as she pointed to Alex.
Alex raised his hands in submission, although technically it was true. Granted, Liz still saw Max if only for the few hours on the nights one of them wanted a little satisfaction. While she knew that was no way to get Max to open up to her, she couldn’t refuse him. She had convinced herself if she couldn’t get him to stay, at least she still had a piece of him.
There was also the fact that being on the team with the rest of the girls seemed to be taking up a lot of her time these days. In between that had been preparations for the Guerin’s wedding. So, there really hadn’t been much time to spend with Max.
While she and Max seemed to be growing apart, so had the team of guys. After Max’s words to Michael and Maria that day, Michael had tried to talk to Max once more alone. It hadn’t ended well between the two of them and the very next day Max had ended his part on the team with them to go at it alone.
The rest of the team had begun to drift apart too since Kyle had opted to spend most of his time helping out the girls team by acting as backup to Maria. Michael had mostly spent his time preparing for the wedding and fixing up his house to make it suitable for both him and Maria to live in together since Maria had said she liked his house better than her small one. Of course, she liked his because she thought having spare bedrooms and a huge backyard would come in handy for them one day.
Since the others had found things to do, Alex had seemed to drift when he wasn’t with Isabel. The girls didn’t really need his help since Isabel was extremely good at what she did. So when Max asked Alex if he’d help him out on mission requiring a backup, Alex had agreed to do it. After that, Alex helped Max out whenever he needed it and that was why Liz said Alex spent more time with Max than she did.
“He’s keeping himself busy with work,” was all that Alex would say.
“Uh huh,” replied Kyle. “My guess is all the missions our team was supposed to be getting is now going to him.”
Alex shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, the missions given to us had pretty much been meant to be team missions. The kinds of missions Max goes on can be handled by him alone. I only go when he calls me up and asks if I could be backup a time or two. Truth is, I’ll bet Max could handle even those alone, but it’s always nice to have a backup.”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, I can’t really imagine ever working alone on jobs like those. Too creepy for my tastes.” As he got up from his chair he continued, “Well, tell him hi for me will ya? I haven’t been able to catch him at home it seems.”
“He’s never really at home,” said Alex.
“Yeah, but I’ve left messages on his cell too. Guess he’s that busy. Just tell him I said hi.”
Alex nodded. “Will do.”
As Kyle walked away from the table, Alex exchanged uneasy glances with Liz. Kyle had just confirmed what both Alex and Liz had suspected, Max was distancing himself from everyone else too, not just Liz.
With a sigh, Alex started to get up from the table. “Well, I’m in the mood for some refreshment, anyone else want something to drink?”
Isabel smiled up at him. “I’ll take a club soda.”
“Of course, milady. Liz?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she grinned.
Alex chuckled. “Okay, that’s one club soda and vodka on the rocks coming up.”
The girls laughed as he began to make his way through the room towards the bar area. With the passing of time, Alex had learned to just be himself around Isabel and she never once judged him for it. If he wanted alcohol, she wasn’t going to condemn him for it even if it was something she didn’t drink herself.
Since they had learned to take each other’s differences in stride and still thought the world of each other, Liz had eventually set aside her wariness of Alex’s intentions and realized he really was a good guy. After all, if she could change why couldn’t he?
Liz glanced over at Isabel to see her smiling in Alex’s direction. She had to admit that Alex was indeed good for her best friend since Isabel seemed so much more radiant and alive these days. Not that she hadn’t been before, but lately there seemed to be that little something extra.
“Isabel?” Liz waited until she had her friend’s attention before continuing. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m really happy for you and Alex. I mean, I know I told you to watch out for him, but I get what you meant now. He truly is a great guy and I’m glad that he makes you happy.”
Isabel grinned as she took Liz’s hands in hers. “Thank you Liz, that means a lot to me. He really does make me happy.”
Liz gave her hands a squeeze. “That’s good. So, what are you two officially?”
Isabel giggled at Liz’s teasing voice. “We’re an exclusive couple.”
“Exclusive huh?”
Isabel nodded before leaning in to whisper. “Yeah, can you imagine Alex dating just me exclusively?”
“Well maybe not until recently, but I think I’m getting used to it.”
Isabel giggled again. “Oh Liz! And he’s still such a gentleman!”
Liz’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Um hm. Now don’t breathe a word of this okay?”
Liz nodded. “Promise.”
“Okay, back when we had our first mission I was really excited afterwards ‘cause we did so well right? That night at my place I really came on to him.”
“No!” she gasped, then added as an afterthought, “What happened?”
“He calmly stopped me from making a big mistake and told me that as much as he wanted me, he wanted to wait until we were both ready. He wants to do this right!”
Liz grinned, glad that Alex was still proving her wrong. “Aw!”
“I know! He’s such a sweetie!” gushed Isabel.
Liz nodded her agreement. “So, then you’re still…”
Isabel blushed. “Yes, I mean we’ve gotten to second base a few times, but honestly I don’t think we’re going to be there that much longer.”
Liz raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
Isabel sat back with a sigh. “I think I’m in love with him, Liz.”
With startling clarity Liz realized those words didn’t even raise her hackles. Instead, she gave Isabel an honest smile as she said, “I think he just might feel the same way about you Izzy Belle.”
Isabel beamed. “Really?”
Liz nodded sincerely. “Yes, really.”
“Oh Lizzie, I hope so!” she said as she enveloped Liz in a hug.
********************************************************************************
“Okay, I think that’s everything,” Michael announced as he joined the small group on the sidewalk.
Maria pulled away from hugging Liz and turned to her husband. “Are you sure? You didn’t forget…”
“Got them right here,” he replied as he held up their plane tickets.”
“And the…”
“Passports. Check.” He pulled them out of his jacket pocket.
The others laughed at the way Michael was reading his wife so well. As she joined them in laughter, Maria kissed him on the lips.
“Okay then, we’re ready.”
“You two enjoy your honeymoon, you hear?” Alex ordered.
“Yeah, we’ll see you both in a week,” added Kyle.
Isabel nodded. “Yes, you guys have fun being all alone for a whole week okay?”
“With no interruptions!” added Tess.
“And no thinking about work or anything mundane like that!” ordered Liz.
Maria grinned at the way all of them where trying to usher her off to keep her from worrying. She gave them all a mock salute. “Okay, commanders we’ll make sure to follow those orders.”
Michael chuckled as he waved goodbye to the others and helped Maria into the limo. “See you guys in a week.”
A chorus of “bye” “have fun” “see ya” followed in the wake of the retreating limousine.
********************************************************************************
Kyle shut the door to his apartment as he removed his jacket. “Man, that was something wasn’t it?”
Tess nodded as she plopped down on the sofa. “Yeah and I’m glad it’s over. I’m still amazed I was able to help Maria get it together in just three months!”
Kyle grinned as he joined her on his couch. “Well, you did an amazing job.”
She winked at him before leaning against his side as he slid his arm over her shoulders. They sat there in silence for a few moments, each one lost in their own thoughts.
Kyle leaned over to brush his lips over the top of Tess’ head. “I was just wondering, what do you think Mike’s gonna want to do when he gets back? I mean, will he want to go back to work or…”
Tess shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I was wondering the same thing about Maria. I mean, she’s already hinted that she and Michael want to start a family someday. I just don’t know when though.”
Kyle tsked. “Yeah, I can’t imagine Michael doing the kind of work we do with a family to raise.”
Tess sat up with a nod. “Yeah, I can’t imagine either one of them doing that.”
Kyle studied her profile as she stared at nothing in particular. After a few moments, he spoke up. “What about you? Could you continue to work with a family?”
Tess appeared to look puzzled for a moment before she shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I haven’t really given it any thought.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
Tess turned to look at him, sensing the underlying meaning in his question. She reached out to take his hand in hers. “Kyle, it doesn’t mean I don’t want one. I just haven’t thought about it.”
He gave her a smile. “I know, Tess.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
She sighed as she leaned in to press a soft kiss against his lips. “There’s something I’ve got to tell you.”
His eyes sparkled. “What is it?”
“Have I told you lately that I love you?”
His smile widened. “Well, not today…”
She laughed. “Well, then. I love you Kyle Valenti.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “And I love you Tess Harding.”
Her smile matched his as his lips claimed hers. It wasn’t long before he’d gathered her up into his arms to carry her into his bedroom where they would finish showing each other how much they meant what they’d said.
Two months ago Tess had finally managed to let go of the last few barriers that had kept her from truly opening up to the younger Kyle. It was almost as if she’d woken up that day and realized she was making a mountain out of a mole hill.
She couldn’t remember feeling that content and peaceful throughout her life with anyone else. Kyle truly seemed to care for her just the way she was. He wasn’t asking her to be someone she wasn’t and he wasn’t making any demands on her at all.
Instead, he simply liked to spend time with her. He loved making her laugh and doing fun things with her. In fact, she had realized just how much the two of them really liked to do things together. And that day, she realized just how natural it was for the two of them to gravitate towards each other when they were close by.
She had come to realize that she loved his naiveté because of the way he used it to look at the world. It wasn’t that he was stupid because he was smart enough to know that he’d been raised differently than most. It was that naiveté that made him listen intently to the stories she told him about her life or stories anyone else told him for that matter.
Plus, his innocence made him that much more open to learning and experiencing things he hadn’t before. And for some reason, Tess seemed to be learning and experiencing things in a whole new way with him even if she’d done it all before. With Kyle, everything she experienced was so much better and more enjoyable than it had been the first time she’d done it.
And since his fresh way of looking at life had rubbed off on her, she was now looking at him as a fresh new experience worth taking on. Especially when Kyle let her know that he was not intimidated by her experience. In fact, he was looking forward to all the things she could teach him.
So, with things now clear between them and her admittance that she loved him for the way he was, she was more than ready to make it official between them. For his part, Kyle was actually floored that Tess was admitting that she loved him and hastily told her he’d loved her the moment he’d watched her kick ass.
So, without further ado they had become a couple and two nights later, Tess had invited Kyle to stay with her. That night, she had taught him some things that he had heard about and could now say with glee that he had experienced. Needless to say, a few weeks and many experiences later, Kyle had turned the tables on Tess and taught her some things she had not experienced yet, multiple orgasms being one of them.
“Oh Kyle!” Tess moaned as Kyle quickened his pace above her.
He leaned down to capture her lips in a heated kiss before burying his head in her neck. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and buried the other one in his hair. Lifting her hips to meet his deepening thrusts, her panting began to match his short grunts.
When his shaft hit her sweet spot, she tossed her head back. “Yes! That’s it baby! Right there!”
Kyle continued to thrust into her, making sure to hit her spot each time. She began a soft keening as her body started to tighten in preparation. When he felt her thighs tremble around his waist, he knew she’d arrived.
“Yesssssss!” she cried as her walls squeezed him hard.
Kyle continued thrusting to prolong her orgasm, knowing she would like that. And it wasn’t until her cry had begun to fade that she managed to give as good as she got. Tightening her legs around his hips, she lifted her hips higher and tightened her walls around his cock.
Kyle gritted his teeth as he felt the beginning of his own orgasm being squeezed out of him. Without hesitation, he let himself go and allowed Tess to milk him for all he was worth.
“God, Tess!” he roared as he lost himself in the wonderful feeling of giving his all to her.
She held him in her embrace until she was certain he had emptied himself completely. And even then, she didn’t let go until he rolled off of her to curl up at her side. They remained curled up together in silence, listening to each other breathe for a few moments.
When he knew he could talk again, Kyle leaned over to whisper into her ear. “I was just wondering, what do you think about us moving in together?”
********************************************************************************
In another part of the city, a petite brown-haired woman pried open the bedroom window hoping to find her lover in his bed since he hadn’t answered his door. Crawling into the room, she straightened up and sighed in resignation as she realized the bed was empty.
Making her way to the closet, she opened it up and leaned in to search the back of it. As she searched, she took out her cell phone and dialed his cell number once more. When the voicemail came on, she flipped her cell closed and pulled out of the closet with a frown.
She knew he had to be out on a mission again. It seemed he was always out on one of those lately. Shaking her head at her feelings, she made her way back to the window and climbed out of it. Closing it with the same care as she had opened it, she silently stood up and began to make her way back to her lonely apartment.
********************************************************************************
Miles away, a silent figure in black sheathed his sword as he made his way to his bike hidden in a grove of trees. Quickly removing the limbs covering his bike, he swung his leg over it and pulled off his mask. Leaning over, he opened the bag to put the contents he’d retrieved from his job only to see his cell phone lit up.
Glancing at the face of the phone, he saw that he had four missed calls. He knew who they were from without even looking at the log. Who else would call him this late knowing he’d answer if he recognized her signature ring.
With a scowl, he stored the contents in the bag and closed it before turning on his bike. She would know he wasn’t answering because he was working tonight. At least she should’ve known the first time she’d called and he hadn’t answered. But that hadn’t stopped her from calling three more times, had it?
Pulling the bike onto the road, he began to head in the direction of his home hoping she wouldn’t be there waiting for him. At least a part of him was hoping. The other part prayed she’d be there waiting for him with open arms and no questions asked.
Twenty minutes later that part of him was sadly disappointed when he arrived to a cold, empty house.
********************************************************************************
Mr. P walked into the room with an agitated gait. He glanced at the others who had gone silent at his entrance and grumbled, “Well? What have we come up with?”
The others looked askance before one of them spoke up. “We’ve received word that the newlyweds are on their way to their honeymoon.”
He nodded, “And?”
Once more they looked at each other before another one spoke up. “Isn’t that enough? We can hit them while they’ve dropped their guard.”
Mr. P scowled at him. “No, the boss wants to leave the newlyweds alone for now. Thinks they should at least have a taste of happiness.”
Several of the others snickered at that.
“What’s going on with the strong one?” Mr. P asked.
“We think he’s at his place, why?”
“The boss thinks we should try looking into taking him out. Says if the strong one’s down then maybe we won’t screw up again.”
At those words the room went silent again. Only a few scuffles could be heard and a nervous cough. Mr. P looked at all of them once more before moving closer to them all.
“Listen up fools. The boss is getting antsy what with all the near misses we’ve had over the last few months. Says we are all to get with the program or we’ll be made examples of just like the others who’ve failed to do the jobs all those other times.”
“Man, we’re ready to do the job, if the boss would just give us one! It’s been months man! What’s with that?”
“The boss was too angry with the botched jobs that were done. What with failing to take out the spotter and his whirlwind girlfriend. Then the mess made after our Digger failed to cleave the swordsman in two. After that, every time we set up a trap for them, they seemed to anticipate it. Let’s hope these few months of normalcy will have let them lower their guards down enough for us to finally succeed in doing what the boss wants. Cause if we fail again, there’s gonna be a whole new group in this room.”
With those foreboding words, Mr. P spun on his heels and left the room.
TBC...
Shadowlynxbehr's Fics
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
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Shadowlynxbehr
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult)pt21(pg14)6/17
Part 22
She could feel his fingers sliding down her shoulder. They moved as if they were trying to memorize every curve of her body. She moaned when his fingers teased her nipple before he cupped her breast in his hand and began to knead it.
She could hear his soft breaths even as she felt them against her skin. His tongue licked its way from her neck to her breast. When his mouth took her nipple and gently suckled it, she arched up with a gasp and felt the answering liquid pool between her legs.
Even as he took more of her breast into his mouth, he parted her legs with one knee before thrusting deep inside of her. Both of them let out simultaneous groans of satisfaction as their bodies came together.
Max began moving his hips slowly at first, but soon picked up the speed. The faster and deeper he went, the louder his panting became. His mouth moved from her breast back to her neck where he buried his face and held her tight to him.
Liz could feel his short, hot breaths against her neck which were keeping time with his thrusts. She suddenly wrapped her arms and legs around him and flipped him over without ever throwing him out of her. Grinning down at him, she slowly raised herself up on her knees taking care to rub him against her walls making his eyes go to half mast.
Then she leaned over him and placed her palms flat on the bed on either side of his head as she slowly slid down his length again. She watched the way his eyes glazed over as she took him completely inside her body. She could feel his fingers digging into her hips even as he lifted his own hips to bury himself deeper.
She continued to tease him with her slow methodical movements of riding him until he couldn’t take it anymore and once more flipped them over so that she was beneath him again. Once more he buried his face in her neck and began the fast thrusting of his hips into hers.
Liz wrapped an arm around his shoulders and buried her other hand in his hair as if trying to pull him even closer to her. Lifting her hips up, she began to meet him stroke for stroke. Together their movements and breathless sounds began to synchronize with each other.
Soon Max grunted as he felt the end nearing. Lifting his head and resting his weight on his hands, he stared down at Liz as he began to push her over the edge. Moments later he was rewarded with her scream and the feel of her nails scoring down his back.
Liz tightened her legs around his hips even as her walls began to milk him for everything he had. At the same time her orgasm was still rushing through her, Max threw his head back with a feral growl and let go. His body jerked against hers as he spilled his essence into her heated depths.
Liz expected him to collapse on top of her when he was done. Instead, he rolled off of her and lay still for a few moment to catch his breath. When Liz moved closer to snuggle up to him, he slid out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom.
With a disappointed sigh, Liz watched the door close behind his naked form before she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. This was just another incident in a long line of incidents that had occurred over the last few months. No matter what she tried, she could feel him drifting away from her.
She knew she wasn’t the only one he was doing it to. Max was shutting everyone out now. She and Alex were now the only two who ever saw him anymore. Although she believed Alex still got more out of working with Max than she did when they were together.
The only times she ever really saw him was when he needed help healing his so called hurts or when one of them had an itch that needed to be scratched. Although she knew nothing was going to be solved with sex, she couldn’t turn him away. At least she hadn’t before, but now she believed she’d reached out to him for as long as she could.
There wasn’t anything else she could do to make him open up to her or anyone else. In fact, she worried that he was nearing the point of no return. If he continued down the path he was going, there was no doubt in her mind that Max Evans was going to self-destruct soon. Closing her eyes, she mustered up the last of her reserves and waited for him to come out of the bathroom.
It wasn’t long before she heard the door opening and his soft footfalls moving over the floor. Opening her eyes, she saw him standing at the foot of the bed slipping his clothes on. With a frown, she sat up and stared at his back.
“You’re leaving already?”
He didn’t answer at first while he finished putting on his pants. He leaned over to pick up his shirt as he mumbled. “Got to do some paperwork.”
She glanced at the clock to see just how late, or rather early in the morning it was. “Max, it’s too late to do anything. You haven’t even gotten any sleep.”
He shrugged as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of his shirt. “I’ll sleep when I’m done.”
She sighed. “Can’t you just wait until after you get some sleep? You can stay here you know. I won’t throw you out.”
He shook his head, but didn’t say anything else.
She slid out of bed and pulled on the t-shirt she’d worn to bed before walking over to him. “Max, what’s going on?”
His answer was quick. “Nothing.”
As he turned away from her, she folded her arms over her chest. “You never stay here anymore and I can never find you unless you happen to show up here late at night. Everyone else says they haven’t seen you in weeks except for Alex.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“You’re shutting everyone out Max.”
“I’ve been busy,” he repeated.
She gave an exasperated sigh. “How long are you going to keep up this game?”
He shoved his shoes on and grumbled. “It’s not a game.”
“Look Max, I just want to know if you intend to talk to any of us anymore or are you just going to disappear?”
“I haven’t disappeared. I’m here, right?”
She threw her hands in the air. “Am I ever going to get a straight answer out of you?”
Max glared at her. “What do you want from me Liz?”
“Talk to me!”
“I’m talking!”
“I’m beginning to think….”
“Tell me what you want…”
“…you don’t want…”
“…me to say…”
“to be here…”
“and I’ll…”
“…anymore!”
“…say it!”
As Max’s shout faded out, Liz could feel the heaviness in her heart. He wasn’t going to tell her anything. Swallowing her tears, refusing to let him see how hurt she was, she spoke softly.
“Just go. I don’t want to keep you here if you want to be somewhere else.”
Max ran agitated fingers through his hair. “I just have a lot of things to do tonight.”
She nodded as she turned away from him. Realizing that she’d reached the end, tears began to leak out of her eyes as she whispered, “Just go.”
He picked up the rest of his things and looked at her retreating back unable to see the tears in her eyes. “Liz, I’ll…”
“Good-bye Max,” she snapped as she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
Max sighed as he shouldered his bag. He really hated when she got into one of these moods. It was always difficult to have a decent conversation with her when she got like this. Thinking he’d come see her in a few days when she’d had time to cool down, he made his way out of the bedroom and out of her house.
Liz let go of her tears when she heard the sound of the front door closing. Sliding down to the floor, she gave her tears free reign. He hadn’t even said good-bye. Instead, he’d just walked out of her life in silence. That’s what she got for getting involved with a man like him. She knew better than to think he would have chased her down and told her he wasn’t leaving her, but that didn’t keep the pain in her heart from fading.
********************************************************************************
Kyle put down another box in the middle of the living room before crashing on the couch with a sigh.
“Oh no you don’t mister! We still have tons of boxes to unload from the moving van!” Tess exclaimed when she walked into the house to see him sprawled on the couch with his eyes closed.
Opening one eye to look up at her, he pouted. “Can’t we take a break?”
She rolled her eyes. “We took a break five minutes ago.”
Kyle sat up. “Yeah and now it’s time to take another one!”
Tess shook her head as she placed her hands on her hips. Turning away from him, she leaned over to move some boxes when Kyle suddenly swooped her up into his arms.
With a squeal and a laugh, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “What are you doing?”
“Taking a break with you,” he grinned as he maneuvered around the boxes.
Tess looked in the direction he was headed and smiled. “Kyle if we do this, we won’t finish unloading the truck before it gets dark.”
“That’s okay. The others can help us tomorrow like we originally planned.”
“But Kyle…”
“No buts! We’re done for the day and I need to replenish my energy!”
She laughed as he leaned down to nibble on her neck. She pushed open the door with her foot, allowing Kyle to keep carrying her into what was to be their new bedroom. Even though it would be a while before it was set up and they were completely moved in, they both knew the mattress would be enough for now.
Kyle laid her down on the bed before winking at her. “I’ll be right back.”
He dashed out of the house to lock up the truck before running back inside and locking up behind him. As he ran into the bedroom, he grinned.
“Ready or not, here I come!” He exclaimed as he shut the door behind him.
At first all that could be heard through the door was Tess’ giggles, but they were soon replaced by the breathy moans of the two lovers inside.
********************************************************************************
“Isabel, are you sure about this?” came Alex’s hushed voice from the bed.
“Yes,” she replied in a breathless voice. “I’m sure.”
When the silence seemed to go on too long, Isabel reached out to turn on the lamp. Sitting up, she looked at Alex who was hovering over her wearing nothing but his jeans and a worried look on his face.
Placing a hand on his cheek, she smiled at him. “Don’t worry Alex, I promise I won’t regret this.”
Alex let his eyes travel over her bra-and-matching-panties clad figure as he processed her words. Normally he would have already bedded a woman who looked anything like her within moments of meeting them. However, this wasn’t just any woman.
This was Isabel Laroche, his steady girlfriend of nearly a year. Even if he’d tried to be his old self he was sure he’d still hesitate. After all, Isabel meant so much more to him than just a roll in the sack. Especially since he’d known she was special the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
Looking back, Alex realized that he’d known there was something more to his attraction to her. Maybe he hadn’t recognized it just then, but he’d known. That’s why he had never once regretted letting go of or missed his old lifestyle once he’d started dating her.
Sure most people who would have known his reputation as a ladies man would be gawking at him right now, but there was no way he was going to mess up Isabel’s first time. He may be a rogue, but at least he was a gentleman.
Isabel leaned in and kissed his lips. Taking her time to savor them before exploring the taste of his mouth. Then when she slowly pulled away, she unfastened her bra and slid it off while she held eye contact with him.
The moment she tossed her bra away, Alex let out the breath he knew he was holding and watched as she lay back on the bed allowing him to feast his eyes on her. With a sigh, he leaned over her again and caressed her cheek with his thumb.
“You are so beautiful to me.” When she smiled he added, “on the inside I mean. Your beauty just leaves me breathless.”
Her smile widened as she pulled him down for another kiss. As her lips touched his she murmured, “Thank you Alex.”
It didn’t take long for their kiss to deepen and for Alex to let go of his hesitation. He let Isabel take the lead, wanting her to let him know she was ready for this new intimacy. Unlike Alex, Isabel showed no hesitation in her exploration of his body.
Her hands roamed over his shoulders, back and chest as if trying to commit him to memory. When she’d gotten her fill of his skin, she ran her hands down to his jeans and unbuttoned them. Alex lifted slightly so she could unzip his jeans before she pushed them down his hips.
He moved away from her to remove his jeans and boxers completely before he leaned over her and slid his hands up her thighs. He glanced up at her face to make sure she was still okay, then curled his fingers under her panties to slowly slide them off of her.
Isabel lifted her hips to allow him to remove that last barrier between them even as she drank in her fill of his naked form. She’d never seen a man naked before. Sure, she had already felt Alex before this, but this was the first time she actually looked at him.
Her lips parted in surprise at the size of him, he looked bigger than he’d felt in her hands. Still, it wasn’t enough to dissuade her from wanting to make love to him. She was in love with him and she knew she wanted him to be her first. After all, she was hoping all his experience would make it good for her. At least that’s what she’d told him when he’d still balked at the idea of sleeping with her.
Alex hesitated when he saw her looking at him. He wanted to make sure she understood what she was consenting to and that she was comfortable with it. After a few heartbeats, Isabel looked up at him and held out her arms to him. He moved into her arms, laying his body against hers before taking her lips in for a deep kiss.
Isabel melted with Alex’s kiss and continued to melt as his mouth moved from her lips to suckle her breasts. He gave them both equal attention before he continued to travel down her body. Gently parting her legs, he nuzzled the inside of her thighs for a few moments before taking her into his mouth.
Isabel’s hips jerked at the sensation of Alex’s lips and tongue on her most private area. “Oh my!” she gasped as the most wonderful feelings traveled through her body.
Alex continued to pleasure her with his mouth, making her feel things she’d never felt before. Then when her toes began to curl, he slid two fingers inside of her even as he tongued her pleasure button.
Soft mewling sounds escaped her lips until she suddenly arched off the bed with a cry. Her orgasm rippled through her and she stared in surprise at the ceiling when she felt Alex’s mouth still pleasuring her through it all.
Alex lapped at her sweet juices until he felt her go limp against the bed. Sliding up her body, he pressed soft kisses on his way up before nuzzling her cheek. As he took her lips in his once more, he picked up the package and proceeded to put on the condom.
Isabel loved that Alex was trying to keep her attention on his kisses while he prepared himself for the next step. She knew what he was doing for her to make it easier. Still, when he lowered his hips to hers, she reached out with one hand to guide him to her opening. Parting her legs wider, she lifted her hips slightly to welcome him.
Alex kissed her until he could feel himself sliding into her. When he felt her barrier, he lifted up and slid out of her slightly as he braced himself on his elbows. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he leaned over and made one swift thrust into her body.
Isabel gasped as she felt the slight stinging pain from her now broken hymen. Her arms tightened around Alex’s shoulders before he looked up to see a lone tear sliding down her cheek. He gently wiped it away and waited for her to get her bearings before he began the gentle, rhythmic movements of his hips.
Isabel closed her eyes as she felt the pain being replaced by sheer pleasure. Lifting her hips to meet his, she began to keep pace with his increasing rhythm. Once more her toes began to curl until she arched up into his body with a cry of his name.
Alex could feel her clinging to him as her body shuttered in climax. Even as he savored her response to him, he felt his own body release itself. Closing his eyes in joy, he relished the feel of an orgasm born out of the love he had for the woman in his arms.
********************************************************************************
Michael smiled at the image before him. Maria was standing on the balcony of their hotel suite wearing a thin robe that billowed in the breeze. The outline of her body could be seen through the robe since she was facing the setting sun.
Walking out to join her, he handed her the wine glass which he’d just refilled for her. Maria thanked him before leaning back against his chest while he wrapped his arms around her waist. She took a sip of her wine before tilting her head back to look up at him with a smile.
“I think I’m going to miss this place when we leave tomorrow.”
Michael grinned as he placed a kiss on her temple. “Me too, but at least we have the rest of our life to make memories like this one.”
She turned in his arms and chuckled. “You can’t wait to start married life can you?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m looking forward to going home and settling down with you. I’ve already started thinking about how I’m going to remodel some of the rooms we talked about.”
She arched a brow. “You’re going to do them yourself?”
“Yep. I’ve always wanted to do things like that, but I’ve never had the time until now.”
“What about work? Aren’t you going to get back with the team?”
He slowly shook his head as if he were thinking about it. “No. I think it’s time I let go of that lifestyle. I was never into it as much as Max or Alex are. And I have plenty of money saved up from all of that. Plus, I could go into teaching others how to use the various types of bows and weapons that I know of if I ever need something to do.”
Maria nodded. “Oh, sort of like getting a desk job?”
He grinned. “Yeah, something like that.” He pulled her closer to him as he placed his forehead against hers. “I just want to be able to spend as much time as I can with you and the life we make together.”
Maria cupped his cheek in her palm. “Me too Michael. Me too.”
********************************************************************************
Those still standing in the room averted their eyes from the lifeless body on the floor. Mr. P glared at them from where he stood next to the body. A retractable blade dangled loosely in his left hand, still dripping with the dead man’s blood.
He hissed at the others. “Which of you is going to be next, huh? Which one of you is going to mess up the job the Boss gonna sent you out on next?”
No one said a word as a couple of them shifted nervously. Mr. P leaned down to wipe the blade clean on the jacket of the body before he straightened up again. Turning to glare at them once more he growled at them.
“Now, I want a better explanation of what went wrong this time!”
One of the men hesitantly spoke up. “We set it up…just like you said. We waited for the right moment….just like you said…”
Mr. P threw the blade at the man who ducked right before it could make contact. It buried itself in the wall behind him. Silence was thick as the others edged away from the speaker.
Mr. P walked up to the man until their noses fairly touched. “And yet the guy you killed was the wrong man!”
“How were we supposed to know someone else would park in his usual spot?”
In a quick motion, Mr. P yanked the knife out of the wall and sliced the man’s neck open. With a look of surprise, the man sank to the ground holding his bloody neck. Mr. P ignored the gurgling sounds as he whirled around to face the others.
“That is why you do the research BEFORE you take the hit!” he roared. As he began to pace the room he continued, “What is wrong with you men! The boss and I did a check on all of you before we hired you! You were supposed to be some of the best out there! Yet you continue to bungle everything!”
The last was said as he faced them while he swept the knife arm in a wide arc. It made the others cower in expectation of an attack. Just before he was about to launch into another tirade, his cell phone rang. Keeping his narrowed gaze on them, he answered it.
“Yeah?”
There was a long pause in which time the scowl faded from his face. Finally he hung up the phone and smirked at the others.
“Well now, looks like it’s your lucky day. It seems a better plan has just dropped into the boss’ lap and we’re gonna need you low-lifes to carry it out.”
TBC...
She could feel his fingers sliding down her shoulder. They moved as if they were trying to memorize every curve of her body. She moaned when his fingers teased her nipple before he cupped her breast in his hand and began to knead it.
She could hear his soft breaths even as she felt them against her skin. His tongue licked its way from her neck to her breast. When his mouth took her nipple and gently suckled it, she arched up with a gasp and felt the answering liquid pool between her legs.
Even as he took more of her breast into his mouth, he parted her legs with one knee before thrusting deep inside of her. Both of them let out simultaneous groans of satisfaction as their bodies came together.
Max began moving his hips slowly at first, but soon picked up the speed. The faster and deeper he went, the louder his panting became. His mouth moved from her breast back to her neck where he buried his face and held her tight to him.
Liz could feel his short, hot breaths against her neck which were keeping time with his thrusts. She suddenly wrapped her arms and legs around him and flipped him over without ever throwing him out of her. Grinning down at him, she slowly raised herself up on her knees taking care to rub him against her walls making his eyes go to half mast.
Then she leaned over him and placed her palms flat on the bed on either side of his head as she slowly slid down his length again. She watched the way his eyes glazed over as she took him completely inside her body. She could feel his fingers digging into her hips even as he lifted his own hips to bury himself deeper.
She continued to tease him with her slow methodical movements of riding him until he couldn’t take it anymore and once more flipped them over so that she was beneath him again. Once more he buried his face in her neck and began the fast thrusting of his hips into hers.
Liz wrapped an arm around his shoulders and buried her other hand in his hair as if trying to pull him even closer to her. Lifting her hips up, she began to meet him stroke for stroke. Together their movements and breathless sounds began to synchronize with each other.
Soon Max grunted as he felt the end nearing. Lifting his head and resting his weight on his hands, he stared down at Liz as he began to push her over the edge. Moments later he was rewarded with her scream and the feel of her nails scoring down his back.
Liz tightened her legs around his hips even as her walls began to milk him for everything he had. At the same time her orgasm was still rushing through her, Max threw his head back with a feral growl and let go. His body jerked against hers as he spilled his essence into her heated depths.
Liz expected him to collapse on top of her when he was done. Instead, he rolled off of her and lay still for a few moment to catch his breath. When Liz moved closer to snuggle up to him, he slid out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom.
With a disappointed sigh, Liz watched the door close behind his naked form before she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. This was just another incident in a long line of incidents that had occurred over the last few months. No matter what she tried, she could feel him drifting away from her.
She knew she wasn’t the only one he was doing it to. Max was shutting everyone out now. She and Alex were now the only two who ever saw him anymore. Although she believed Alex still got more out of working with Max than she did when they were together.
The only times she ever really saw him was when he needed help healing his so called hurts or when one of them had an itch that needed to be scratched. Although she knew nothing was going to be solved with sex, she couldn’t turn him away. At least she hadn’t before, but now she believed she’d reached out to him for as long as she could.
There wasn’t anything else she could do to make him open up to her or anyone else. In fact, she worried that he was nearing the point of no return. If he continued down the path he was going, there was no doubt in her mind that Max Evans was going to self-destruct soon. Closing her eyes, she mustered up the last of her reserves and waited for him to come out of the bathroom.
It wasn’t long before she heard the door opening and his soft footfalls moving over the floor. Opening her eyes, she saw him standing at the foot of the bed slipping his clothes on. With a frown, she sat up and stared at his back.
“You’re leaving already?”
He didn’t answer at first while he finished putting on his pants. He leaned over to pick up his shirt as he mumbled. “Got to do some paperwork.”
She glanced at the clock to see just how late, or rather early in the morning it was. “Max, it’s too late to do anything. You haven’t even gotten any sleep.”
He shrugged as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of his shirt. “I’ll sleep when I’m done.”
She sighed. “Can’t you just wait until after you get some sleep? You can stay here you know. I won’t throw you out.”
He shook his head, but didn’t say anything else.
She slid out of bed and pulled on the t-shirt she’d worn to bed before walking over to him. “Max, what’s going on?”
His answer was quick. “Nothing.”
As he turned away from her, she folded her arms over her chest. “You never stay here anymore and I can never find you unless you happen to show up here late at night. Everyone else says they haven’t seen you in weeks except for Alex.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“You’re shutting everyone out Max.”
“I’ve been busy,” he repeated.
She gave an exasperated sigh. “How long are you going to keep up this game?”
He shoved his shoes on and grumbled. “It’s not a game.”
“Look Max, I just want to know if you intend to talk to any of us anymore or are you just going to disappear?”
“I haven’t disappeared. I’m here, right?”
She threw her hands in the air. “Am I ever going to get a straight answer out of you?”
Max glared at her. “What do you want from me Liz?”
“Talk to me!”
“I’m talking!”
“I’m beginning to think….”
“Tell me what you want…”
“…you don’t want…”
“…me to say…”
“to be here…”
“and I’ll…”
“…anymore!”
“…say it!”
As Max’s shout faded out, Liz could feel the heaviness in her heart. He wasn’t going to tell her anything. Swallowing her tears, refusing to let him see how hurt she was, she spoke softly.
“Just go. I don’t want to keep you here if you want to be somewhere else.”
Max ran agitated fingers through his hair. “I just have a lot of things to do tonight.”
She nodded as she turned away from him. Realizing that she’d reached the end, tears began to leak out of her eyes as she whispered, “Just go.”
He picked up the rest of his things and looked at her retreating back unable to see the tears in her eyes. “Liz, I’ll…”
“Good-bye Max,” she snapped as she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
Max sighed as he shouldered his bag. He really hated when she got into one of these moods. It was always difficult to have a decent conversation with her when she got like this. Thinking he’d come see her in a few days when she’d had time to cool down, he made his way out of the bedroom and out of her house.
Liz let go of her tears when she heard the sound of the front door closing. Sliding down to the floor, she gave her tears free reign. He hadn’t even said good-bye. Instead, he’d just walked out of her life in silence. That’s what she got for getting involved with a man like him. She knew better than to think he would have chased her down and told her he wasn’t leaving her, but that didn’t keep the pain in her heart from fading.
********************************************************************************
Kyle put down another box in the middle of the living room before crashing on the couch with a sigh.
“Oh no you don’t mister! We still have tons of boxes to unload from the moving van!” Tess exclaimed when she walked into the house to see him sprawled on the couch with his eyes closed.
Opening one eye to look up at her, he pouted. “Can’t we take a break?”
She rolled her eyes. “We took a break five minutes ago.”
Kyle sat up. “Yeah and now it’s time to take another one!”
Tess shook her head as she placed her hands on her hips. Turning away from him, she leaned over to move some boxes when Kyle suddenly swooped her up into his arms.
With a squeal and a laugh, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “What are you doing?”
“Taking a break with you,” he grinned as he maneuvered around the boxes.
Tess looked in the direction he was headed and smiled. “Kyle if we do this, we won’t finish unloading the truck before it gets dark.”
“That’s okay. The others can help us tomorrow like we originally planned.”
“But Kyle…”
“No buts! We’re done for the day and I need to replenish my energy!”
She laughed as he leaned down to nibble on her neck. She pushed open the door with her foot, allowing Kyle to keep carrying her into what was to be their new bedroom. Even though it would be a while before it was set up and they were completely moved in, they both knew the mattress would be enough for now.
Kyle laid her down on the bed before winking at her. “I’ll be right back.”
He dashed out of the house to lock up the truck before running back inside and locking up behind him. As he ran into the bedroom, he grinned.
“Ready or not, here I come!” He exclaimed as he shut the door behind him.
At first all that could be heard through the door was Tess’ giggles, but they were soon replaced by the breathy moans of the two lovers inside.
********************************************************************************
“Isabel, are you sure about this?” came Alex’s hushed voice from the bed.
“Yes,” she replied in a breathless voice. “I’m sure.”
When the silence seemed to go on too long, Isabel reached out to turn on the lamp. Sitting up, she looked at Alex who was hovering over her wearing nothing but his jeans and a worried look on his face.
Placing a hand on his cheek, she smiled at him. “Don’t worry Alex, I promise I won’t regret this.”
Alex let his eyes travel over her bra-and-matching-panties clad figure as he processed her words. Normally he would have already bedded a woman who looked anything like her within moments of meeting them. However, this wasn’t just any woman.
This was Isabel Laroche, his steady girlfriend of nearly a year. Even if he’d tried to be his old self he was sure he’d still hesitate. After all, Isabel meant so much more to him than just a roll in the sack. Especially since he’d known she was special the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
Looking back, Alex realized that he’d known there was something more to his attraction to her. Maybe he hadn’t recognized it just then, but he’d known. That’s why he had never once regretted letting go of or missed his old lifestyle once he’d started dating her.
Sure most people who would have known his reputation as a ladies man would be gawking at him right now, but there was no way he was going to mess up Isabel’s first time. He may be a rogue, but at least he was a gentleman.
Isabel leaned in and kissed his lips. Taking her time to savor them before exploring the taste of his mouth. Then when she slowly pulled away, she unfastened her bra and slid it off while she held eye contact with him.
The moment she tossed her bra away, Alex let out the breath he knew he was holding and watched as she lay back on the bed allowing him to feast his eyes on her. With a sigh, he leaned over her again and caressed her cheek with his thumb.
“You are so beautiful to me.” When she smiled he added, “on the inside I mean. Your beauty just leaves me breathless.”
Her smile widened as she pulled him down for another kiss. As her lips touched his she murmured, “Thank you Alex.”
It didn’t take long for their kiss to deepen and for Alex to let go of his hesitation. He let Isabel take the lead, wanting her to let him know she was ready for this new intimacy. Unlike Alex, Isabel showed no hesitation in her exploration of his body.
Her hands roamed over his shoulders, back and chest as if trying to commit him to memory. When she’d gotten her fill of his skin, she ran her hands down to his jeans and unbuttoned them. Alex lifted slightly so she could unzip his jeans before she pushed them down his hips.
He moved away from her to remove his jeans and boxers completely before he leaned over her and slid his hands up her thighs. He glanced up at her face to make sure she was still okay, then curled his fingers under her panties to slowly slide them off of her.
Isabel lifted her hips to allow him to remove that last barrier between them even as she drank in her fill of his naked form. She’d never seen a man naked before. Sure, she had already felt Alex before this, but this was the first time she actually looked at him.
Her lips parted in surprise at the size of him, he looked bigger than he’d felt in her hands. Still, it wasn’t enough to dissuade her from wanting to make love to him. She was in love with him and she knew she wanted him to be her first. After all, she was hoping all his experience would make it good for her. At least that’s what she’d told him when he’d still balked at the idea of sleeping with her.
Alex hesitated when he saw her looking at him. He wanted to make sure she understood what she was consenting to and that she was comfortable with it. After a few heartbeats, Isabel looked up at him and held out her arms to him. He moved into her arms, laying his body against hers before taking her lips in for a deep kiss.
Isabel melted with Alex’s kiss and continued to melt as his mouth moved from her lips to suckle her breasts. He gave them both equal attention before he continued to travel down her body. Gently parting her legs, he nuzzled the inside of her thighs for a few moments before taking her into his mouth.
Isabel’s hips jerked at the sensation of Alex’s lips and tongue on her most private area. “Oh my!” she gasped as the most wonderful feelings traveled through her body.
Alex continued to pleasure her with his mouth, making her feel things she’d never felt before. Then when her toes began to curl, he slid two fingers inside of her even as he tongued her pleasure button.
Soft mewling sounds escaped her lips until she suddenly arched off the bed with a cry. Her orgasm rippled through her and she stared in surprise at the ceiling when she felt Alex’s mouth still pleasuring her through it all.
Alex lapped at her sweet juices until he felt her go limp against the bed. Sliding up her body, he pressed soft kisses on his way up before nuzzling her cheek. As he took her lips in his once more, he picked up the package and proceeded to put on the condom.
Isabel loved that Alex was trying to keep her attention on his kisses while he prepared himself for the next step. She knew what he was doing for her to make it easier. Still, when he lowered his hips to hers, she reached out with one hand to guide him to her opening. Parting her legs wider, she lifted her hips slightly to welcome him.
Alex kissed her until he could feel himself sliding into her. When he felt her barrier, he lifted up and slid out of her slightly as he braced himself on his elbows. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he leaned over and made one swift thrust into her body.
Isabel gasped as she felt the slight stinging pain from her now broken hymen. Her arms tightened around Alex’s shoulders before he looked up to see a lone tear sliding down her cheek. He gently wiped it away and waited for her to get her bearings before he began the gentle, rhythmic movements of his hips.
Isabel closed her eyes as she felt the pain being replaced by sheer pleasure. Lifting her hips to meet his, she began to keep pace with his increasing rhythm. Once more her toes began to curl until she arched up into his body with a cry of his name.
Alex could feel her clinging to him as her body shuttered in climax. Even as he savored her response to him, he felt his own body release itself. Closing his eyes in joy, he relished the feel of an orgasm born out of the love he had for the woman in his arms.
********************************************************************************
Michael smiled at the image before him. Maria was standing on the balcony of their hotel suite wearing a thin robe that billowed in the breeze. The outline of her body could be seen through the robe since she was facing the setting sun.
Walking out to join her, he handed her the wine glass which he’d just refilled for her. Maria thanked him before leaning back against his chest while he wrapped his arms around her waist. She took a sip of her wine before tilting her head back to look up at him with a smile.
“I think I’m going to miss this place when we leave tomorrow.”
Michael grinned as he placed a kiss on her temple. “Me too, but at least we have the rest of our life to make memories like this one.”
She turned in his arms and chuckled. “You can’t wait to start married life can you?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m looking forward to going home and settling down with you. I’ve already started thinking about how I’m going to remodel some of the rooms we talked about.”
She arched a brow. “You’re going to do them yourself?”
“Yep. I’ve always wanted to do things like that, but I’ve never had the time until now.”
“What about work? Aren’t you going to get back with the team?”
He slowly shook his head as if he were thinking about it. “No. I think it’s time I let go of that lifestyle. I was never into it as much as Max or Alex are. And I have plenty of money saved up from all of that. Plus, I could go into teaching others how to use the various types of bows and weapons that I know of if I ever need something to do.”
Maria nodded. “Oh, sort of like getting a desk job?”
He grinned. “Yeah, something like that.” He pulled her closer to him as he placed his forehead against hers. “I just want to be able to spend as much time as I can with you and the life we make together.”
Maria cupped his cheek in her palm. “Me too Michael. Me too.”
********************************************************************************
Those still standing in the room averted their eyes from the lifeless body on the floor. Mr. P glared at them from where he stood next to the body. A retractable blade dangled loosely in his left hand, still dripping with the dead man’s blood.
He hissed at the others. “Which of you is going to be next, huh? Which one of you is going to mess up the job the Boss gonna sent you out on next?”
No one said a word as a couple of them shifted nervously. Mr. P leaned down to wipe the blade clean on the jacket of the body before he straightened up again. Turning to glare at them once more he growled at them.
“Now, I want a better explanation of what went wrong this time!”
One of the men hesitantly spoke up. “We set it up…just like you said. We waited for the right moment….just like you said…”
Mr. P threw the blade at the man who ducked right before it could make contact. It buried itself in the wall behind him. Silence was thick as the others edged away from the speaker.
Mr. P walked up to the man until their noses fairly touched. “And yet the guy you killed was the wrong man!”
“How were we supposed to know someone else would park in his usual spot?”
In a quick motion, Mr. P yanked the knife out of the wall and sliced the man’s neck open. With a look of surprise, the man sank to the ground holding his bloody neck. Mr. P ignored the gurgling sounds as he whirled around to face the others.
“That is why you do the research BEFORE you take the hit!” he roared. As he began to pace the room he continued, “What is wrong with you men! The boss and I did a check on all of you before we hired you! You were supposed to be some of the best out there! Yet you continue to bungle everything!”
The last was said as he faced them while he swept the knife arm in a wide arc. It made the others cower in expectation of an attack. Just before he was about to launch into another tirade, his cell phone rang. Keeping his narrowed gaze on them, he answered it.
“Yeah?”
There was a long pause in which time the scowl faded from his face. Finally he hung up the phone and smirked at the others.
“Well now, looks like it’s your lucky day. It seems a better plan has just dropped into the boss’ lap and we’re gonna need you low-lifes to carry it out.”
TBC...
Shadowlynxbehr's Fics
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
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Shadowlynxbehr
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult)pt22(pg16)6/28
Part 23
Liz walked into the room and shook her head at the sight before her. “Maria! Shouldn’t you be enjoying some time off right now?”
Maria whirled around in her chair and grinned. “Not to worry Liz, the honeymoon hasn’t worn off yet even though we’ve been back for a week now. I just thought I’d come check in for a bit.”
Liz folded her arms and gave her a quizzical look. “Oh really?”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. Hubby was getting tired of my looking over his shoulder all the time while he worked, so he chased me out.”
Liz laughed as Maria went to give her a hug. “Welcome back Maria.”
“Thanks.” She pulled away to look at Liz. “I heard from Tess that she and Kyle are moving in together.”
Liz nodded. “Yeah, she’s still moving everything out of her old place. Kyle’s already moved out of his apartment since he didn’t really have much to move.”
Maria shook her head. “Man, I never would have guessed that, you know? How’s Isabel and Alex?”
As Liz shrugged, Isabel walked into the room. “We’re doing fine.”
Liz laughed as Isabel joined them. “See, they’re doing fine, just like I was gonna say.”
Isabel wrinkled her nose at Liz before giving Maria a hug. “Welcome back Maria.”
“Thanks. It’s good to be home.”
Isabel tsked as she pulled away. “Oh don’t lie, you know you weren’t thinking of home while on your honeymoon!”
Maria grinned at both of them before giggling. “No. No I wasn’t.”
The three of them laughed as they made themselves comfortable in Maria’s office.
“So? Tell us all about the island,” prodded Isabel.
“Or did you two even leave your hotel room?” teased Liz.
Maria’s eyes twinkled as she began to tell them about the island where she and Michael had spent their honeymoon. Of course they had spent lots of time in their hotel room, but that wasn’t part of the story that she told them. No, those parts were reserved for her and her new husband alone.
********************************************************************************
All three women looked up at the sound of a beep. Maria grinned.
“Oh! I’ve got a response,” she explained as she looked at the computer screen.
Liz got up from the chair she’d been sitting in while Maria had told them about her honeymoon. Walking over to Maria’s workstation, she leaned over Maria’s shoulder to look at the screen.
“Response to what?” Isabel asked from her seat.
“I had been checking the team’s email earlier and saw a few jobs that looked interesting. So, I sent a reply back to see if any of them were still open. I didn’t expect a response so soon, but well, here’s one already.”
Liz arched an eyebrow as she stared at the screen. “This is interesting, but I’m not sure our team can work this one.”
Maria looked up at her. “Why not? We’ve got the resources and I’m sure the guys can back us up if we need it.”
Liz shook her head as Isabel joined them at the computer. “I don’t think we should rely on their help Maria, they have their own team to worry about.”
Isabel’s eyes went wide as she finished reading the email. “Oh Liz! We can’t possibly pass this one up! We have to do this job!”
Liz sighed as she looked at Isabel. “I’m not saying nothing should be done about that. I’m saying we just might not be able to do that kind of job. That one is just too big and too important to mess up.”
Maria nodded, “You’re right. That’s why I’m going to run it by Michael to see what he says.”
Liz frowned, “Maria…”
“Hey guys, what’s up?” asked Tess as she sauntered into the room, before spotting Maria at her workstation. “Maria! What are you doing here?”
Maria put her hands on her hips. “What is this? Did you all think I wouldn’t come back here again?”
Isabel shook her head. “It’s not that, we just figured you’d take you time.”
“Yeah, when I talked to you a couple of days ago you seemed happily content to keep on enjoying your new married life,” added Tess.
“Oh don’t worry, I’m still enjoying it. But since Michael is now on this kick of remodeling the house, I’ve sort of been in the way.”
“You’re not helping him?” asked Liz.
She laughed. “Believe me I tried, but he says he wants to do the job now. I think it gives him something to do to take his mind off of leaving the team.”
Three versions of “What!” were suddenly heard.
Maria looked at all of them. “Oh, I thought you’d all know by now. Well, as soon as we got back home, he put in his notice. Someone is supposed to meet with him next week to iron things out. They said they may be able to negotiate with him so that he gets what they call a desk job.”
Liz frowned. “And the agency is okay with that?”
Maria shrugged. “They know he’s a liability since he’s now married and since they can’t just let him go because of his background history, this is the best way to make sure all their bases are covered.”
“Makes sense,” replied Tess. “He’s no longer going to be a field man, but by giving him a desk job they can still keep their eye on him.”
Maria nodded. “True. And hopefully someday, they’ll be able to trust him enough to finally allow him to retire.”
All of them nodded at that. Even though their team was an independent one, funded completely by their own money and secretly helped out by most of their significant others, they had an idea of what it was like to be owned by a secret government agency.
Liz and Tess had always worked with independent contractors, but by association with others, they knew the downside of working for a large agency. If you worked for something that big, they weren’t going to just let you walk away. Even Maria knew that when and if Michael finally retired, he would always be watched. That was the price one paid when they worked for those kinds of agencies.
“Well, at least he’s keeping himself busy for now. What about you though? You thinking of quitting?”
“I’ve been thinking about it, but not yet. I just don’t want to up and leave the team after all the effort we put into creating this.”
“Maria, we would understand,” replied Liz.
She nodded. “I know, but we’ll see. Besides, I don’t think we should pass this job up either.”
“What job?” asked Tess.
Maria motioned her over to the computer where the email was displayed. Tess read it, then turned to look at them all.
“She’s right. There’s no way we can let this go on like that!”
With that both Isabel and Maria looked at Liz with expectant faces. Liz sighed in defeat.
“Alright then. Maria, run it by Michael.”
Isabel nodded. “And I’ll run it by Alex too.”
“Okay, then we’ll meet on this tomorrow,” answered Maria.
They all agreed to prepare for just that.
********************************************************************************
Kyle sat at a desk in the conference room, working on the components needed for the mission which the women had recruited him for. Even as he worked, he listened to the plans being discussed by the others involved in the mission.
The four women of Team F stood around the conference table along with Alex and Michael looking down at the map of the building and its grounds they would be dealing with during the mission.
“Okay, I’ve received word that its all set for Liz and Tess to be picked up and taken into this place. Once you’re in, we will give you three days to try to get any evidence you can before we begin the next phase,” explained Maria.
Isabel glanced at Liz as Maria continued to explain the first phase. She knew that she shouldn’t be surprised that Liz had volunteered to go in and act as if she worked there just like the other unfortunate ones who were already there. Still, she couldn’t help but worry for her longtime friend.
While both Liz and Tess were seasoned veterans when it came to undercover work, this job was definitely something new and different for them. It was also very dangerous. This time the team was going to infiltrate a sprawling mansion which was a cover for a huge prostitution ring. The women in this place had either been kidnapped from outside of the state or they were runaways from the streets.
This made it easier for the ones who ran the ring since it meant most of the women would never be missed by anyone. Besides that, the place was guarded well. So well that any attempted escapees were quickly caught and dealt with in a very gruesome manner. The photos of the dead women who’d been found dumped in unmarked graves out in the middle of nowhere had proved that theory.
However, no one had been able to pin the dead women on those in the mansion yet, so a contract was sent out asking for someone who would be able to do that. Team F offered their services and was hired to infiltrate the mansion to retrieve solid evidence that could put the perpetrators away for life.
So the team had come up with a way to get several of them inside and into positions that would allow them to have access to certain areas of the mansion. All of them hoped that by getting inside and splitting up, someone would be able to find some kind of evidence that would be useful.
Liz and Tess would be the first to go in. Maria had managed to get their contractor to find out where the next expected place the perpetrators would go looking for women to pick up. Now that she had the information, Liz and Tess would become two homeless women whom the perpetrators would think no one would miss.
Once the two of them got inside, the others would give them three days to get some evidence. If not, then Isabel and Alex would begin the next phase. Liz and Tess would have the hardest parts to play. They were going to have to become resident prostitutes in the mansion and they would have to do it for at least three days or however long it took to find some evidence.
Confident that they could pull it off, Liz placed a box on the table. “I’ve gotten the vials of serum for Tess and I to use. Hopefully these will be more than enough to last us at least a week.”
Kyle got up from his seat and went over to peer into the box. “Will it do the job?”
Liz nodded. “Yes. It’s odorless and colorless so it can easily be poured into a drink. It takes about five to ten seconds to kick in, which means we won’t have to be in compromising positions for long. Then before they wake up, we just have to make sure we make it look as if we did something with them.”
Tess put back the vial she’d been inspecting. “Sounds good. It shouldn’t be a problem then.”
She reached out to give Kyle’s arm a squeeze to reassure him and erase the concerned frown he wore. She knew he was having a little trouble accepting the idea of her pretending to be a prostitute for a few days, but he’d been remarkably mature about it.
They had talked about the mission at home where Kyle had said all he cared about was that no one really put their hands on his girl. He knew she’d do everything to make sure no one touched her too intimately, but there was always that small risk. Still, he had never once tried to talk her out of it or told her she couldn’t do the job.
“Okay,” continued Maria, “if you two still haven’t found enough evidence in three days, then phase two will begin.”
Alex looked at Isabel. “You sure you want to do this?”
Isabel nodded. “Yes. I know I can pull this part off. Besides it’ll be easy to fend off the men once they find out I’m a lesbian.”
Liz grinned at that. Isabel had decided to be part of the team that would be inside the mansion. She would be the first to check into the house as a guest looking for a female playmate. She was going to book a room there for two nights and three days. Then during that time, she was going to make it look as if she couldn’t decide which prostitute to hire to spend that time with her.
Alex would be checking in later that day where he would book a room for a week. Once inside, the plan was for him to eventually hit on Isabel which would lead to him discovering she was a lesbian. Then they were to strike up a strange friendship in which the two of them go in search of playmates together. That plan was supposed to allow them to begin snooping around the mansion together to look for evidence.
Maria nodded. “Fine then you two will get in and get situated as quickly as you can. Kyle and I will take turns monitoring everything from here which means there will always be one of us on alert twenty-four seven.”
“Right,” replied Kyle as he handed Alex and Isabel some tiny devices. “Here’s your earpieces you’ll be wearing so that Maria and I can communicate with you. Also, these are gold chains for you two. There’s a microphone set into it so you can talk to us if you need to.”
Alex’s chain had an ancient coin on it where the microphone was hidden. Isabel’s had a diamond teardrop on it. Liz and Tess wouldn’t be getting any devices to wear since most of the time they were probably going to be wearing whatever outfit’s the perpetrators gave them, if they were allowed anything at all.
“Now remember, since most of the business goes on when the sun goes down, Michael will be mobile and hidden somewhere near the mansion just in case you need him,” said Maria.
“I’ll be there from sundown to sunrise, then after that I’ll be on call if something happens during the day.”
“Okay, that’s pretty much everything for now. Everybody clear on what you’re doing and where everyone will be?” asked Maria.
A chorus of nods and “yeahs” sounded.
“Cool. Alex and Isabel, if you two will come with me, I’ll show you how to use your devices and what to do should they act up,” announced Kyle.
As the three of them moved back to the desk Kyle had been working at, Maria turned to Liz and Tess. “Well, I guess it’s time to get you two prepped and ready to hit the streets.”
Michael leaned over to kiss his wife’s cheek before heading for the door. “I’ll be in the office getting my equipment ready to go into the field if you need me.”
She nodded. “Okay, see you in a bit.”
With that, she followed Liz and Tess out to begin prepping for the team’s biggest mission yet.
********************************************************************************
Max sat up with a gasp as the last of the nightmare drifted through his mind. Visibly trembling and covered in sweat, he took deep breaths before leaning over to put his head in his hands. The nightmares were getting worse.
Even though he could feel that, he still couldn’t remember what he’d seen in his dreams. Every time he woke up, he tried to recall the entire nightmare. Unfortunately it was just bits and pieces which he could remember.
He’d tried the exercises he and Liz had practiced for memory recall, but he was still unable to remember the whole dream. All he was left with when he woke up was either that familiar pain in his chest or else he’d be shaking and sweating so bad that it took a while for him to calm down.
He could deal with the phantom pain in his chest, but when he woke up with the shakes, he usually had no choice but to get up and exercise it away. So, with a disgruntled look at the clock, he slid out of bed and proceeded to change into some sweats. Mumbling about the unfairness of being woken from a nightmare at three in the morning, he slowly made his way to his exercise room.
Using a towel he’d left there the night before, he wiped the sweat from his face and torso before tossing it back on the bench nearby. Standing in the middle of the room, he did a few stretches before he began his usual workout.
He’d been working out for an hour by the time he started working out at the punching bag. All the other exercises he’d done had required his complete focus on what he was doing, but this one allowed his mind to wander. Once more he thought of his nightmares and wished he could remember more of them. The more he thought of them, his frustration began to build which meant he took it out on the punching bag.
Finally beginning to feel tired, he did a quick cool down before grabbing the towel and heading back to his room. Walking into the bathroom, he turned on his shower and waited until it was hot enough before getting in. Even though he was hot and sweaty, he still preferred to take hot showers.
Standing beneath the water, he closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair to saturate it. He frowned suddenly as one of the horrific images floated through his mind. Turning around, he leaned forward and placed his hands on the wall. Tilting his head forward, he stared down at the floor for a few moments.
As the water ran over his back, his shoulders began to shake. Unable to resist, he closed his eyes against the tears of frustration he felt. No matter what he did, no matter what he tried to remember, nothing was working. And even though he couldn’t recall the dreams, they always left him feeling sad and lonely.
It made him wonder what had been done to him when he’d been young. What had made him forget everything in his life before he’d been found by those monks? He knew Liz was right. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
Whatever it was had left him so scarred that he couldn’t cope with any of the emotions that those who tried to get close to him would unleash. Most of all, he couldn’t get close to any woman who fancied him.
A woman like Liz Parker.
TBC...
Liz walked into the room and shook her head at the sight before her. “Maria! Shouldn’t you be enjoying some time off right now?”
Maria whirled around in her chair and grinned. “Not to worry Liz, the honeymoon hasn’t worn off yet even though we’ve been back for a week now. I just thought I’d come check in for a bit.”
Liz folded her arms and gave her a quizzical look. “Oh really?”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. Hubby was getting tired of my looking over his shoulder all the time while he worked, so he chased me out.”
Liz laughed as Maria went to give her a hug. “Welcome back Maria.”
“Thanks.” She pulled away to look at Liz. “I heard from Tess that she and Kyle are moving in together.”
Liz nodded. “Yeah, she’s still moving everything out of her old place. Kyle’s already moved out of his apartment since he didn’t really have much to move.”
Maria shook her head. “Man, I never would have guessed that, you know? How’s Isabel and Alex?”
As Liz shrugged, Isabel walked into the room. “We’re doing fine.”
Liz laughed as Isabel joined them. “See, they’re doing fine, just like I was gonna say.”
Isabel wrinkled her nose at Liz before giving Maria a hug. “Welcome back Maria.”
“Thanks. It’s good to be home.”
Isabel tsked as she pulled away. “Oh don’t lie, you know you weren’t thinking of home while on your honeymoon!”
Maria grinned at both of them before giggling. “No. No I wasn’t.”
The three of them laughed as they made themselves comfortable in Maria’s office.
“So? Tell us all about the island,” prodded Isabel.
“Or did you two even leave your hotel room?” teased Liz.
Maria’s eyes twinkled as she began to tell them about the island where she and Michael had spent their honeymoon. Of course they had spent lots of time in their hotel room, but that wasn’t part of the story that she told them. No, those parts were reserved for her and her new husband alone.
********************************************************************************
All three women looked up at the sound of a beep. Maria grinned.
“Oh! I’ve got a response,” she explained as she looked at the computer screen.
Liz got up from the chair she’d been sitting in while Maria had told them about her honeymoon. Walking over to Maria’s workstation, she leaned over Maria’s shoulder to look at the screen.
“Response to what?” Isabel asked from her seat.
“I had been checking the team’s email earlier and saw a few jobs that looked interesting. So, I sent a reply back to see if any of them were still open. I didn’t expect a response so soon, but well, here’s one already.”
Liz arched an eyebrow as she stared at the screen. “This is interesting, but I’m not sure our team can work this one.”
Maria looked up at her. “Why not? We’ve got the resources and I’m sure the guys can back us up if we need it.”
Liz shook her head as Isabel joined them at the computer. “I don’t think we should rely on their help Maria, they have their own team to worry about.”
Isabel’s eyes went wide as she finished reading the email. “Oh Liz! We can’t possibly pass this one up! We have to do this job!”
Liz sighed as she looked at Isabel. “I’m not saying nothing should be done about that. I’m saying we just might not be able to do that kind of job. That one is just too big and too important to mess up.”
Maria nodded, “You’re right. That’s why I’m going to run it by Michael to see what he says.”
Liz frowned, “Maria…”
“Hey guys, what’s up?” asked Tess as she sauntered into the room, before spotting Maria at her workstation. “Maria! What are you doing here?”
Maria put her hands on her hips. “What is this? Did you all think I wouldn’t come back here again?”
Isabel shook her head. “It’s not that, we just figured you’d take you time.”
“Yeah, when I talked to you a couple of days ago you seemed happily content to keep on enjoying your new married life,” added Tess.
“Oh don’t worry, I’m still enjoying it. But since Michael is now on this kick of remodeling the house, I’ve sort of been in the way.”
“You’re not helping him?” asked Liz.
She laughed. “Believe me I tried, but he says he wants to do the job now. I think it gives him something to do to take his mind off of leaving the team.”
Three versions of “What!” were suddenly heard.
Maria looked at all of them. “Oh, I thought you’d all know by now. Well, as soon as we got back home, he put in his notice. Someone is supposed to meet with him next week to iron things out. They said they may be able to negotiate with him so that he gets what they call a desk job.”
Liz frowned. “And the agency is okay with that?”
Maria shrugged. “They know he’s a liability since he’s now married and since they can’t just let him go because of his background history, this is the best way to make sure all their bases are covered.”
“Makes sense,” replied Tess. “He’s no longer going to be a field man, but by giving him a desk job they can still keep their eye on him.”
Maria nodded. “True. And hopefully someday, they’ll be able to trust him enough to finally allow him to retire.”
All of them nodded at that. Even though their team was an independent one, funded completely by their own money and secretly helped out by most of their significant others, they had an idea of what it was like to be owned by a secret government agency.
Liz and Tess had always worked with independent contractors, but by association with others, they knew the downside of working for a large agency. If you worked for something that big, they weren’t going to just let you walk away. Even Maria knew that when and if Michael finally retired, he would always be watched. That was the price one paid when they worked for those kinds of agencies.
“Well, at least he’s keeping himself busy for now. What about you though? You thinking of quitting?”
“I’ve been thinking about it, but not yet. I just don’t want to up and leave the team after all the effort we put into creating this.”
“Maria, we would understand,” replied Liz.
She nodded. “I know, but we’ll see. Besides, I don’t think we should pass this job up either.”
“What job?” asked Tess.
Maria motioned her over to the computer where the email was displayed. Tess read it, then turned to look at them all.
“She’s right. There’s no way we can let this go on like that!”
With that both Isabel and Maria looked at Liz with expectant faces. Liz sighed in defeat.
“Alright then. Maria, run it by Michael.”
Isabel nodded. “And I’ll run it by Alex too.”
“Okay, then we’ll meet on this tomorrow,” answered Maria.
They all agreed to prepare for just that.
********************************************************************************
Kyle sat at a desk in the conference room, working on the components needed for the mission which the women had recruited him for. Even as he worked, he listened to the plans being discussed by the others involved in the mission.
The four women of Team F stood around the conference table along with Alex and Michael looking down at the map of the building and its grounds they would be dealing with during the mission.
“Okay, I’ve received word that its all set for Liz and Tess to be picked up and taken into this place. Once you’re in, we will give you three days to try to get any evidence you can before we begin the next phase,” explained Maria.
Isabel glanced at Liz as Maria continued to explain the first phase. She knew that she shouldn’t be surprised that Liz had volunteered to go in and act as if she worked there just like the other unfortunate ones who were already there. Still, she couldn’t help but worry for her longtime friend.
While both Liz and Tess were seasoned veterans when it came to undercover work, this job was definitely something new and different for them. It was also very dangerous. This time the team was going to infiltrate a sprawling mansion which was a cover for a huge prostitution ring. The women in this place had either been kidnapped from outside of the state or they were runaways from the streets.
This made it easier for the ones who ran the ring since it meant most of the women would never be missed by anyone. Besides that, the place was guarded well. So well that any attempted escapees were quickly caught and dealt with in a very gruesome manner. The photos of the dead women who’d been found dumped in unmarked graves out in the middle of nowhere had proved that theory.
However, no one had been able to pin the dead women on those in the mansion yet, so a contract was sent out asking for someone who would be able to do that. Team F offered their services and was hired to infiltrate the mansion to retrieve solid evidence that could put the perpetrators away for life.
So the team had come up with a way to get several of them inside and into positions that would allow them to have access to certain areas of the mansion. All of them hoped that by getting inside and splitting up, someone would be able to find some kind of evidence that would be useful.
Liz and Tess would be the first to go in. Maria had managed to get their contractor to find out where the next expected place the perpetrators would go looking for women to pick up. Now that she had the information, Liz and Tess would become two homeless women whom the perpetrators would think no one would miss.
Once the two of them got inside, the others would give them three days to get some evidence. If not, then Isabel and Alex would begin the next phase. Liz and Tess would have the hardest parts to play. They were going to have to become resident prostitutes in the mansion and they would have to do it for at least three days or however long it took to find some evidence.
Confident that they could pull it off, Liz placed a box on the table. “I’ve gotten the vials of serum for Tess and I to use. Hopefully these will be more than enough to last us at least a week.”
Kyle got up from his seat and went over to peer into the box. “Will it do the job?”
Liz nodded. “Yes. It’s odorless and colorless so it can easily be poured into a drink. It takes about five to ten seconds to kick in, which means we won’t have to be in compromising positions for long. Then before they wake up, we just have to make sure we make it look as if we did something with them.”
Tess put back the vial she’d been inspecting. “Sounds good. It shouldn’t be a problem then.”
She reached out to give Kyle’s arm a squeeze to reassure him and erase the concerned frown he wore. She knew he was having a little trouble accepting the idea of her pretending to be a prostitute for a few days, but he’d been remarkably mature about it.
They had talked about the mission at home where Kyle had said all he cared about was that no one really put their hands on his girl. He knew she’d do everything to make sure no one touched her too intimately, but there was always that small risk. Still, he had never once tried to talk her out of it or told her she couldn’t do the job.
“Okay,” continued Maria, “if you two still haven’t found enough evidence in three days, then phase two will begin.”
Alex looked at Isabel. “You sure you want to do this?”
Isabel nodded. “Yes. I know I can pull this part off. Besides it’ll be easy to fend off the men once they find out I’m a lesbian.”
Liz grinned at that. Isabel had decided to be part of the team that would be inside the mansion. She would be the first to check into the house as a guest looking for a female playmate. She was going to book a room there for two nights and three days. Then during that time, she was going to make it look as if she couldn’t decide which prostitute to hire to spend that time with her.
Alex would be checking in later that day where he would book a room for a week. Once inside, the plan was for him to eventually hit on Isabel which would lead to him discovering she was a lesbian. Then they were to strike up a strange friendship in which the two of them go in search of playmates together. That plan was supposed to allow them to begin snooping around the mansion together to look for evidence.
Maria nodded. “Fine then you two will get in and get situated as quickly as you can. Kyle and I will take turns monitoring everything from here which means there will always be one of us on alert twenty-four seven.”
“Right,” replied Kyle as he handed Alex and Isabel some tiny devices. “Here’s your earpieces you’ll be wearing so that Maria and I can communicate with you. Also, these are gold chains for you two. There’s a microphone set into it so you can talk to us if you need to.”
Alex’s chain had an ancient coin on it where the microphone was hidden. Isabel’s had a diamond teardrop on it. Liz and Tess wouldn’t be getting any devices to wear since most of the time they were probably going to be wearing whatever outfit’s the perpetrators gave them, if they were allowed anything at all.
“Now remember, since most of the business goes on when the sun goes down, Michael will be mobile and hidden somewhere near the mansion just in case you need him,” said Maria.
“I’ll be there from sundown to sunrise, then after that I’ll be on call if something happens during the day.”
“Okay, that’s pretty much everything for now. Everybody clear on what you’re doing and where everyone will be?” asked Maria.
A chorus of nods and “yeahs” sounded.
“Cool. Alex and Isabel, if you two will come with me, I’ll show you how to use your devices and what to do should they act up,” announced Kyle.
As the three of them moved back to the desk Kyle had been working at, Maria turned to Liz and Tess. “Well, I guess it’s time to get you two prepped and ready to hit the streets.”
Michael leaned over to kiss his wife’s cheek before heading for the door. “I’ll be in the office getting my equipment ready to go into the field if you need me.”
She nodded. “Okay, see you in a bit.”
With that, she followed Liz and Tess out to begin prepping for the team’s biggest mission yet.
********************************************************************************
Max sat up with a gasp as the last of the nightmare drifted through his mind. Visibly trembling and covered in sweat, he took deep breaths before leaning over to put his head in his hands. The nightmares were getting worse.
Even though he could feel that, he still couldn’t remember what he’d seen in his dreams. Every time he woke up, he tried to recall the entire nightmare. Unfortunately it was just bits and pieces which he could remember.
He’d tried the exercises he and Liz had practiced for memory recall, but he was still unable to remember the whole dream. All he was left with when he woke up was either that familiar pain in his chest or else he’d be shaking and sweating so bad that it took a while for him to calm down.
He could deal with the phantom pain in his chest, but when he woke up with the shakes, he usually had no choice but to get up and exercise it away. So, with a disgruntled look at the clock, he slid out of bed and proceeded to change into some sweats. Mumbling about the unfairness of being woken from a nightmare at three in the morning, he slowly made his way to his exercise room.
Using a towel he’d left there the night before, he wiped the sweat from his face and torso before tossing it back on the bench nearby. Standing in the middle of the room, he did a few stretches before he began his usual workout.
He’d been working out for an hour by the time he started working out at the punching bag. All the other exercises he’d done had required his complete focus on what he was doing, but this one allowed his mind to wander. Once more he thought of his nightmares and wished he could remember more of them. The more he thought of them, his frustration began to build which meant he took it out on the punching bag.
Finally beginning to feel tired, he did a quick cool down before grabbing the towel and heading back to his room. Walking into the bathroom, he turned on his shower and waited until it was hot enough before getting in. Even though he was hot and sweaty, he still preferred to take hot showers.
Standing beneath the water, he closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair to saturate it. He frowned suddenly as one of the horrific images floated through his mind. Turning around, he leaned forward and placed his hands on the wall. Tilting his head forward, he stared down at the floor for a few moments.
As the water ran over his back, his shoulders began to shake. Unable to resist, he closed his eyes against the tears of frustration he felt. No matter what he did, no matter what he tried to remember, nothing was working. And even though he couldn’t recall the dreams, they always left him feeling sad and lonely.
It made him wonder what had been done to him when he’d been young. What had made him forget everything in his life before he’d been found by those monks? He knew Liz was right. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
Whatever it was had left him so scarred that he couldn’t cope with any of the emotions that those who tried to get close to him would unleash. Most of all, he couldn’t get close to any woman who fancied him.
A woman like Liz Parker.
TBC...
Shadowlynxbehr's Fics
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
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Shadowlynxbehr
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult)pt23(pg17)7/7
Part 24
*Five nights later*
Max sat in the darkened room sitting in a chair and staring longingly at the empty bed. Finally with a sad sigh, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cushion. Liz hadn’t been answering her phone since that last time he’d left her place. Plus, she wasn’t returning any of the messages he’d left on her voicemail.
The nightmares had gotten so bad now that he couldn’t even sleep at all anymore. Not even exercising himself into exhaustion was working. So, he’d spent the last few days literally praying for sleep.
Lifting the glass from the table next to him, he drank the rest of the whiskey in one gulp before setting it next to the now empty bottle with a soft thud.
“Fuck this!” he growled as he rose from his chair.
He headed over to the bathroom to take a quick shower before he went in search of Liz. Even though he was sure she didn’t want to see him since she’d been avoiding him for days, he needed her help. Liz was the only one who could keep the nightmares away.
She was the only one who knew what he dreamed about and how to help him remember things. Granted, it had been weeks since she’d tried to help him with the dreams, but he hadn’t been in a rush to remember them anyway. He’d had other important things to focus on.
Now he wanted a little bit of peace and calmness that only seemed available when she was with him. Or rather, when he was with her. When he was with her everything seemed right in the world. She had a way of filling the void inside of him.
However, when she started in on him, trying to make him remember things from his past, that’s when it was no longer peaceful. He couldn’t understand why she just couldn’t be with him without rippling the waters. Why did she have to constantly push and prod and make him feel things he didn’t want to feel?
Why did she have to dig so deep that he could no longer get her out? But the thing that irritated him the most was that he no longer wanted her out of the way. What he wanted now, what he’d tried so hard not to want was simply to let go and lose himself in her.
Thirty minutes later he was parking his bike outside of her apartment building with a frown. From where he was, he could see that no lights were on in her place. Still, he walked to her door and knocked on it before listening for some kind of hint that she was home.
When none came, he knocked once more and waited a few minutes before walking next door to Isabel’s place. Once more he knocked, but it appeared neither she nor Alex were there. Scowling now, he went back to his bike and sat down before pulling his phone out and dialing first Liz, then Alex.
Neither one of them was answering the phone, so he started his bike and headed towards the building where Team F’s headquarters was. Parking his bike in the garage, he took the elevator up to the floor where the office was located.
As he got off the elevator, he realized that lights were off and the shutters were drawn as if it were closed. Still, he walked to the entrance doors and tried them. When he found them locked, he flipped his phone open once more to call the office number Liz had given him.
Growling in frustration, he hung up his phone when he got their voicemail and began to pace the hallway. Liz wasn’t at home and she wasn’t in the office. That meant she was probably off doing a mission with the girls unless all of them, including Alex, were out doing something else and just not answering their phones.
He was still pacing and trying to figure out how to track down Liz when faint laughter reached his ears. Freezing in place, he cocked his head and listened intently. A few moments later he heard the laughter again. It was too low to be one of the girls, but it was coming from inside their office.
Silently he made his way back to the door and tried to peer through the blinds. There was no sign of a light or of any movement that he could see, but he was sure someone was in there. Especially when he heard the laughter once more.
Pulling out the small kit from the inside of his jacket, he opened it up to retrieve the tool he used to unlock any door. It was habit that made him always carry that as well as the retractable knife he kept in his boot. Quickly he unlocked the door and slipped inside without so much as a whisper of sound. Closing the door behind him, he made his way towards Maria’s office where the laughter was coming from.
Reaching for his knife, he briefly wondered how the alarms had been disabled since they weren’t going off and the police weren’t crawling all over the place at all. He waited a moment to listen to the movement inside the office so he could tell how many were in the office before going in.
Once more laughter rang out before it was accompanied with words. “Are you listening to this T? Makes you wonder just what D and Chartreux are really doing in there.”
Max frowned. The voice clearly was Kyle’s, but who was he talking to? His answer came in the form of static and then he knew Kyle was alone in the office talking to someone via headset. Without a doubt, Max knew the girls were on a mission with Kyle’s help. And if his logic served correctly, T was Terrier and D was Dalmatian.
His jaw set in anger, he opened the door and stormed in. Kyle swung around in his chair as he flicked the microphone off, thinking there was an intruder. However, when he saw Max, he instantly relaxed.
“Oh Max, it’s just you. I thought it was an intruder. Wait a minute… How did you…?”
Max had walked up to the monitors and was quickly scrolling thorough them as Kyle talked.
“Where’s Liz?” he growled.
Kyle blinked at Max’s tone. “Working?”
Max turned narrowed eyes on Kyle. “No shit! I mean where or what is she working?”
Kyle swallowed as he realized Liz hadn’t informed Max on what they’d planned for the new mission. They had all assumed that she had and Max had declined to help as he’d done in the past.
“Kyle! Where the hell is Liz?”
“Um…” he really hated to be the one to tell Max the news. He just knew Max wasn’t going to like it.
“Spit it out man!” roared Max as he grabbed him by the shirt front.
“Okay, okay! She’s on a prolonged mission where she has to collect evidence that’s good enough to bring this prostitution ring down.”
Max’s grip tightened. “Prostitution ring?”
Kyle nodded. “Y-yeah. She and Tess went in first. We gave them three days before Alex and Isabel were sent in.”
“And?”
“And it’s going well now. Yesterday Tess found some leads, so she and Liz are checking them out. Alex and Isabel have been gathering evidence on the people who check into the mansion. They’re getting some good dirt on a lot of very influential, but corrupt people.”
Max turned back to the screens. “How are they getting this information?”
Kyle swallowed again. “They’re inside the mansion.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know that but how often do they keep going in since they’ve been at it for more than three days.”
Kyle didn’t say anything at first until Max turned to glare at him.
“What are you not telling me Kyle?”
When Max’s grip tightened even more, Kyle held his hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay! Just remember I’m not the one who set up this mission!”
“Kyle…” Max growled.
“Liz and Tess were the first to go in. Undercover. They’re posing as prostitutes.”
“What!” came the roar.
“It was there idea! Maria gave them three days before she would send in Alex and Isabel. Isabel checked in first as a lesbian looking for some fun. Then Alex checked in later that evening.”
“And where is Maria in this?”
“Her and I take turns monitoring from here twenty-four seven. Michael is hidden on site from sundown to sunup and on-call for the rest of the time.”
Max gritted his teeth. “You’re telling me Liz has been a prostitute for more than three days? What the hell was she thinking?”
“Look, Tess is doing the same thing, but they got it covered.”
Max shoved Kyle back as he turned to the monitors. “Like hell they do! Someone’s going to get suspicious if they don’t put out for more than three days, so you know they have to…”
“Max, they got it covered. They’ve got a serum that they put into the drink of whoever they’re with. It gives them some time to make the victims think something’s going to happen, then while they’re out cold, the girls arrange it to make it look like something did happen. So, there’s no questions see?”
Kyle could see Max’s jaw was still tense as ever. Obviously he wasn’t buying it. Max continued to look at the monitors as if trying to figure them out.
“Where is she Kyle?”
“I’m not…”
“Where is she!” Max snapped.
“Max, we’re getting close to solving this and…”
“Damn it Kyle! Just tell me!”
Kyle sighed. “I don’t know okay. She goes wherever her owners tell her to and any free time she has, she’s looking for evidence under the guise of sleeping or eating or whatever the hell they’re supposed to be doing during their free time.”
“Well, find out where she is. Get her on intercom.”
“She doesn’t have an earpiece.”
“What!” roared Max.
“Neither does Tess. We didn’t want to risk any devices being found on them since they’re often dressed by their owners. Those people are rough handlers, you know.”
Max gritted his teeth. “Then get Alex on intercom and tell him I want to talk to Liz.”
“Alex wouldn’t know where she is. Tess and Liz are not with Alex and Isabel. You know, the more split up they are, the more ground they can cover. Plus no one will be able to link them to each other this way.”
Max swore under his breath as he glared at the monitors once more. Kyle shook his head in sympathy. He knew how Max felt. He’d been worried about Tess since the whole mission had started and nothing except the end of it was going to make him feel better.
“Look Max. They’re doing great so far. And they haven’t gotten into any trouble. Let’s just let them finish this and then we’ll have our talks with them okay? We have to trust the girls to take care of themselves. Have a little faith in their professionalism. Okay Max?”
Max stared at the monitors for a little bit longer before giving a curt nod and whipping away from Kyle. He strode briskly towards the door and silently let himself out. Kyle sighed in relief, glad that Max had listened to him. Turning back to the monitors, he went back to keeping track of everything.
********************************************************************************
Max walked his bike into a small grove of trees. Glancing around once more to make sure he was alone, he settled his bike in snugly before opening the compartment beneath the seat. Methodically he began to prepare for sneaking into a well guarded mansion.
As he put on his mask and secured his weapons to his body, he went over the plans in his head. While he’d been in Maria’s office, he’d gathered all the information he’d needed from the monitors. He knew Kyle didn’t think he’d seen anything, but Max had figured out which floor Liz would be on for the majority of her so-called work.
He’d known from the get go that Kyle wasn’t going to tell him any pertinent information, so he’d gotten it himself. He knew there was no way he was going to just go back to his house and let Liz go through with it.
Once he was prepared, he covered his bike up, making it invisible to anyone who happened to walk into the area. Then stepping away, he closed his eyes and did some breathing exercises to help him remain calm and focused. There was no way he’d let his anger over what Liz had volunteered to do and the fact that she hadn’t told him she was going to do it affect him while he was trying to sneak into the building.
Once more he checked his surroundings before silently making his way towards the mansion grounds. He took the long way around so that he could see exactly what he was sneaking into. It wasn’t hard for someone like him to see the guards at the main gate as well as the hidden cameras and motion detectors spread throughout the buildings high walls and brick fence that surrounded it.
There was no doubt that the security system was designed more to keep people in rather than out. That alone said more to Max than anything else did. This was a place that had numerous hostages, many of which were probably too expensive to let go of.
At the back of the grounds, Max searched for a way in and quickly found a small access door meant for emergency personnel. He used his training to make sure he could get in through the door without setting off any alarms. Then, once he was sure things were clear, he made his way through the door and up the heavily shadowed path towards an emergency exit. Now all he had to do was get in and make it to the second floor where many of the prostitutes were supposedly frolicking with their customers.
********************************************************************************
Kyle frowned as he checked the monitors once more. He could have sworn he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Quickly, he brought up one of the monitors onto the big screen and pressed playback.
Still seeing nothing, he pressed play and put it in slow motion. Moments later he saw it. A shadow detached itself from a tall shrub and began to move into the shadows along the tall walled fence. Quickly he closed in on the shadow and enlarged the image, working on it until he could clearly see what it was. Or rather, who it was.
“Oh shit!” he cursed as he picked up the headset and turned it on. “T, you’re not gonna believe this!”
“What is it?” came Michael’s distorted voice over the headset. “Guess who just snuck into the building in search of Manx?”
There was a moment of silence before Michael cursed. “He did not!”
“Yep. He was here at HQ not long ago. Asked me all these questions which I had to answer. Thought I’d convinced him to wait it out, but seems he fooled me.”
Michael growled. “This is not good, S!”
“Tell me about it!”
“Which way did he go?”
“To the back. I think he’s inside now, T. Took me a while to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.”
Again Michael cursed. “Okay, call Siberian and tell her the situation and notify D. He and Chartreux need to keep an eye out for him and maybe warn Manx if they can.”
“Got it,” replied Kyle as he switched his microphone to Alex’s frequency. “Hey D, you there?”
There was a moment of rustling before Alex’s voice came through in a soft tone. “We’re hunting, what’s up?”
“Got bad news. Manx’s mate just snuck into the building. He got past my monitors before I could do anything.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Nope. He was at HQ questioning me, but I thought I’d persuaded him to wait. I’m calling it in to Siberian, but I need you and Chartreux to keep an eye out for him and see if you can warn Manx.”
“Okay, we’ll do that.”
“Thanks, keep us informed. I’m out.” Kyle switched his mike off, but made sure his headphones were still on just in case Michael or Alex tried to get a hold of him. Picking up his phone, he pressed Maria’s number. She answered on the second ring.
“This better be good,” came her sleep laden voice.
“It’s me, we’ve got a problem.”
He heard rustling before Maria’s voice came more clearer. “What is it?”
“Akita came by HQ and questioned me. I thought I’d convinced him to wait, but just caught him on the monitors sneaking into the mansion. He’s already inside. I’ve alerted T and D. They’re keeping an eye out for him and hopefully D can warn Manx.”
“Fine, do you think D can convince him to leave?”
“Not a chance.”
“Great! Okay, I’m on my way over there to rendezvous with T. Let him know to look for me. We’ve got to figure out how to get Akita out of there without ruining our mission.”
“Roger that,” replied Kyle before he hung up the phone and switched on his mike to let the others know what Maria had told him.
When he was done, he went back to waiting and watching. Silently griping to himself about Max’s hot-headedness, he was at least grateful he had a woman who was honest with him. He could only imagine what was going through Max’s mind. After all, it was common knowledge among them that Liz had once been the female version of Alex during his playboy days.
Granted, Alex was now hopelessly devoted to Isabel and from what Kyle had seen, Liz felt the same about Max. Still, he knew Max and Liz’s relationship was no where as stable as Alex and Isabel’s.
“Come on Max,” he whispered to the monitors, “don’t go looking for trouble in there.”
Little did he know that trouble was already looking for him.
TBC...
*Five nights later*
Max sat in the darkened room sitting in a chair and staring longingly at the empty bed. Finally with a sad sigh, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cushion. Liz hadn’t been answering her phone since that last time he’d left her place. Plus, she wasn’t returning any of the messages he’d left on her voicemail.
The nightmares had gotten so bad now that he couldn’t even sleep at all anymore. Not even exercising himself into exhaustion was working. So, he’d spent the last few days literally praying for sleep.
Lifting the glass from the table next to him, he drank the rest of the whiskey in one gulp before setting it next to the now empty bottle with a soft thud.
“Fuck this!” he growled as he rose from his chair.
He headed over to the bathroom to take a quick shower before he went in search of Liz. Even though he was sure she didn’t want to see him since she’d been avoiding him for days, he needed her help. Liz was the only one who could keep the nightmares away.
She was the only one who knew what he dreamed about and how to help him remember things. Granted, it had been weeks since she’d tried to help him with the dreams, but he hadn’t been in a rush to remember them anyway. He’d had other important things to focus on.
Now he wanted a little bit of peace and calmness that only seemed available when she was with him. Or rather, when he was with her. When he was with her everything seemed right in the world. She had a way of filling the void inside of him.
However, when she started in on him, trying to make him remember things from his past, that’s when it was no longer peaceful. He couldn’t understand why she just couldn’t be with him without rippling the waters. Why did she have to constantly push and prod and make him feel things he didn’t want to feel?
Why did she have to dig so deep that he could no longer get her out? But the thing that irritated him the most was that he no longer wanted her out of the way. What he wanted now, what he’d tried so hard not to want was simply to let go and lose himself in her.
Thirty minutes later he was parking his bike outside of her apartment building with a frown. From where he was, he could see that no lights were on in her place. Still, he walked to her door and knocked on it before listening for some kind of hint that she was home.
When none came, he knocked once more and waited a few minutes before walking next door to Isabel’s place. Once more he knocked, but it appeared neither she nor Alex were there. Scowling now, he went back to his bike and sat down before pulling his phone out and dialing first Liz, then Alex.
Neither one of them was answering the phone, so he started his bike and headed towards the building where Team F’s headquarters was. Parking his bike in the garage, he took the elevator up to the floor where the office was located.
As he got off the elevator, he realized that lights were off and the shutters were drawn as if it were closed. Still, he walked to the entrance doors and tried them. When he found them locked, he flipped his phone open once more to call the office number Liz had given him.
Growling in frustration, he hung up his phone when he got their voicemail and began to pace the hallway. Liz wasn’t at home and she wasn’t in the office. That meant she was probably off doing a mission with the girls unless all of them, including Alex, were out doing something else and just not answering their phones.
He was still pacing and trying to figure out how to track down Liz when faint laughter reached his ears. Freezing in place, he cocked his head and listened intently. A few moments later he heard the laughter again. It was too low to be one of the girls, but it was coming from inside their office.
Silently he made his way back to the door and tried to peer through the blinds. There was no sign of a light or of any movement that he could see, but he was sure someone was in there. Especially when he heard the laughter once more.
Pulling out the small kit from the inside of his jacket, he opened it up to retrieve the tool he used to unlock any door. It was habit that made him always carry that as well as the retractable knife he kept in his boot. Quickly he unlocked the door and slipped inside without so much as a whisper of sound. Closing the door behind him, he made his way towards Maria’s office where the laughter was coming from.
Reaching for his knife, he briefly wondered how the alarms had been disabled since they weren’t going off and the police weren’t crawling all over the place at all. He waited a moment to listen to the movement inside the office so he could tell how many were in the office before going in.
Once more laughter rang out before it was accompanied with words. “Are you listening to this T? Makes you wonder just what D and Chartreux are really doing in there.”
Max frowned. The voice clearly was Kyle’s, but who was he talking to? His answer came in the form of static and then he knew Kyle was alone in the office talking to someone via headset. Without a doubt, Max knew the girls were on a mission with Kyle’s help. And if his logic served correctly, T was Terrier and D was Dalmatian.
His jaw set in anger, he opened the door and stormed in. Kyle swung around in his chair as he flicked the microphone off, thinking there was an intruder. However, when he saw Max, he instantly relaxed.
“Oh Max, it’s just you. I thought it was an intruder. Wait a minute… How did you…?”
Max had walked up to the monitors and was quickly scrolling thorough them as Kyle talked.
“Where’s Liz?” he growled.
Kyle blinked at Max’s tone. “Working?”
Max turned narrowed eyes on Kyle. “No shit! I mean where or what is she working?”
Kyle swallowed as he realized Liz hadn’t informed Max on what they’d planned for the new mission. They had all assumed that she had and Max had declined to help as he’d done in the past.
“Kyle! Where the hell is Liz?”
“Um…” he really hated to be the one to tell Max the news. He just knew Max wasn’t going to like it.
“Spit it out man!” roared Max as he grabbed him by the shirt front.
“Okay, okay! She’s on a prolonged mission where she has to collect evidence that’s good enough to bring this prostitution ring down.”
Max’s grip tightened. “Prostitution ring?”
Kyle nodded. “Y-yeah. She and Tess went in first. We gave them three days before Alex and Isabel were sent in.”
“And?”
“And it’s going well now. Yesterday Tess found some leads, so she and Liz are checking them out. Alex and Isabel have been gathering evidence on the people who check into the mansion. They’re getting some good dirt on a lot of very influential, but corrupt people.”
Max turned back to the screens. “How are they getting this information?”
Kyle swallowed again. “They’re inside the mansion.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know that but how often do they keep going in since they’ve been at it for more than three days.”
Kyle didn’t say anything at first until Max turned to glare at him.
“What are you not telling me Kyle?”
When Max’s grip tightened even more, Kyle held his hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay! Just remember I’m not the one who set up this mission!”
“Kyle…” Max growled.
“Liz and Tess were the first to go in. Undercover. They’re posing as prostitutes.”
“What!” came the roar.
“It was there idea! Maria gave them three days before she would send in Alex and Isabel. Isabel checked in first as a lesbian looking for some fun. Then Alex checked in later that evening.”
“And where is Maria in this?”
“Her and I take turns monitoring from here twenty-four seven. Michael is hidden on site from sundown to sunup and on-call for the rest of the time.”
Max gritted his teeth. “You’re telling me Liz has been a prostitute for more than three days? What the hell was she thinking?”
“Look, Tess is doing the same thing, but they got it covered.”
Max shoved Kyle back as he turned to the monitors. “Like hell they do! Someone’s going to get suspicious if they don’t put out for more than three days, so you know they have to…”
“Max, they got it covered. They’ve got a serum that they put into the drink of whoever they’re with. It gives them some time to make the victims think something’s going to happen, then while they’re out cold, the girls arrange it to make it look like something did happen. So, there’s no questions see?”
Kyle could see Max’s jaw was still tense as ever. Obviously he wasn’t buying it. Max continued to look at the monitors as if trying to figure them out.
“Where is she Kyle?”
“I’m not…”
“Where is she!” Max snapped.
“Max, we’re getting close to solving this and…”
“Damn it Kyle! Just tell me!”
Kyle sighed. “I don’t know okay. She goes wherever her owners tell her to and any free time she has, she’s looking for evidence under the guise of sleeping or eating or whatever the hell they’re supposed to be doing during their free time.”
“Well, find out where she is. Get her on intercom.”
“She doesn’t have an earpiece.”
“What!” roared Max.
“Neither does Tess. We didn’t want to risk any devices being found on them since they’re often dressed by their owners. Those people are rough handlers, you know.”
Max gritted his teeth. “Then get Alex on intercom and tell him I want to talk to Liz.”
“Alex wouldn’t know where she is. Tess and Liz are not with Alex and Isabel. You know, the more split up they are, the more ground they can cover. Plus no one will be able to link them to each other this way.”
Max swore under his breath as he glared at the monitors once more. Kyle shook his head in sympathy. He knew how Max felt. He’d been worried about Tess since the whole mission had started and nothing except the end of it was going to make him feel better.
“Look Max. They’re doing great so far. And they haven’t gotten into any trouble. Let’s just let them finish this and then we’ll have our talks with them okay? We have to trust the girls to take care of themselves. Have a little faith in their professionalism. Okay Max?”
Max stared at the monitors for a little bit longer before giving a curt nod and whipping away from Kyle. He strode briskly towards the door and silently let himself out. Kyle sighed in relief, glad that Max had listened to him. Turning back to the monitors, he went back to keeping track of everything.
********************************************************************************
Max walked his bike into a small grove of trees. Glancing around once more to make sure he was alone, he settled his bike in snugly before opening the compartment beneath the seat. Methodically he began to prepare for sneaking into a well guarded mansion.
As he put on his mask and secured his weapons to his body, he went over the plans in his head. While he’d been in Maria’s office, he’d gathered all the information he’d needed from the monitors. He knew Kyle didn’t think he’d seen anything, but Max had figured out which floor Liz would be on for the majority of her so-called work.
He’d known from the get go that Kyle wasn’t going to tell him any pertinent information, so he’d gotten it himself. He knew there was no way he was going to just go back to his house and let Liz go through with it.
Once he was prepared, he covered his bike up, making it invisible to anyone who happened to walk into the area. Then stepping away, he closed his eyes and did some breathing exercises to help him remain calm and focused. There was no way he’d let his anger over what Liz had volunteered to do and the fact that she hadn’t told him she was going to do it affect him while he was trying to sneak into the building.
Once more he checked his surroundings before silently making his way towards the mansion grounds. He took the long way around so that he could see exactly what he was sneaking into. It wasn’t hard for someone like him to see the guards at the main gate as well as the hidden cameras and motion detectors spread throughout the buildings high walls and brick fence that surrounded it.
There was no doubt that the security system was designed more to keep people in rather than out. That alone said more to Max than anything else did. This was a place that had numerous hostages, many of which were probably too expensive to let go of.
At the back of the grounds, Max searched for a way in and quickly found a small access door meant for emergency personnel. He used his training to make sure he could get in through the door without setting off any alarms. Then, once he was sure things were clear, he made his way through the door and up the heavily shadowed path towards an emergency exit. Now all he had to do was get in and make it to the second floor where many of the prostitutes were supposedly frolicking with their customers.
********************************************************************************
Kyle frowned as he checked the monitors once more. He could have sworn he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Quickly, he brought up one of the monitors onto the big screen and pressed playback.
Still seeing nothing, he pressed play and put it in slow motion. Moments later he saw it. A shadow detached itself from a tall shrub and began to move into the shadows along the tall walled fence. Quickly he closed in on the shadow and enlarged the image, working on it until he could clearly see what it was. Or rather, who it was.
“Oh shit!” he cursed as he picked up the headset and turned it on. “T, you’re not gonna believe this!”
“What is it?” came Michael’s distorted voice over the headset. “Guess who just snuck into the building in search of Manx?”
There was a moment of silence before Michael cursed. “He did not!”
“Yep. He was here at HQ not long ago. Asked me all these questions which I had to answer. Thought I’d convinced him to wait it out, but seems he fooled me.”
Michael growled. “This is not good, S!”
“Tell me about it!”
“Which way did he go?”
“To the back. I think he’s inside now, T. Took me a while to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.”
Again Michael cursed. “Okay, call Siberian and tell her the situation and notify D. He and Chartreux need to keep an eye out for him and maybe warn Manx if they can.”
“Got it,” replied Kyle as he switched his microphone to Alex’s frequency. “Hey D, you there?”
There was a moment of rustling before Alex’s voice came through in a soft tone. “We’re hunting, what’s up?”
“Got bad news. Manx’s mate just snuck into the building. He got past my monitors before I could do anything.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Nope. He was at HQ questioning me, but I thought I’d persuaded him to wait. I’m calling it in to Siberian, but I need you and Chartreux to keep an eye out for him and see if you can warn Manx.”
“Okay, we’ll do that.”
“Thanks, keep us informed. I’m out.” Kyle switched his mike off, but made sure his headphones were still on just in case Michael or Alex tried to get a hold of him. Picking up his phone, he pressed Maria’s number. She answered on the second ring.
“This better be good,” came her sleep laden voice.
“It’s me, we’ve got a problem.”
He heard rustling before Maria’s voice came more clearer. “What is it?”
“Akita came by HQ and questioned me. I thought I’d convinced him to wait, but just caught him on the monitors sneaking into the mansion. He’s already inside. I’ve alerted T and D. They’re keeping an eye out for him and hopefully D can warn Manx.”
“Fine, do you think D can convince him to leave?”
“Not a chance.”
“Great! Okay, I’m on my way over there to rendezvous with T. Let him know to look for me. We’ve got to figure out how to get Akita out of there without ruining our mission.”
“Roger that,” replied Kyle before he hung up the phone and switched on his mike to let the others know what Maria had told him.
When he was done, he went back to waiting and watching. Silently griping to himself about Max’s hot-headedness, he was at least grateful he had a woman who was honest with him. He could only imagine what was going through Max’s mind. After all, it was common knowledge among them that Liz had once been the female version of Alex during his playboy days.
Granted, Alex was now hopelessly devoted to Isabel and from what Kyle had seen, Liz felt the same about Max. Still, he knew Max and Liz’s relationship was no where as stable as Alex and Isabel’s.
“Come on Max,” he whispered to the monitors, “don’t go looking for trouble in there.”
Little did he know that trouble was already looking for him.
TBC...
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Shadowlynxbehr
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult)pt24(pg18)7/24
Part 25
Alex leaned against the door, listening for any sounds coming from the hallway. It had been nearly fifteen minutes since Kyle had notified him of Max’s whereabouts and neither he nor Isabel had been able to find him. Of course, they’d spent most of that time searching for more evidence since they wanted something solid before Max blew their cover for them.
Isabel sidled up to him and held up some papers for him to see. He took the papers from her and perused them, seeing exactly what Isabel had found. A smile spread over his lips as he looked up at her with a nod.
“This is good! This is very good!
Isabel nodded as she pointed to something on the paper. “Now all we have to do is find his office and search it. I’m almost positive we’ll find what we need in there.”
“Yes, I agree. Let’s see if we can find the office and if we run into anyone along the way, we’ll tell them to get out and let us finish.”
Isabel frowned. “Don’t you think he’s found them already?”
“Maybe, but I keep thinking there will be such a commotion that would tip us off, you know?”
Isabel shook her head at his joke. “I really hope you’re wrong.”
“Me too,” replied Alex as he slid his special scope out to make sure the hallway was clear so that he and Isabel could go in search for what he hoped was the final piece of evidence.
********************************************************************************
“Okay, I’m thinking of taking the left side of the west wing on the third floor since I haven’t looked up there yet,” Tess whispered to Liz as she sat down next to her in the huge sunken Jacuzzi.
Liz nodded as she went over in her mind the places they still had to search. She and Tess were sitting in the Jacuzzi under the pretense of waiting for two supposed customers to show up. Since they had their hair and makeup done and were wearing bikinis that virtually left nothing to the imagination, they knew no one would question their presence there. Especially since the lights were dimmed and there was Jazz music playing in the background as well as a couple of bottles of wine in buckets nearby.
They had made sure to have the complete set-up done before getting into the tub. They’d also made sure to turn over the “in use” signs on the two doors at opposite ends of the room to make sure no one walked in. The room was one of four rooms on the floor that housed Jacuzzi tubs. Two of the rooms were private while the other two rooms held several smaller Jacuzzis for a larger group to enjoy.
However, the room Liz and Tess were in didn’t just have the tub in it. While it was in the center of the room, it was surrounded by plush chaise lounges and a couple of overstuffed couches. Spread out around the furniture were plenty of lush vegetation and other smaller pieces of furniture such as end tables. Everything was arranged so that those in the tub would be shielded in case someone opened one of the doors.
As they sat in the tub, Liz remembered Alex saying he’d already looked through that wing. Lifting her head from where it had rested on the rim of the tub, Liz looked at Tess. “Wait a minute. D told me that was one of the areas he had searched yesterday.”
Tess frowned. “Oh, well let’s see where else then.”
Liz had been the one to meet with Alex that morning to compare notes so they could share with Isabel and Tess later. Tess had met with Alex the morning before and if they had to do it again the following morning, it would be Liz and Isabel. This way nothing would look suspicious.
Liz thought about it for a few more moments before nodding. “I’ve got it. The first floor east wing hasn’t been searched. Neither has the end of the north wing on the first floor and both the north and south wings of the third.”
At Tess’ nod Liz went on. “D mentioned he and Chartreux were going to try the third floor and work their way in.”
Tess smiled. “Okay, then how about I take the first floor east wing and you take the north end?”
“That’ll work since I’m supposed to have an appointment in a few hours. I’ll only have enough time to search a small area like that one.”
“Good, that’s the plan then.”
“Okay, then at midnight we’ll…” Liz froze as she heard one of the doors open.
“…do the strip tease dance we rehearsed,” finished Tess to cover in case someone was listening.
“Yes, that sounds good. I better go see what’s taking my guest so long,” said Liz as she made noise getting out of the tub.
Before she had the chance to get out completely, Max stepped through the foliage and removed his mask. Both women sat stunned as Max narrowed his gaze on Liz. The two of them stared at each other before Liz found her voice.
“Max? What are you doing here?”
He stepped closer to the tub. “Looking for you.”
She glanced at Tess in question before turning back to him. “For me? Why?”
“What do you think? I went to your place to find you and you weren’t there, so I went to headquarters and found Kyle!”
Liz folded her arms over her chest and glared at Max. “Oh, I see. So you’re looking for a bed partner!”
“No!” Max growled. “What the hell were you thinking taking this job? When Kyle told me, I thought you’d lost your mind!”
Tess glanced over her shoulder before looking at Max. “Listen you need to keep it down, we don’t want to get caught.”
“Don’t worry,” hissed Max between his teeth, “I’m getting you two out of here now!”
His tone did nothing but set Liz on edge. She knew he was there being his usual demanding self and he was obviously upset over the fact that she was posing as a prostitute. Still, that didn’t give him the right to boss her around.
She waded across the tub and glared at him. “Oh no you’re not! How dare you come in here and think you can order me around! Get out before you blow my cover!”
“Fine, but you’re coming with me!”
Liz gritted her teeth in frustration as Tess leaned in towards her. Keeping her voice low, Tess spoke to her.
“Listen, I’m going to get started on the first floor so you can settle this with him. I know I don’t have to tell you to get him out of here quickly.”
Liz nodded without taking her eyes off of Max.
“Good,” replied Tess before she turned to look at Max with a frown. “Later Max.”
Max just nodded as Tess got out of the tub and wrapped herself up in a robe. A few minutes later, she finally left the room. It would be a few more minutes before either of them said a word.
“I’m not going with you,” said Liz.
Max arched an eyebrow. “Oh yes you are.”
She sighed in exasperation. “Listen to me, we are very close to getting what we need to expose this group. In fact, I think we’ll have it in another day or two. That’s it Max. Just two more days and I’ll be out of here.”
Max folded his arms over his chest. “You’ve already been here more than three days Liz. Don’t you think you’re risking too much?”
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”
He shrugged as she squatted down next to the tub’s rim. “Someone is bound to realize you and Tess are not really sleeping with the clients.”
Liz pursed her lips. “No they won’t. Tess and I know what we are doing.”
“I didn’t say you didn’t. But three days is too long to be undercover in a place like this. You are tempting fate by staying here as long as you have.”
“Tempting fate? Do you hear yourself? Our team has done everything to make sure all our bases are covered! You are the one who is jeopardizing our mission by being here! God Max! You have to leave!”
Max was silent for a few moments. Liz watched as his eyes roamed his surroundings before they returned to looking into hers. When they did, she could see the softening of the look he gave her.
“Not without you,” he whispered as he held his hand out to her. “Come on Liz, we can leave now.”
Liz slowly shook her head as she backed away from him in the water. “I can’t.”
His fingers curled into a fist as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he tried again.
Holding his hand out to her with a pleading look. “Please, baby.”
Liz frowned at the term of endearment. She knew exactly what he was trying to do. Squaring her shoulders, she looked him dead in the eyes and gave him her final word.
“I know you’re worried Max. But you are going to have to trust me to know what to do. I will not just abandon the others in the middle of a mission. I have to see this one through. Go home and I’ll see you in two days. Two days, Max. That’s all I need.”
For a moment, Liz was certain she had finally convinced him to leave. However, in the next moment Max lowered his hand and looked around the room once more. He took his time slowly surveying his surroundings before his gaze moved back to Liz. Even though the look in his eyes had considerably softened towards her, he was slowly shaking his head in the negative.
“I’m sorry Liz, but I can’t do that.”
********************************************************************************
Tess slipped through an open door to walk into an open area. Fortunately for her, the place was currently empty. Still, she quickly made her way across the room towards the only other door into the room. Leaning as close to the door as possible, she listened for any possible noise before peering through the crack.
Satisfied that no one was in the hall, she opened the door a tad wider before slipping through and quietly began her walk down the hall towards the stairs that led to the first floor. The moment she reached the stairs, she heard soft footfalls coming down. Ducking behind the stairs, she listened to the sounds on the stairs. She deduced it was two people, one much lighter than the other. Probably a man and a woman, she thought to herself.
She waited until the couple reached the floor before peered around the corner. The moment the two of them came into view, she recognized them instantly. Quickly making sure there was no one else, she softly called to them.
“D, Chartreux. Over here.”
They both turned as soon as they heard her voice.
“Abyssinian? What are you doing there?” asked Alex as he walked towards her and Isabel kept a look out for them.
“On my way to look around the first floor, east. You’ll never guess who’s with Manx right this moment!”
Alex’s eyes went wide. “Akita found her then.”
Tess quirked an eyebrow. “You knew he was here and didn’t warn us?”
Alex shrugged. “I just found out about half an hour ago. Chartreux and I were looking for you two or him. Guess he found you first. S warned us that he had snuck in. He was furious upon finding out about Manx, but S thought he’d convinced him to go home. Then he caught him on a monitor sneaking in. Siberian and T are outside waiting for my call. We hope to get Akita out before something goes wrong. Plus Chartreux and I just found a clue and are following up on it.”
It was Tess’ turn to widen her eyes. “You found something? Is it good?”
Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out the information Isabel had found. Tess quickly ran through it before she looked up with a smile.
“You’re looking for this office, aren’t you?” She’d pointed to a name and Alex responded with a nod. “I know where it is.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “I went through it yesterday, but had to stop when I heard voices. Since I’d combed through most of it, I didn’t think to go back later and finish, but with this I know where to look now.”
“Okay, we’ll go get Akita and…”
Tess shook her head. “I think Manx is handling him. Why don’t you just start the evacuation and I’ll go get the evidence. Then I’ll go get Manx and Akita if he’s still with her and get out too.”
Alex nodded. “We’ll give you an hour to do it all. If you’re not out then, we’re coming back in.”
“Okay, got it.”
With that she moved to the stairs to head down to the first floor while Alex and Isabel went back up to the third floor to retrieve their things. It had already been discussed before hand that Isabel would be the only one to officially check out of the place.
Alex would simply sneak out since it would be a while before anyone realized he was gone. Since his stay was supposed to be for a week, they figured the place would have already been brought down before anyone inside noticed he was missing.
Alex went to his room and was in and out within a few minutes. He’d already warned Michael and Maria he was on his way out and he’d explain what was going on once he reached them. Then, he quickly snuck through the mansion and out the back way, heading to the area where Michael and Maria were hidden.
While they waited for everyone else, he explained to both them and Kyle, who was listening on his headset. By the time he was finished, Kyle knew to keep a look out for Isabel since she would be joining him there at headquarters.
Isabel took more time to get out since she had to pack and check out of the place. Then she took a cab to her fake residence just in case anyone was following. As soon as she knew the coast was clear, she left the building in an unmarked car to head to the office where Kyle was.
During that time, Tess had made her way downstairs to the office where she was certain the evidence was. In fact, she knew exactly where to look in that office for the evidence that they all hoped would bring the place down.
********************************************************************************
“Okay, Chartreux is here now,” came Kyle’s voice into the headsets of Maria, Michael and Alex.
Maria looked down at her watch before looking up at Alex. “They’ve got ten more minutes before we go in after them,” she said.
The two men with her nodded as she heard Kyle’s voice in her headset. “Noted.”
“Let’s hope Abyssinian is able to find what we need to bring this place down,” murmured Michael.
“Yes,” tsked Maria, “Otherwise there will be hell to pay. Manx will be furious with Akita for ruining everything.”
“Why didn’t she just tell him?” asked Kyle.
“Because they weren’t exactly on speaking terms,” replied Isabel.
“Yes, she said she didn’t think she wanted to continue their relationship if he kept shutting her out,” added Maria.
“Plus, I don’t think she would have told him when we all knew he’d react just like he has,” said Alex.
“True,” replied Michael.
Maria glanced at her watch again before frowning. “Five minutes!”
The three of them glanced towards the mansion just as Kyle and Isabel watched the monitors. All five of them waiting in expectation as the minutes ticked away.
TBC...
Alex leaned against the door, listening for any sounds coming from the hallway. It had been nearly fifteen minutes since Kyle had notified him of Max’s whereabouts and neither he nor Isabel had been able to find him. Of course, they’d spent most of that time searching for more evidence since they wanted something solid before Max blew their cover for them.
Isabel sidled up to him and held up some papers for him to see. He took the papers from her and perused them, seeing exactly what Isabel had found. A smile spread over his lips as he looked up at her with a nod.
“This is good! This is very good!
Isabel nodded as she pointed to something on the paper. “Now all we have to do is find his office and search it. I’m almost positive we’ll find what we need in there.”
“Yes, I agree. Let’s see if we can find the office and if we run into anyone along the way, we’ll tell them to get out and let us finish.”
Isabel frowned. “Don’t you think he’s found them already?”
“Maybe, but I keep thinking there will be such a commotion that would tip us off, you know?”
Isabel shook her head at his joke. “I really hope you’re wrong.”
“Me too,” replied Alex as he slid his special scope out to make sure the hallway was clear so that he and Isabel could go in search for what he hoped was the final piece of evidence.
********************************************************************************
“Okay, I’m thinking of taking the left side of the west wing on the third floor since I haven’t looked up there yet,” Tess whispered to Liz as she sat down next to her in the huge sunken Jacuzzi.
Liz nodded as she went over in her mind the places they still had to search. She and Tess were sitting in the Jacuzzi under the pretense of waiting for two supposed customers to show up. Since they had their hair and makeup done and were wearing bikinis that virtually left nothing to the imagination, they knew no one would question their presence there. Especially since the lights were dimmed and there was Jazz music playing in the background as well as a couple of bottles of wine in buckets nearby.
They had made sure to have the complete set-up done before getting into the tub. They’d also made sure to turn over the “in use” signs on the two doors at opposite ends of the room to make sure no one walked in. The room was one of four rooms on the floor that housed Jacuzzi tubs. Two of the rooms were private while the other two rooms held several smaller Jacuzzis for a larger group to enjoy.
However, the room Liz and Tess were in didn’t just have the tub in it. While it was in the center of the room, it was surrounded by plush chaise lounges and a couple of overstuffed couches. Spread out around the furniture were plenty of lush vegetation and other smaller pieces of furniture such as end tables. Everything was arranged so that those in the tub would be shielded in case someone opened one of the doors.
As they sat in the tub, Liz remembered Alex saying he’d already looked through that wing. Lifting her head from where it had rested on the rim of the tub, Liz looked at Tess. “Wait a minute. D told me that was one of the areas he had searched yesterday.”
Tess frowned. “Oh, well let’s see where else then.”
Liz had been the one to meet with Alex that morning to compare notes so they could share with Isabel and Tess later. Tess had met with Alex the morning before and if they had to do it again the following morning, it would be Liz and Isabel. This way nothing would look suspicious.
Liz thought about it for a few more moments before nodding. “I’ve got it. The first floor east wing hasn’t been searched. Neither has the end of the north wing on the first floor and both the north and south wings of the third.”
At Tess’ nod Liz went on. “D mentioned he and Chartreux were going to try the third floor and work their way in.”
Tess smiled. “Okay, then how about I take the first floor east wing and you take the north end?”
“That’ll work since I’m supposed to have an appointment in a few hours. I’ll only have enough time to search a small area like that one.”
“Good, that’s the plan then.”
“Okay, then at midnight we’ll…” Liz froze as she heard one of the doors open.
“…do the strip tease dance we rehearsed,” finished Tess to cover in case someone was listening.
“Yes, that sounds good. I better go see what’s taking my guest so long,” said Liz as she made noise getting out of the tub.
Before she had the chance to get out completely, Max stepped through the foliage and removed his mask. Both women sat stunned as Max narrowed his gaze on Liz. The two of them stared at each other before Liz found her voice.
“Max? What are you doing here?”
He stepped closer to the tub. “Looking for you.”
She glanced at Tess in question before turning back to him. “For me? Why?”
“What do you think? I went to your place to find you and you weren’t there, so I went to headquarters and found Kyle!”
Liz folded her arms over her chest and glared at Max. “Oh, I see. So you’re looking for a bed partner!”
“No!” Max growled. “What the hell were you thinking taking this job? When Kyle told me, I thought you’d lost your mind!”
Tess glanced over her shoulder before looking at Max. “Listen you need to keep it down, we don’t want to get caught.”
“Don’t worry,” hissed Max between his teeth, “I’m getting you two out of here now!”
His tone did nothing but set Liz on edge. She knew he was there being his usual demanding self and he was obviously upset over the fact that she was posing as a prostitute. Still, that didn’t give him the right to boss her around.
She waded across the tub and glared at him. “Oh no you’re not! How dare you come in here and think you can order me around! Get out before you blow my cover!”
“Fine, but you’re coming with me!”
Liz gritted her teeth in frustration as Tess leaned in towards her. Keeping her voice low, Tess spoke to her.
“Listen, I’m going to get started on the first floor so you can settle this with him. I know I don’t have to tell you to get him out of here quickly.”
Liz nodded without taking her eyes off of Max.
“Good,” replied Tess before she turned to look at Max with a frown. “Later Max.”
Max just nodded as Tess got out of the tub and wrapped herself up in a robe. A few minutes later, she finally left the room. It would be a few more minutes before either of them said a word.
“I’m not going with you,” said Liz.
Max arched an eyebrow. “Oh yes you are.”
She sighed in exasperation. “Listen to me, we are very close to getting what we need to expose this group. In fact, I think we’ll have it in another day or two. That’s it Max. Just two more days and I’ll be out of here.”
Max folded his arms over his chest. “You’ve already been here more than three days Liz. Don’t you think you’re risking too much?”
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”
He shrugged as she squatted down next to the tub’s rim. “Someone is bound to realize you and Tess are not really sleeping with the clients.”
Liz pursed her lips. “No they won’t. Tess and I know what we are doing.”
“I didn’t say you didn’t. But three days is too long to be undercover in a place like this. You are tempting fate by staying here as long as you have.”
“Tempting fate? Do you hear yourself? Our team has done everything to make sure all our bases are covered! You are the one who is jeopardizing our mission by being here! God Max! You have to leave!”
Max was silent for a few moments. Liz watched as his eyes roamed his surroundings before they returned to looking into hers. When they did, she could see the softening of the look he gave her.
“Not without you,” he whispered as he held his hand out to her. “Come on Liz, we can leave now.”
Liz slowly shook her head as she backed away from him in the water. “I can’t.”
His fingers curled into a fist as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he tried again.
Holding his hand out to her with a pleading look. “Please, baby.”
Liz frowned at the term of endearment. She knew exactly what he was trying to do. Squaring her shoulders, she looked him dead in the eyes and gave him her final word.
“I know you’re worried Max. But you are going to have to trust me to know what to do. I will not just abandon the others in the middle of a mission. I have to see this one through. Go home and I’ll see you in two days. Two days, Max. That’s all I need.”
For a moment, Liz was certain she had finally convinced him to leave. However, in the next moment Max lowered his hand and looked around the room once more. He took his time slowly surveying his surroundings before his gaze moved back to Liz. Even though the look in his eyes had considerably softened towards her, he was slowly shaking his head in the negative.
“I’m sorry Liz, but I can’t do that.”
********************************************************************************
Tess slipped through an open door to walk into an open area. Fortunately for her, the place was currently empty. Still, she quickly made her way across the room towards the only other door into the room. Leaning as close to the door as possible, she listened for any possible noise before peering through the crack.
Satisfied that no one was in the hall, she opened the door a tad wider before slipping through and quietly began her walk down the hall towards the stairs that led to the first floor. The moment she reached the stairs, she heard soft footfalls coming down. Ducking behind the stairs, she listened to the sounds on the stairs. She deduced it was two people, one much lighter than the other. Probably a man and a woman, she thought to herself.
She waited until the couple reached the floor before peered around the corner. The moment the two of them came into view, she recognized them instantly. Quickly making sure there was no one else, she softly called to them.
“D, Chartreux. Over here.”
They both turned as soon as they heard her voice.
“Abyssinian? What are you doing there?” asked Alex as he walked towards her and Isabel kept a look out for them.
“On my way to look around the first floor, east. You’ll never guess who’s with Manx right this moment!”
Alex’s eyes went wide. “Akita found her then.”
Tess quirked an eyebrow. “You knew he was here and didn’t warn us?”
Alex shrugged. “I just found out about half an hour ago. Chartreux and I were looking for you two or him. Guess he found you first. S warned us that he had snuck in. He was furious upon finding out about Manx, but S thought he’d convinced him to go home. Then he caught him on a monitor sneaking in. Siberian and T are outside waiting for my call. We hope to get Akita out before something goes wrong. Plus Chartreux and I just found a clue and are following up on it.”
It was Tess’ turn to widen her eyes. “You found something? Is it good?”
Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out the information Isabel had found. Tess quickly ran through it before she looked up with a smile.
“You’re looking for this office, aren’t you?” She’d pointed to a name and Alex responded with a nod. “I know where it is.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “I went through it yesterday, but had to stop when I heard voices. Since I’d combed through most of it, I didn’t think to go back later and finish, but with this I know where to look now.”
“Okay, we’ll go get Akita and…”
Tess shook her head. “I think Manx is handling him. Why don’t you just start the evacuation and I’ll go get the evidence. Then I’ll go get Manx and Akita if he’s still with her and get out too.”
Alex nodded. “We’ll give you an hour to do it all. If you’re not out then, we’re coming back in.”
“Okay, got it.”
With that she moved to the stairs to head down to the first floor while Alex and Isabel went back up to the third floor to retrieve their things. It had already been discussed before hand that Isabel would be the only one to officially check out of the place.
Alex would simply sneak out since it would be a while before anyone realized he was gone. Since his stay was supposed to be for a week, they figured the place would have already been brought down before anyone inside noticed he was missing.
Alex went to his room and was in and out within a few minutes. He’d already warned Michael and Maria he was on his way out and he’d explain what was going on once he reached them. Then, he quickly snuck through the mansion and out the back way, heading to the area where Michael and Maria were hidden.
While they waited for everyone else, he explained to both them and Kyle, who was listening on his headset. By the time he was finished, Kyle knew to keep a look out for Isabel since she would be joining him there at headquarters.
Isabel took more time to get out since she had to pack and check out of the place. Then she took a cab to her fake residence just in case anyone was following. As soon as she knew the coast was clear, she left the building in an unmarked car to head to the office where Kyle was.
During that time, Tess had made her way downstairs to the office where she was certain the evidence was. In fact, she knew exactly where to look in that office for the evidence that they all hoped would bring the place down.
********************************************************************************
“Okay, Chartreux is here now,” came Kyle’s voice into the headsets of Maria, Michael and Alex.
Maria looked down at her watch before looking up at Alex. “They’ve got ten more minutes before we go in after them,” she said.
The two men with her nodded as she heard Kyle’s voice in her headset. “Noted.”
“Let’s hope Abyssinian is able to find what we need to bring this place down,” murmured Michael.
“Yes,” tsked Maria, “Otherwise there will be hell to pay. Manx will be furious with Akita for ruining everything.”
“Why didn’t she just tell him?” asked Kyle.
“Because they weren’t exactly on speaking terms,” replied Isabel.
“Yes, she said she didn’t think she wanted to continue their relationship if he kept shutting her out,” added Maria.
“Plus, I don’t think she would have told him when we all knew he’d react just like he has,” said Alex.
“True,” replied Michael.
Maria glanced at her watch again before frowning. “Five minutes!”
The three of them glanced towards the mansion just as Kyle and Isabel watched the monitors. All five of them waiting in expectation as the minutes ticked away.
TBC...
Last edited by Shadowlynxbehr on Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Shadowlynxbehr
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult)pt24/25(pg18/19)7/24
Part 26
“What? Why not?” asked Liz as she glared at Max while he continued to straighten up from his squat next to the tub.
“As long as you remain here, so shall I.” Max answered, looking down at Liz as his eyes began to sparkle with mischief.
Liz was about to try to send him away once more when he reached up to remove his sword. “Max…”
Her eyes went wide as she watched him grab his shirt and pull it over his head. “What are you doing!” she exclaimed as Max tossed the sword and his shirt behind one of the couches.
Max shrugged as he began to remove his pants even while he shifted from one foot to the other removing his shoes. “You want to stay, then I guess I’ll join you.”
Liz sputtered in disbelief as she watched him toss everything else behind the sofa until all he had on were his briefs. Then he squatted down at the edge of the tub before climbing into it.
Liz backed up as she frantically looked from side to side. “Max you’re crazy! This is madness!”
A rare grin appeared on his face as he began to stalk her around the tub. “Hm, well I guess you could say I am crazy…crazy about you.”
Liz had continued backing up until the back of her calves hit the seat inside the tub. Unable to back up anymore, she stared wide-eyed at him. “This is a very bad idea!”
He leaned over her while placing his hands on the edge of the tub behind her. Effectively trapping her in his arms, Max lowered his face to hers. Looking into her eyes he whispered, “At least with me, you don’t have to pretend you’re with a client.”
“Um…” Liz mumbled as his lips descended on hers.
Still in shock over what he’d done, it took her a few moments to respond to his kiss. She never had the chance to recollect her wits as he deepened the kiss and pulled her into his arms. Instinctively, she parted her lips to allow him access while her arms encircled his shoulders.
Soon his lips moved from devouring her mouth to nibble his way across her cheek. When he’d reached her ear, he nipped the lobe before whispering in a husky voice.
“You don’t have to pretend at all. Even I don’t have to tell you how much I want you right now.”
Liz moaned as his hands slid up her sides and his thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts. “Oh Max.”
She lifted a leg to wrap around his and tilted her head back. Max began to nip and tease the skin of her throat as he closed on hand over her breast and held her up with his other arm around her. Liz slid her hands into his hair as his mouth began to make a path from her throat to her breasts.
Just as he placed a kiss at the top of one of her mounds, there came muffled voices at one of the doors. Jerking away from Max, Liz shoved him away and motioned for him to be silent before she scrambled out of the tub.
She hurried through the foliage and got to the door just as one of the other prostitutes walked up to it and knocked with a client in tow. Liz opened the door enough to stick her head out with a frown.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Oh! I didn’t know it was in use!”
Liz nodded. “Yes it is, I’m waiting for my client to show up. Thought you were him.”
The man behind the woman glanced at Liz and then looked her up and down. “Well, if he hasn’t shown up, I don’t mind having the both of you.”
Liz gave him a sultry look. “Sorry, but I was told to wait for him or else.”
The man nodded. He was obviously familiar with the way things worked in the place. Reaching out for the woman with him, he pulled her back against him and growled in her ear.
“Why don’t we continue looking at the rest of the tub rooms. If not, I’ll get a bedroom for us, as long as I get to enjoy you as soon as possible.”
His hands had already cupped her breasts and squeezed them as he finished his words. The woman looked embarrassedly at Liz. “Sorry, we’ll go now.”
Liz nodded as she closed the door after checking that the ‘in use’ sign was clearly visible. Leaning against the door, she rolled her eyes at the uncouth manners of the man before she looked in the direction of the tub. She really hoped they could find some proof to take down assholes like him.
With a sigh, she pushed away from the door and headed back to the tub. Pushing through the foliage, she spied Max sitting in the tub with his arms stretched out along the rim, looking for all the world a if he were simply relaxing and enjoying himself.
She went to stand behind him and folded her arms over her chest. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. Now you need to get dressed and leave.”
Max tilted his head back to look up at her. Giving her a sexy grin, he tsked. “Oh but the fun’s only beginning.”
He twisted around and held his hands up to her. “Come on. Come back inside.”
Liz shook her head. “Uh uh, you have to leave.”
Max gave her a sultry pout. “Come on Liz, the water feels good.”
She sighed. “This isn’t about pleasure Max, please….”
His hand curled around the inside of one ankle, making her pause in mid-sentence. As he slowly began to caress her skin with a feather-light touch, he continued to speak to her in a husky voice.
“Please huh? Now I like the sound of that.” His fingers slowly began to move up the inside of her leg until he’d reached her thigh.
As his gaze moved up farther up, he spoke again. “Hm, I bet I can get you wet without getting you in the tub.”
Liz’s breath hitched at his words as she felt his fingers continue their journey to the place where her thigh met her groin. As his fingers brushed over her bikini covered heat, she gasped.
“Max! Um, I don’t think…”
Max rose out of the tub a little more, using the seat to put him at almost even height with Liz. His fingers continued to caress her through her bikini bottom. “Don’t think Liz, just feel. Feel me the way I’m feeling you. Mm, all hot and bothered.”
His fingers moved up to skim over the soft skin of her tummy before dipping under her bikini bottom. She let out a moan as she felt his fingers dip into her heat.
“Yes,” he growled. “Just like I thought. You are wet before you’ve gotten into the tub.”
Liz’s legs nearly gave out, so she leaned forward and placed her hands on his shoulders for balance. Then when a finger slid inside of her, her knees buckled.
But Max was waiting for that. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her down to him as he leaned back in the water. They both drifted to the center of the tub where Liz wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried a hand in his hair.
Her hand pulled his head down so that their lips joined in a heated kiss even as he slipped a second finger inside of her. Moaning against his lips, Liz lifted a leg up to hook it around his hip and Max slid his arm beneath the leg to help anchor her to him.
As his thumb began to draw circles over her sensitive nerve endings, Liz mumbled into his mouth. “Mmm, Max, please hurry.”
Max didn’t stop his ministrations for a few more moments, enjoying the way her body slid against his. He could feel the hard pebbles of her nipples brushing against his chest despite the fact that she was still wearing her bikini top. While one of her hands remained in his hair, the other one was trailing nails down his back until she gripped his ass in her hand.
As he felt that hand trying to tug him closer, he let go of her leg and took hold of her bikini bottom. Without easing up on the teasing his other fingers were doing inside of her, he pulled her bottoms down until she lifted her own legs out of them.
Tossing the now empty bottoms aside, he wrapped is arms around her, lifting her slightly so that he could rub himself against her heat. Panting against his lips, Liz pushed his briefs down until his cock sprang free. That was as far as she got since he suddenly thrust himself between her folds the moment he was freed.
“Oh my!” moaned Liz as Max rubbed himself against her folds, mimicking what he was going to be doing inside of her soon. Each time he pulled back and surged forward, his tip came into contact with her pleasure point. Instinctively she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist.
Max let go of her mouth and began to trail his lips down to her chin and throat. The further he went, the more he leaned her back until she reached behind herself and grabbed hold of the rim. Max moved her closer until her upper body was leaning against the rim and tile while he held her hips with his hands.
His mouth continued to devour the skin over her collarbone and the valley between her breasts. Liz gripped him closer with her legs, arching her hips to lead him into her body. Max was nudging her bikini top aside with his face to take a nipple into his mouth at the same time he was going to enter her when they both heard the latch click and loud voices.
Their heads snapped up as they stared at each other for a split second. They knew whoever those voices belonged to were inside the room and coming closer.
Reacting instinctively, Liz pushed Max underwater and he moved to the edge of the tub. Liz grabbed her bikini bottoms and positioned her body over his to look as if she were hanging on to the rim. This effectively shielded Max from sight as the man came into view tugging a woman behind him.
The man stopped the moment he saw Liz with her arms folded against the rim wearing an amused look on her face. The woman he’d been tugging yanked her wrist out of his hold, hmphed at him and promptly left the room.
Ignoring the woman, the man simply smiled at Liz. “Well, hello there gorgeous. What’s a looker like you doing all alone in the tub?”
Liz plastered an innocent look on her face as she said, “Waiting for my client to arrive.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Is that so? Well then I think I’ll just keep you company until he gets here.”
As he reached up to remove his shirt, Liz shook her head. “Oh no, you shouldn’t do that. I was told to wait here alone until he arrived.”
Beneath the water, Max could see the top of the man’s head reflected on the surface. But he knew from that angle the man couldn’t see him at all. He was glad he’d taken a huge breath before submerging, so it would be quite a while before he ran out of air. Knowing he would be fine, he decided to play with fire.
Reaching up, he tugged at the front of Liz’s bikini top, making her move closer to the side until she was leaning against him. Now trapped between the tub wall and Liz, Max eased himself further down and parted her legs with his hands.
“Alone, huh?” The man asked. “How long you been waiting?”
“Just a few minutes,” she replied as she trailed a finger along the rim.
He looked at his watch. “Do you think he’s even coming?”
She nodded. “Of course, he said…” she stopped as her voice hitched since Max had just sucked her nub into his mouth while his fingers buried themselves inside her again. However she managed to recover quickly. “…that he might be a little late, but to wait for him anyway.”
Biting her bottom lip to keep from moaning, she hoped he thought she was just being shy. “He said no matter what, he would come to me.”
“Did he?” He shook his head. “No matter, I’ll just go let them know I’ll keep you occupied until he gets here.”
He made to move around the tub to walk out the other door, but Liz was quicker. Shifting her body to keep Max covered and nudging his head with her hand, she managed to make him understand that he was to move with her.
“Please don’t!” she said in what she hoped sounded like a worried voice. “I was already told not to allow anyone to distract me. That’s why the doors have the occupied signs on them. To make sure I wasn’t bothered until he came.”
He frowned as he looked at her for a moment before looking away to stare in the direction of the door. Liz took that respite to grip the tub with one hand and Max’s head with the other while tilting her hips to give him a better angle. A tiny logical part still left inside of her couldn’t believe she was actually allowing Max to perform fellatio on her even while she enjoyed it without giving themselves away.
After a few moments, the man sighed. “Fine. I guess I should go retrieve my wayward woman then. Too bad she’s not as agreeable as you seem to be, doll.”
Liz simply gave him a smile that she hoped looked innocent enough as he began to walk back the way he came. Beneath the water, she nudged Max’s head so that they followed the man around the tub to keep him from seeing Max. The moment she heard the door close, she let out the breath she’d been holding.
“That was close,” she muttered as she tugged at Max’s hair to let him know he could come up to the surface again.
She let out a squeak of surprise as he slid his free hand under her ass and pushed so that she ended up on her back while he continued to feast on her. Reaching behind her, she grasped the tub’s rim as Max hooked her knees over his shoulders so that he could use his hands to anchor her hips while his lips and tongue plundered her depths.
Liz arched back, using her legs as leverage to press herself closer to Max’s greedy mouth. Panting heavily, she knew she was getting closer to the edge.
“Max! Hurry!” she begged as her body began to ride his face.
It only took a few more moments before Max took her to the place she needed to go. With a long, serrated moan Liz’s body tensed up and Max drank deep of her bounty. Then as her body relaxed a little, he pulled her to him and moved back to sit down on the seat in the tub.
As soon as he was seated, he maneuvered her hips with her help until she was impaled on him. Without further ado, she dug her fingers into his shoulders and used her knees as well to help ride him. Max’s hands undid her top and shoved it away before he began to help her move over him by placing his hands on her hips.
Together they set a rhythm as she arched her back and presented him with her bare breasts. Max took the offer, sucking one pert nipple into his mouth even as his hips rose to meet hers.
The sound of water sloshing against skin and the sides of the tub mixed with moans and heavy panting. Soon the sounds reached a crescendo, right before Liz wrapped her arms around Max’s head.
Crushing him to her breasts, she let out a soft cry as her orgasm washed over her. Max heard her stifled cry at the same time he felt heat surround his shaft. The sound and feel of Liz’s ecstasy was enough to push him over the edge.
His growl of completion was muffled against her chest even as his body continued to bury itself inside of her until her walls had milked him of everything he had to give. Still they clung to each other as the water in the tub slowly calmed down, just like their hearts and breathing did.
They would remain like that for a few moments more.
********************************************************************************
Tess quietly rummaged through the desk in the office for a few moments. She didn’t think the evidence would be in there, but she decided to look through it just in case.
Once she was certain it wasn’t in the desk, she moved over to a part of the wall that was the perfect height and width to have a door in it. However, no door could be seen by the naked eye. All that was in that space was a portrait of some unknown man.
It was the small size of the portrait and the fact that the rest of the space was empty that had made Tess think there was something hidden there. Tess slid her fingers along every inch of the wall trying to see if there was a depression or some sort of hidden device that could be used to spring an opening or something like that.
Finally looking at the portrait itself she mentally told herself, “Nah, that can’t be it. It’s too obvious.” Yet, she lifted the portrait out of the way and fingered the space behind it.
When her fingers touched the hook that held the portrait, she heard the soft hiss of air escaping and stepped back to watch as the wall slid slightly in, then to the left. She grinned as the movement created an area wide enough for her to walk into. However, she didn’t have to walk too far in as she facing a wall of shelves and two cabinets near the floor.
Without hesitation, she went into a crouch and quickly moved her hands over the cabinet area using her powers to search for some sign of alarm or other electrical device. She didn’t find any alarms, but she did find out that the cabinets could only be opened with a remote. Since she didn’t have the remote on her, she simply used her powers to feel out the workings of the cabinets until she was able to will them open.
The moment they slid open, Tess leaned in and looked at the contents. She picked up the first stack of papers she saw and began looking through them. A huge smile bloomed over her face as she realized she’d hit the jackpot.
Quickly sorting through the other two piles, she took the ones that held the most incriminating evidence and slipped it beneath the robe she wore, making sure to secure them snuggly between her still moist skin and her bikini bottom. It didn’t take much longer for her to shift through everything else in that little room, taking the important things to hide somewhere on her person before she was finally finished.
Once more she used her powers to close the cabinets and the door before she replaced the portrait. As soon as she was certain everything was in its place, she went to the door to begin her escape. Listening for any sound, she waited a few moments before quietly opening the door and looking out of the crack she created.
Judging the hall to be clear, she slipped into the hall and closed the door behind her. Stealthily, she made her way down the hall towards the bend that would take her to the stairs. As she reached the corner, she stopped to listen for sounds once more.
Hearing nothing, she peeked around the corner and smiled. Now all she had to do was get back up to the second floor to retrieve Liz and get the hell out of there. As she slipped around the corner, she briefly wondered if Max was still with Liz when she heard a doorknob turning.
Trying to backpedal, she almost ran into the two guards who both held guns in their hands. Guns that were pointed at her. Then she heard the door behind her swing open. Thinking the interference would give her a chance to escape, she went still when she saw the tall, red-headed woman walking out of the room with two more guards flanking her. Those guards had guns too and they were also pointing directly at Tess.
Trapped, Tess put on her best bewildered, frightened look as she glanced between the two groups. “W-what’s the meaning of this?” she asked in the best little girl, scared voice she could muster.
The woman stepped forward, but still remained out of Tess’ reach. Smiling a cold smile, she looked Tess up and down with a face full of scorn. “So, this is the little minx that dared betray me by refusing to complete a mission.”
“What? I-I don’t understand,” Tess replied, still acting scared.
The woman gave a low, heartless laugh. “Oh you’ll understand soon enough, betrayer. But first, I think we should reunite you with your friends.”
With that she nodded at the two men on the other side of Tess. Each one grabbed an arm and began to drag her past the woman who sneered at her.
“Don’t try anything, betrayer, you still got two more guns trained on you and they won’t hesitate to kill you if you make one suspicious move.”
The woman didn’t say anything else as Tess was led towards the stairs where four more armed men waited at the top of them.
********************************************************************************
Liz sighed against Max’s chest, content to stay where she was but knowing that wasn’t a good idea. Lifting her head up, she looked into his eyes as she cupped his cheek in her hand.
“Max, you really have to leave now.”
Max leaned his forehead against hers. “Any way I could convince you to come with me?”
“Two days, Max.”
He groaned as he pulled her into a hug. “Yeah, I know. Two days.” He was silent for a few moments before he began to help her off of his lap. “Fine, you have two days. If you’re not out by then…”
“You’re coming in to get me. I got it.” She grinned at him as she stood up on her own and looked down at him.
Returning her grin, Max rose to his own feet and pulled up his briefs before leaning in to give her lips a quick kiss. Soon, Liz was back in her bikini with a terrycloth robe draped around her and Max had dried himself off with another robe before putting his clothes back on.
Together they walked to one of the doors where Max gave Liz another long kiss before pulling away to listen against the door. As soon as he knew it was okay, he brushed his hand against her cheek and whispered, “Be careful,” to her.
Liz nodded. “You too.”
He winked at her and opened the door to walk out. He heard Liz’s gasp a moment too late. The next thing he knew, something hard landed against his temple knocking him to the floor.
TBC...
“What? Why not?” asked Liz as she glared at Max while he continued to straighten up from his squat next to the tub.
“As long as you remain here, so shall I.” Max answered, looking down at Liz as his eyes began to sparkle with mischief.
Liz was about to try to send him away once more when he reached up to remove his sword. “Max…”
Her eyes went wide as she watched him grab his shirt and pull it over his head. “What are you doing!” she exclaimed as Max tossed the sword and his shirt behind one of the couches.
Max shrugged as he began to remove his pants even while he shifted from one foot to the other removing his shoes. “You want to stay, then I guess I’ll join you.”
Liz sputtered in disbelief as she watched him toss everything else behind the sofa until all he had on were his briefs. Then he squatted down at the edge of the tub before climbing into it.
Liz backed up as she frantically looked from side to side. “Max you’re crazy! This is madness!”
A rare grin appeared on his face as he began to stalk her around the tub. “Hm, well I guess you could say I am crazy…crazy about you.”
Liz had continued backing up until the back of her calves hit the seat inside the tub. Unable to back up anymore, she stared wide-eyed at him. “This is a very bad idea!”
He leaned over her while placing his hands on the edge of the tub behind her. Effectively trapping her in his arms, Max lowered his face to hers. Looking into her eyes he whispered, “At least with me, you don’t have to pretend you’re with a client.”
“Um…” Liz mumbled as his lips descended on hers.
Still in shock over what he’d done, it took her a few moments to respond to his kiss. She never had the chance to recollect her wits as he deepened the kiss and pulled her into his arms. Instinctively, she parted her lips to allow him access while her arms encircled his shoulders.
Soon his lips moved from devouring her mouth to nibble his way across her cheek. When he’d reached her ear, he nipped the lobe before whispering in a husky voice.
“You don’t have to pretend at all. Even I don’t have to tell you how much I want you right now.”
Liz moaned as his hands slid up her sides and his thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts. “Oh Max.”
She lifted a leg to wrap around his and tilted her head back. Max began to nip and tease the skin of her throat as he closed on hand over her breast and held her up with his other arm around her. Liz slid her hands into his hair as his mouth began to make a path from her throat to her breasts.
Just as he placed a kiss at the top of one of her mounds, there came muffled voices at one of the doors. Jerking away from Max, Liz shoved him away and motioned for him to be silent before she scrambled out of the tub.
She hurried through the foliage and got to the door just as one of the other prostitutes walked up to it and knocked with a client in tow. Liz opened the door enough to stick her head out with a frown.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Oh! I didn’t know it was in use!”
Liz nodded. “Yes it is, I’m waiting for my client to show up. Thought you were him.”
The man behind the woman glanced at Liz and then looked her up and down. “Well, if he hasn’t shown up, I don’t mind having the both of you.”
Liz gave him a sultry look. “Sorry, but I was told to wait for him or else.”
The man nodded. He was obviously familiar with the way things worked in the place. Reaching out for the woman with him, he pulled her back against him and growled in her ear.
“Why don’t we continue looking at the rest of the tub rooms. If not, I’ll get a bedroom for us, as long as I get to enjoy you as soon as possible.”
His hands had already cupped her breasts and squeezed them as he finished his words. The woman looked embarrassedly at Liz. “Sorry, we’ll go now.”
Liz nodded as she closed the door after checking that the ‘in use’ sign was clearly visible. Leaning against the door, she rolled her eyes at the uncouth manners of the man before she looked in the direction of the tub. She really hoped they could find some proof to take down assholes like him.
With a sigh, she pushed away from the door and headed back to the tub. Pushing through the foliage, she spied Max sitting in the tub with his arms stretched out along the rim, looking for all the world a if he were simply relaxing and enjoying himself.
She went to stand behind him and folded her arms over her chest. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. Now you need to get dressed and leave.”
Max tilted his head back to look up at her. Giving her a sexy grin, he tsked. “Oh but the fun’s only beginning.”
He twisted around and held his hands up to her. “Come on. Come back inside.”
Liz shook her head. “Uh uh, you have to leave.”
Max gave her a sultry pout. “Come on Liz, the water feels good.”
She sighed. “This isn’t about pleasure Max, please….”
His hand curled around the inside of one ankle, making her pause in mid-sentence. As he slowly began to caress her skin with a feather-light touch, he continued to speak to her in a husky voice.
“Please huh? Now I like the sound of that.” His fingers slowly began to move up the inside of her leg until he’d reached her thigh.
As his gaze moved up farther up, he spoke again. “Hm, I bet I can get you wet without getting you in the tub.”
Liz’s breath hitched at his words as she felt his fingers continue their journey to the place where her thigh met her groin. As his fingers brushed over her bikini covered heat, she gasped.
“Max! Um, I don’t think…”
Max rose out of the tub a little more, using the seat to put him at almost even height with Liz. His fingers continued to caress her through her bikini bottom. “Don’t think Liz, just feel. Feel me the way I’m feeling you. Mm, all hot and bothered.”
His fingers moved up to skim over the soft skin of her tummy before dipping under her bikini bottom. She let out a moan as she felt his fingers dip into her heat.
“Yes,” he growled. “Just like I thought. You are wet before you’ve gotten into the tub.”
Liz’s legs nearly gave out, so she leaned forward and placed her hands on his shoulders for balance. Then when a finger slid inside of her, her knees buckled.
But Max was waiting for that. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her down to him as he leaned back in the water. They both drifted to the center of the tub where Liz wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried a hand in his hair.
Her hand pulled his head down so that their lips joined in a heated kiss even as he slipped a second finger inside of her. Moaning against his lips, Liz lifted a leg up to hook it around his hip and Max slid his arm beneath the leg to help anchor her to him.
As his thumb began to draw circles over her sensitive nerve endings, Liz mumbled into his mouth. “Mmm, Max, please hurry.”
Max didn’t stop his ministrations for a few more moments, enjoying the way her body slid against his. He could feel the hard pebbles of her nipples brushing against his chest despite the fact that she was still wearing her bikini top. While one of her hands remained in his hair, the other one was trailing nails down his back until she gripped his ass in her hand.
As he felt that hand trying to tug him closer, he let go of her leg and took hold of her bikini bottom. Without easing up on the teasing his other fingers were doing inside of her, he pulled her bottoms down until she lifted her own legs out of them.
Tossing the now empty bottoms aside, he wrapped is arms around her, lifting her slightly so that he could rub himself against her heat. Panting against his lips, Liz pushed his briefs down until his cock sprang free. That was as far as she got since he suddenly thrust himself between her folds the moment he was freed.
“Oh my!” moaned Liz as Max rubbed himself against her folds, mimicking what he was going to be doing inside of her soon. Each time he pulled back and surged forward, his tip came into contact with her pleasure point. Instinctively she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist.
Max let go of her mouth and began to trail his lips down to her chin and throat. The further he went, the more he leaned her back until she reached behind herself and grabbed hold of the rim. Max moved her closer until her upper body was leaning against the rim and tile while he held her hips with his hands.
His mouth continued to devour the skin over her collarbone and the valley between her breasts. Liz gripped him closer with her legs, arching her hips to lead him into her body. Max was nudging her bikini top aside with his face to take a nipple into his mouth at the same time he was going to enter her when they both heard the latch click and loud voices.
Their heads snapped up as they stared at each other for a split second. They knew whoever those voices belonged to were inside the room and coming closer.
Reacting instinctively, Liz pushed Max underwater and he moved to the edge of the tub. Liz grabbed her bikini bottoms and positioned her body over his to look as if she were hanging on to the rim. This effectively shielded Max from sight as the man came into view tugging a woman behind him.
The man stopped the moment he saw Liz with her arms folded against the rim wearing an amused look on her face. The woman he’d been tugging yanked her wrist out of his hold, hmphed at him and promptly left the room.
Ignoring the woman, the man simply smiled at Liz. “Well, hello there gorgeous. What’s a looker like you doing all alone in the tub?”
Liz plastered an innocent look on her face as she said, “Waiting for my client to arrive.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Is that so? Well then I think I’ll just keep you company until he gets here.”
As he reached up to remove his shirt, Liz shook her head. “Oh no, you shouldn’t do that. I was told to wait here alone until he arrived.”
Beneath the water, Max could see the top of the man’s head reflected on the surface. But he knew from that angle the man couldn’t see him at all. He was glad he’d taken a huge breath before submerging, so it would be quite a while before he ran out of air. Knowing he would be fine, he decided to play with fire.
Reaching up, he tugged at the front of Liz’s bikini top, making her move closer to the side until she was leaning against him. Now trapped between the tub wall and Liz, Max eased himself further down and parted her legs with his hands.
“Alone, huh?” The man asked. “How long you been waiting?”
“Just a few minutes,” she replied as she trailed a finger along the rim.
He looked at his watch. “Do you think he’s even coming?”
She nodded. “Of course, he said…” she stopped as her voice hitched since Max had just sucked her nub into his mouth while his fingers buried themselves inside her again. However she managed to recover quickly. “…that he might be a little late, but to wait for him anyway.”
Biting her bottom lip to keep from moaning, she hoped he thought she was just being shy. “He said no matter what, he would come to me.”
“Did he?” He shook his head. “No matter, I’ll just go let them know I’ll keep you occupied until he gets here.”
He made to move around the tub to walk out the other door, but Liz was quicker. Shifting her body to keep Max covered and nudging his head with her hand, she managed to make him understand that he was to move with her.
“Please don’t!” she said in what she hoped sounded like a worried voice. “I was already told not to allow anyone to distract me. That’s why the doors have the occupied signs on them. To make sure I wasn’t bothered until he came.”
He frowned as he looked at her for a moment before looking away to stare in the direction of the door. Liz took that respite to grip the tub with one hand and Max’s head with the other while tilting her hips to give him a better angle. A tiny logical part still left inside of her couldn’t believe she was actually allowing Max to perform fellatio on her even while she enjoyed it without giving themselves away.
After a few moments, the man sighed. “Fine. I guess I should go retrieve my wayward woman then. Too bad she’s not as agreeable as you seem to be, doll.”
Liz simply gave him a smile that she hoped looked innocent enough as he began to walk back the way he came. Beneath the water, she nudged Max’s head so that they followed the man around the tub to keep him from seeing Max. The moment she heard the door close, she let out the breath she’d been holding.
“That was close,” she muttered as she tugged at Max’s hair to let him know he could come up to the surface again.
She let out a squeak of surprise as he slid his free hand under her ass and pushed so that she ended up on her back while he continued to feast on her. Reaching behind her, she grasped the tub’s rim as Max hooked her knees over his shoulders so that he could use his hands to anchor her hips while his lips and tongue plundered her depths.
Liz arched back, using her legs as leverage to press herself closer to Max’s greedy mouth. Panting heavily, she knew she was getting closer to the edge.
“Max! Hurry!” she begged as her body began to ride his face.
It only took a few more moments before Max took her to the place she needed to go. With a long, serrated moan Liz’s body tensed up and Max drank deep of her bounty. Then as her body relaxed a little, he pulled her to him and moved back to sit down on the seat in the tub.
As soon as he was seated, he maneuvered her hips with her help until she was impaled on him. Without further ado, she dug her fingers into his shoulders and used her knees as well to help ride him. Max’s hands undid her top and shoved it away before he began to help her move over him by placing his hands on her hips.
Together they set a rhythm as she arched her back and presented him with her bare breasts. Max took the offer, sucking one pert nipple into his mouth even as his hips rose to meet hers.
The sound of water sloshing against skin and the sides of the tub mixed with moans and heavy panting. Soon the sounds reached a crescendo, right before Liz wrapped her arms around Max’s head.
Crushing him to her breasts, she let out a soft cry as her orgasm washed over her. Max heard her stifled cry at the same time he felt heat surround his shaft. The sound and feel of Liz’s ecstasy was enough to push him over the edge.
His growl of completion was muffled against her chest even as his body continued to bury itself inside of her until her walls had milked him of everything he had to give. Still they clung to each other as the water in the tub slowly calmed down, just like their hearts and breathing did.
They would remain like that for a few moments more.
********************************************************************************
Tess quietly rummaged through the desk in the office for a few moments. She didn’t think the evidence would be in there, but she decided to look through it just in case.
Once she was certain it wasn’t in the desk, she moved over to a part of the wall that was the perfect height and width to have a door in it. However, no door could be seen by the naked eye. All that was in that space was a portrait of some unknown man.
It was the small size of the portrait and the fact that the rest of the space was empty that had made Tess think there was something hidden there. Tess slid her fingers along every inch of the wall trying to see if there was a depression or some sort of hidden device that could be used to spring an opening or something like that.
Finally looking at the portrait itself she mentally told herself, “Nah, that can’t be it. It’s too obvious.” Yet, she lifted the portrait out of the way and fingered the space behind it.
When her fingers touched the hook that held the portrait, she heard the soft hiss of air escaping and stepped back to watch as the wall slid slightly in, then to the left. She grinned as the movement created an area wide enough for her to walk into. However, she didn’t have to walk too far in as she facing a wall of shelves and two cabinets near the floor.
Without hesitation, she went into a crouch and quickly moved her hands over the cabinet area using her powers to search for some sign of alarm or other electrical device. She didn’t find any alarms, but she did find out that the cabinets could only be opened with a remote. Since she didn’t have the remote on her, she simply used her powers to feel out the workings of the cabinets until she was able to will them open.
The moment they slid open, Tess leaned in and looked at the contents. She picked up the first stack of papers she saw and began looking through them. A huge smile bloomed over her face as she realized she’d hit the jackpot.
Quickly sorting through the other two piles, she took the ones that held the most incriminating evidence and slipped it beneath the robe she wore, making sure to secure them snuggly between her still moist skin and her bikini bottom. It didn’t take much longer for her to shift through everything else in that little room, taking the important things to hide somewhere on her person before she was finally finished.
Once more she used her powers to close the cabinets and the door before she replaced the portrait. As soon as she was certain everything was in its place, she went to the door to begin her escape. Listening for any sound, she waited a few moments before quietly opening the door and looking out of the crack she created.
Judging the hall to be clear, she slipped into the hall and closed the door behind her. Stealthily, she made her way down the hall towards the bend that would take her to the stairs. As she reached the corner, she stopped to listen for sounds once more.
Hearing nothing, she peeked around the corner and smiled. Now all she had to do was get back up to the second floor to retrieve Liz and get the hell out of there. As she slipped around the corner, she briefly wondered if Max was still with Liz when she heard a doorknob turning.
Trying to backpedal, she almost ran into the two guards who both held guns in their hands. Guns that were pointed at her. Then she heard the door behind her swing open. Thinking the interference would give her a chance to escape, she went still when she saw the tall, red-headed woman walking out of the room with two more guards flanking her. Those guards had guns too and they were also pointing directly at Tess.
Trapped, Tess put on her best bewildered, frightened look as she glanced between the two groups. “W-what’s the meaning of this?” she asked in the best little girl, scared voice she could muster.
The woman stepped forward, but still remained out of Tess’ reach. Smiling a cold smile, she looked Tess up and down with a face full of scorn. “So, this is the little minx that dared betray me by refusing to complete a mission.”
“What? I-I don’t understand,” Tess replied, still acting scared.
The woman gave a low, heartless laugh. “Oh you’ll understand soon enough, betrayer. But first, I think we should reunite you with your friends.”
With that she nodded at the two men on the other side of Tess. Each one grabbed an arm and began to drag her past the woman who sneered at her.
“Don’t try anything, betrayer, you still got two more guns trained on you and they won’t hesitate to kill you if you make one suspicious move.”
The woman didn’t say anything else as Tess was led towards the stairs where four more armed men waited at the top of them.
********************************************************************************
Liz sighed against Max’s chest, content to stay where she was but knowing that wasn’t a good idea. Lifting her head up, she looked into his eyes as she cupped his cheek in her hand.
“Max, you really have to leave now.”
Max leaned his forehead against hers. “Any way I could convince you to come with me?”
“Two days, Max.”
He groaned as he pulled her into a hug. “Yeah, I know. Two days.” He was silent for a few moments before he began to help her off of his lap. “Fine, you have two days. If you’re not out by then…”
“You’re coming in to get me. I got it.” She grinned at him as she stood up on her own and looked down at him.
Returning her grin, Max rose to his own feet and pulled up his briefs before leaning in to give her lips a quick kiss. Soon, Liz was back in her bikini with a terrycloth robe draped around her and Max had dried himself off with another robe before putting his clothes back on.
Together they walked to one of the doors where Max gave Liz another long kiss before pulling away to listen against the door. As soon as he knew it was okay, he brushed his hand against her cheek and whispered, “Be careful,” to her.
Liz nodded. “You too.”
He winked at her and opened the door to walk out. He heard Liz’s gasp a moment too late. The next thing he knew, something hard landed against his temple knocking him to the floor.
TBC...
Shadowlynxbehr's Fics
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
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Shadowlynxbehr
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult)pt26(pg20)8/7
Part 27
Max shook his head to clear it even as he heard Liz struggling with her captors behind him. Turning his head, he looked up in time to see two men locking Liz’s hands behind her so that she couldn’t use her skills against them. Nearby was Tess who was also rendered ineffective and flanked by two men.
A muscle ticked in his jaw to see Liz held hostage. With a roar, he rose to his feet to attack only to freeze when Liz’s captors each held a gun to her temples. He heard a woman’s laughter and turned to see the tall, red-haired woman standing behind him with her arms crossed over her chest. There were two men with guns aimed at him.
He smirked, knowing the guns would only slow him down, but not render him ineffective. Apparently the woman knew that too as she smirked right back at him. “I know what you are thinking Max. But you would do well to remember that the two women don’t have your remarkable healing skills, do they?”
His smirk faded as he wondered how the hell she knew that and more to the point, how did she know who he was?
“Who the hell are you?” growled Liz as Max continued to stare at the woman.
The woman didn’t take her eyes off of Max, but when Max didn’t say anything, she pouted. “What’s the matter Max? Don’t you remember me?”
Max shook his head as he growled. “Should I?”
The pretty pout left her face as her eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Well, if you had you’d be thinking it was rather unfortunate to meet me again, I’m sure. In any case, it’s time I finally dealt with you.”
She motioned to her men. “Gag them and take them to the basement.”
********************************************************************************
Max glanced around the room as they continued to shove him down the stairs to the basement floor. He’d wondered why they hadn’t run into anyone on the way down there, but there was no way to get an answer for that in his current position.
Once all of them were down there, Max was still looking around the room but the only way out of there seemed to be the stairs they’d come down. There was a door near the stairs, but Max had been able to glance into it to see that it was a tiny room with no windows or doors past it.
Max’s captors dragged him to the wall to his right and began chaining him up to it while he woman watched with a smile. “I had these chains specially made for someone like you. There’s no way you’re going to be able to escape from these. In fact, the whole room has been designed to keep you in and intruders out.”
Max simply glared at her since he was still currently gagged.
As his captors finished chaining him to the wall, Liz’s captors dragged her to a table near the far wall and Tess was held by her two captors near the door to the small room. One of the men that had flanked the red-haired woman was walking down the stairs after having bolted the door shut and soon joined his partner who still stood guard behind the woman.
One of Max’s captors removed his gag before they both stepped back from him. The woman grinned at him. “Well now, that you’re here. You must know that you can make as much noise as you want, but no one will hear you. In fact,” she moved towards Liz as she finished, “I’m sure she’s going to make quite enough noise, aren’t you?”
Max’s eyes went wide as he watched them force Liz onto her back on the table. They had removed her bonds only to stretch her hands above her head to set her wrists into a huge metal clasp that was connected to a long chain that ran to the end of the table. There, at the end was a huge contraption that had the rest of the chain wrapped around it and a lever meant to pull the rest of the chain in.
A contraption much like that one was also at the other end of the table. However the chain split into two so that they ran through a metal hoop that was fastened to the bottom corners of the table then connected to a clasp that was placed around each of her ankles. Once Liz was spread out and chained, the woman moved closer to Max.
He growled at her. “What the hell do you want?”
She tsked as she continued to walk closer to him. “Still don’t remember me do you?”
He growled again. “No!”
She shook her head in disappointment. “It’s such a shame that you don’t. I remember you so well. And you were such a darling then. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t keep you.”
The last was said in a low voice as she placed her hand over his chest. In the exact spot where he’d often had those phantom pains. His head snapped up and the moment his wide eyes met hers, he knew that she knew about that pain.
“You…you let me go?” he asked, still confused. “What…”
She chuckled. “Had to. Since he kept paying too much attention to you, I knew you were a liability for him, so…”
Max narrowed his eyes. “Are you talking about my father?”
She laughed. “Of course I am.”
“Then that makes you…”
Again she laughed. “Oh no, Max. You’ve got that wrong. I’m not your mother, never wanted to be either although your father wanted me to be.”
“I don’t understand.”
She tsked. “They sure did a number on you, huh? You can’t even remember your past.”
Max growled. “So enlighten me then!”
She arched an eyebrow at him, then suddenly smiled wickedly. “You know, that might not be a bad idea. I’ll be delighted to tell you all about your lovely childhood.”
She walked closer to Liz before she turned to grin at him. “You ready for this?”
“Tell me,” he hissed between his teeth.
She shrugged. “Your parents were assassins too. Apparently that’s how they met, but when your mother became pregnant, she retired. Your father however, didn’t want to. It was his life he said, it was all he knew. Your mother began to beg him to quit, but all it did was push him away from her.
That’s when I met him. My own father was working as an assassin, so I knew what he was. Needless to say, we found out we had a lot in common and we both had the same kind of ambitions. I knew he was becoming estranged from his wife, so I decided he’d be better off with me.
The more time I spent with him, the more I knew he was just what I needed to get what I wanted. Unfortunately your mother seemed to have her claws too deep in him. I did my best to get him to leave her and he did, finally, after you were born. You were almost a year old when I had finally won him over.
Still, I didn’t want any loose ends, especially since I knew your mother had no intention of just letting him disappear like that. After all, she was trained with the best just like he was. But no matter what, I couldn’t convince him to get rid of her.
So, there we were on the run from your mother and nothing I could say would get him to get rid of your mother. No matter how hard I tried to tell him that we wouldn’t be able to achieve our dreams as long as she remained alive, he wouldn’t give in.
There came a time when I knew he wasn’t the one who could get me what I wanted after all, so I began to look elsewhere. During that time, your father still snuck out to see you when he thought I wasn’t aware of it. Your mother didn’t know he went to see you two either.
Then I found someone else who I thought could be better than your father. This guy seemed more ruthless and powerful than your father ever was. So, I decided to make sure he was the right one. I gave him a test. A test that he passed with flying colors.”
She moved closer to Max as she smirked at him. “He killed your father for me.”
Max’s eyes went wide as Liz gasped through the gag she still wore. As Max strained against his chains, the woman continued to move closer to him with a shrug.
“It wasn’t that hard to convince him to do it. He wanted me for himself, so when I told him that I was still in love with your father, but I’d love him more if he wasn’t in the picture, he did what I wanted him to do. After that, it was so easy to get him to finish the job your father couldn’t.”
Max roared at her. “You backstabbing, manipulative bitch!”
She laughed. “Call me what you want. But I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get it. So what if I used my charms to do so? It’s what I’m good at after all.”
He gritted his teeth. “What the hell was so important to you to turn people into murderers?”
She gave him a shocked look. “Well, I wanted to control the assassins of course. Can you imagine having a group that powerful and untouchable at your fingertips? I could make them do the jobs I wanted them to do. They would work for me! Your father was right there on the verge of becoming one of the top assassins in the world and I knew if I had him in my grasp all I had to do was manipulate him to get into the position I wanted.
But he wouldn’t cooperate, so I knew I had to find someone else that was just as powerful as he was, but much more corrupted. And when I found him, he immediately did what I asked and got rid of your parents for me. Once they were out of the way, we both set out to try to achieve my goal. However, there was still one small obstacle in my way.”
She reached out to touch his chest again in the same exact place as she said, “You.”
Max tensed as the phantom pain suddenly flashed through his chest. At the same time he heard the noises in his head again. The screams, the roaring, and someone telling Zander to run.
He gasped past the pain in his chest as he looked up at the woman. “Zander? My name was…”
There was a flash of something in her eyes, but it was gone in the next instant as she nodded her head. “That’s what my new lover called you. It was his idea to take you in and raise you after we had killed your parents. You were still an infant. Too young to remember your parents, so he figured he’d take you in and call you his own son.
As soon as you could walk, he began to train you himself. I kept telling him it was a bad idea and that you would become a liability soon. That you’d get in the way of our plans. He wouldn’t listen of course. Kept saying you had great potential.
I had no idea what he was talking about and I really didn’t care. You were just another mouth to feed and just a nuisance really. So, I just kept hoping that as we got closer to our goal that he’d see how much trouble you were and just get rid of you like we did all the others that got in our way.”
Max frowned as the noises continued in his head. Closing his eyes to see if he could shut out the sounds, he was suddenly assailed with images. This time he was wide awake as those images began to play over and over in his mind. And with each passing moment, they became clearer and clearer.
The woman continued her story. “By the time you were nine, he’d managed to tap your full potential and I knew that if we kept you any longer it would be the end of us all. It was then that I knew what he’d been talking about and it was then that I knew you had to go.
So, I came up with ways to get rid of you without his help since he was still adamant that you would actually be an asset to us.”
Her laugh was loud and full of disbelief and it made Max open his eyes to stare at her. Between her laughter she said, “Can you believe that Max? He thought you’d use your skills to help us! He thought you’d never turn against him! How naïve was that?”
Max blinked against the sounds and images as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. Something about being nine with skills that had reached their full potential. But what did that mean? How could he have been only nine and have a woman like her scared of him? He didn’t get it.
She tilted her head and gazed thoughtfully at him. Apparently she saw the confusion on his face and in that moment, she realized he had no idea what she was talking about. A slow smile spread over her face at that.
In that moment she knew that he couldn’t remember his youth. And if he couldn’t remember his youth, then he couldn’t remember what he was really capable of. No wonder she hadn’t seen any of those skills all those times she’d sent her men after him. Max’s memories seemed to have been completely wiped out and with them went his original skills.
She laughed again. Oh, this was going to be so good and so easy.
“In the end, I thought that it would be best if I could use the two of you against each other. That if I could turn you against your stepfather and make you hate him, you’d do the job for me. Unfortunately the man figured out what I was doing before I could succeed. So, he decided it was time for you two to strike out on your own.”
Her eyes narrowed. “As if I’d allow anyone who knew what I wanted to go free! So, before he had a chance to escape with you in tow, I killed him and then went after you.”
Max closed his eyes as the images rose up before him. This time he saw the entire thing in sharp clarity.
********************************************************************************
A young boy was asleep in his bed, but slowly came awake to the sounds of fighting and screams from outside of his closed bedroom door. As the boy stumbled out of bed, Max knew that boy was him.
He remembered the fear that began to grow inside his chest as those screams and fighting seemed to get closer and closer. He could see the glow of the fire from the fireplace in the crack beneath the door, but he had been afraid to open the door for fear of what he’d find behind it.
He’d stood in his darkened bedroom as the fear grew and grew inside of him, making his chest hurt and a roaring sound begin to build in his ears. Unable to stand it anymore, he’d opened his door and stood stunned at the sight before him.
In what was obviously a living room with a huge fireplace, there were dead bodies everywhere and in the middle of them was his stepfather. Tall, with sandy blond hair the man had been Max’s world then.
The boy stood with wide eyes as he watched his stepfather fighting off two other men one handed because his other hand had been destroyed. He gasped as the man went down to his knees, obviously unable to fight off the other two.
He’d heard the small gasp and turned to look the boy in the eyes. Through lips coated with blood, he’d yelled at the boy. “Zander, run!”
At first the boy didn’t respond, but when one of the two men ran a sword through his stepfather’s body, the boy screamed. And with that scream, flames burst from the fireplace and shot out in various directions around the room. Where it touched, more flames ignited.
As the place began to go up in flames and the roaring sounds increased, the boy found himself stumbling out of the house into the front yard. He tripped and fell to his knees as sobs welled up and bubbled past his lips.
He ignored the soot that covered his face and the fact that his lungs burned with the heat from the fire. All he could feel was the loss of the stepfather he’d just lost. He had been all the boy had known.
He was feeling so much pain and loss that he almost didn’t see the shadow on the ground in front of him. Lit from the fires of the burning house, someone had loomed over him from behind, casting the tell-tale shadow on the ground.
Just as he turned his head to look wide-eyed at the woman who’d claimed to be his stepmother, she lifted a sword high above her head intending to bring it down on him. But before she did, he heard the sound of something whizzing through the air.
She whirled around and appeared to be deflecting whatever it was. It was then that he saw his stepfather half-dragging himself across the ground, wielding a gun in his good hand. Wanting to run to him, the boy took a step towards him until the man roared at him again.
“Zander, run!”
The boy didn’t hesitate this time as he turned and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. He heard his stepmother cursing his stepfather and then nothing but the sound of the fire roaring.
Then he felt it. A white hot pain that started at the back of him and ran through his body to his chest, just to the right of his heart. Stumbling, he feel to his knees and looked down at the hole in his chest, right before he went down.
As he lay sprawled on the ground, he turned his head to see his stepfather’s body not too far from where he was. From the way those lifeless eyes stared at him, he knew the man was completely dead.
His own blood was quickly saturating the ground beneath him as his stepmother loomed over him once more. He looked up at her, but the fear was leaving his body as fast as his blood was. Her face began swimming in and out of focus as he tried desperately to keep his eyes open.
He heard her tsk. “Good thing you still couldn’t control your powers that well, boy. Too bad you couldn’t kill your stepfather for me, I might have kept you alive then. Oh well, good riddance to the both of you.”
His sight had gone by then as he heard her speaking to someone else. “Get rid of the bodies. I don’t want anything left here to identify them or connect me to them, you got it?”
Before he could hear the other’s reply, darkness had finally reached up to claim him.
********************************************************************************
“…you were dead and buried. Imagine my surprise when I was working on my next plot I discovered that you were alive and well!”
Max’s eyes snapped open and he glared at the woman’s back in anger. She was too busy telling her story to the room to notice the look in his eyes. If she had, she would have realized that he now remembered exactly what had happened all those years ago.
And not only that, but she would have realized that not only did he remember the day of his stepfather’s death, but he remembered everything else leading up to that. He even remembered exactly what skills he possessed that she had been so afraid of.
Those skills and powers that were now building and surging through his body as every piece of his past came flooding back into his memory. Every bit of kindness and love that his stepfather had nurtured and trained him with. Most of all, he remembered every hateful, deceitful look and cruel, stinging word that his stepmother had directed towards him.
And the only thing that gave away the fact that he knew how much his evil stepmother hated him and wanted him dead was the sudden curling of his bound hands into tight fists. Luckily for him, there was only one other person in the room who recognized this and at the moment, she was bound and gagged on the table.
Max kept his features free of anything that would give himself away as she turned to face him once more. “After I made sure that you were indeed the boy I once claimed as my stepson, I knew I had to make sure you were taken care of before you found out I was still alive. I don’t like loose ends, you know. And I thought that if you found out I was still out there, you’d make sure I was taken care of.”
She waved her hand in the direction of Tess. “So, I decided to work from within and hire others to kill you. But you are a hard man to kill, Max Evans. No matter how many examples I made of the ones who’d failed me, you still eluded me. Then I hired her and what did she do? Betrayed me and thought she could get away with it!”
She walked over to Tess and narrowed her eyes at her. “Thought you’d get away with that did you? Now you’re going to find out that I don’t let those who betray me live that long.”
She turned to look at Max with a smile. “I’d thought I could get to you through the others who seemed so close to you, but after a while I began to realize that you weren’t even that close to them.”
Then her eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she looked at Liz. “Until your one weakness fell into my lap.”
She turned back to Max and shook her head. “You were really good at keeping everything that really mattered to you under such tight wraps. It wasn’t until just recently that I realized the clues had been there all along, but I’d never recognized them. All this time I had been going after the wrong people. But I was getting impatient at trying to figure out how to get the best of you. So I set this up, thinking I could lure not only everyone who was associated with you, but you too.”
She laughed as her hand swept towards Liz. “Imagine my delight when I realized exactly which one of them would make you forget all of your rules and training and put you right where I wanted you.”
All humor left her face as she turned to look at Max with glittering hatred in her eyes. “Now I have the both of you right where I want you. And this time, this time I intend to make sure I finish the job.”
TBC...
Max shook his head to clear it even as he heard Liz struggling with her captors behind him. Turning his head, he looked up in time to see two men locking Liz’s hands behind her so that she couldn’t use her skills against them. Nearby was Tess who was also rendered ineffective and flanked by two men.
A muscle ticked in his jaw to see Liz held hostage. With a roar, he rose to his feet to attack only to freeze when Liz’s captors each held a gun to her temples. He heard a woman’s laughter and turned to see the tall, red-haired woman standing behind him with her arms crossed over her chest. There were two men with guns aimed at him.
He smirked, knowing the guns would only slow him down, but not render him ineffective. Apparently the woman knew that too as she smirked right back at him. “I know what you are thinking Max. But you would do well to remember that the two women don’t have your remarkable healing skills, do they?”
His smirk faded as he wondered how the hell she knew that and more to the point, how did she know who he was?
“Who the hell are you?” growled Liz as Max continued to stare at the woman.
The woman didn’t take her eyes off of Max, but when Max didn’t say anything, she pouted. “What’s the matter Max? Don’t you remember me?”
Max shook his head as he growled. “Should I?”
The pretty pout left her face as her eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Well, if you had you’d be thinking it was rather unfortunate to meet me again, I’m sure. In any case, it’s time I finally dealt with you.”
She motioned to her men. “Gag them and take them to the basement.”
********************************************************************************
Max glanced around the room as they continued to shove him down the stairs to the basement floor. He’d wondered why they hadn’t run into anyone on the way down there, but there was no way to get an answer for that in his current position.
Once all of them were down there, Max was still looking around the room but the only way out of there seemed to be the stairs they’d come down. There was a door near the stairs, but Max had been able to glance into it to see that it was a tiny room with no windows or doors past it.
Max’s captors dragged him to the wall to his right and began chaining him up to it while he woman watched with a smile. “I had these chains specially made for someone like you. There’s no way you’re going to be able to escape from these. In fact, the whole room has been designed to keep you in and intruders out.”
Max simply glared at her since he was still currently gagged.
As his captors finished chaining him to the wall, Liz’s captors dragged her to a table near the far wall and Tess was held by her two captors near the door to the small room. One of the men that had flanked the red-haired woman was walking down the stairs after having bolted the door shut and soon joined his partner who still stood guard behind the woman.
One of Max’s captors removed his gag before they both stepped back from him. The woman grinned at him. “Well now, that you’re here. You must know that you can make as much noise as you want, but no one will hear you. In fact,” she moved towards Liz as she finished, “I’m sure she’s going to make quite enough noise, aren’t you?”
Max’s eyes went wide as he watched them force Liz onto her back on the table. They had removed her bonds only to stretch her hands above her head to set her wrists into a huge metal clasp that was connected to a long chain that ran to the end of the table. There, at the end was a huge contraption that had the rest of the chain wrapped around it and a lever meant to pull the rest of the chain in.
A contraption much like that one was also at the other end of the table. However the chain split into two so that they ran through a metal hoop that was fastened to the bottom corners of the table then connected to a clasp that was placed around each of her ankles. Once Liz was spread out and chained, the woman moved closer to Max.
He growled at her. “What the hell do you want?”
She tsked as she continued to walk closer to him. “Still don’t remember me do you?”
He growled again. “No!”
She shook her head in disappointment. “It’s such a shame that you don’t. I remember you so well. And you were such a darling then. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t keep you.”
The last was said in a low voice as she placed her hand over his chest. In the exact spot where he’d often had those phantom pains. His head snapped up and the moment his wide eyes met hers, he knew that she knew about that pain.
“You…you let me go?” he asked, still confused. “What…”
She chuckled. “Had to. Since he kept paying too much attention to you, I knew you were a liability for him, so…”
Max narrowed his eyes. “Are you talking about my father?”
She laughed. “Of course I am.”
“Then that makes you…”
Again she laughed. “Oh no, Max. You’ve got that wrong. I’m not your mother, never wanted to be either although your father wanted me to be.”
“I don’t understand.”
She tsked. “They sure did a number on you, huh? You can’t even remember your past.”
Max growled. “So enlighten me then!”
She arched an eyebrow at him, then suddenly smiled wickedly. “You know, that might not be a bad idea. I’ll be delighted to tell you all about your lovely childhood.”
She walked closer to Liz before she turned to grin at him. “You ready for this?”
“Tell me,” he hissed between his teeth.
She shrugged. “Your parents were assassins too. Apparently that’s how they met, but when your mother became pregnant, she retired. Your father however, didn’t want to. It was his life he said, it was all he knew. Your mother began to beg him to quit, but all it did was push him away from her.
That’s when I met him. My own father was working as an assassin, so I knew what he was. Needless to say, we found out we had a lot in common and we both had the same kind of ambitions. I knew he was becoming estranged from his wife, so I decided he’d be better off with me.
The more time I spent with him, the more I knew he was just what I needed to get what I wanted. Unfortunately your mother seemed to have her claws too deep in him. I did my best to get him to leave her and he did, finally, after you were born. You were almost a year old when I had finally won him over.
Still, I didn’t want any loose ends, especially since I knew your mother had no intention of just letting him disappear like that. After all, she was trained with the best just like he was. But no matter what, I couldn’t convince him to get rid of her.
So, there we were on the run from your mother and nothing I could say would get him to get rid of your mother. No matter how hard I tried to tell him that we wouldn’t be able to achieve our dreams as long as she remained alive, he wouldn’t give in.
There came a time when I knew he wasn’t the one who could get me what I wanted after all, so I began to look elsewhere. During that time, your father still snuck out to see you when he thought I wasn’t aware of it. Your mother didn’t know he went to see you two either.
Then I found someone else who I thought could be better than your father. This guy seemed more ruthless and powerful than your father ever was. So, I decided to make sure he was the right one. I gave him a test. A test that he passed with flying colors.”
She moved closer to Max as she smirked at him. “He killed your father for me.”
Max’s eyes went wide as Liz gasped through the gag she still wore. As Max strained against his chains, the woman continued to move closer to him with a shrug.
“It wasn’t that hard to convince him to do it. He wanted me for himself, so when I told him that I was still in love with your father, but I’d love him more if he wasn’t in the picture, he did what I wanted him to do. After that, it was so easy to get him to finish the job your father couldn’t.”
Max roared at her. “You backstabbing, manipulative bitch!”
She laughed. “Call me what you want. But I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get it. So what if I used my charms to do so? It’s what I’m good at after all.”
He gritted his teeth. “What the hell was so important to you to turn people into murderers?”
She gave him a shocked look. “Well, I wanted to control the assassins of course. Can you imagine having a group that powerful and untouchable at your fingertips? I could make them do the jobs I wanted them to do. They would work for me! Your father was right there on the verge of becoming one of the top assassins in the world and I knew if I had him in my grasp all I had to do was manipulate him to get into the position I wanted.
But he wouldn’t cooperate, so I knew I had to find someone else that was just as powerful as he was, but much more corrupted. And when I found him, he immediately did what I asked and got rid of your parents for me. Once they were out of the way, we both set out to try to achieve my goal. However, there was still one small obstacle in my way.”
She reached out to touch his chest again in the same exact place as she said, “You.”
Max tensed as the phantom pain suddenly flashed through his chest. At the same time he heard the noises in his head again. The screams, the roaring, and someone telling Zander to run.
He gasped past the pain in his chest as he looked up at the woman. “Zander? My name was…”
There was a flash of something in her eyes, but it was gone in the next instant as she nodded her head. “That’s what my new lover called you. It was his idea to take you in and raise you after we had killed your parents. You were still an infant. Too young to remember your parents, so he figured he’d take you in and call you his own son.
As soon as you could walk, he began to train you himself. I kept telling him it was a bad idea and that you would become a liability soon. That you’d get in the way of our plans. He wouldn’t listen of course. Kept saying you had great potential.
I had no idea what he was talking about and I really didn’t care. You were just another mouth to feed and just a nuisance really. So, I just kept hoping that as we got closer to our goal that he’d see how much trouble you were and just get rid of you like we did all the others that got in our way.”
Max frowned as the noises continued in his head. Closing his eyes to see if he could shut out the sounds, he was suddenly assailed with images. This time he was wide awake as those images began to play over and over in his mind. And with each passing moment, they became clearer and clearer.
The woman continued her story. “By the time you were nine, he’d managed to tap your full potential and I knew that if we kept you any longer it would be the end of us all. It was then that I knew what he’d been talking about and it was then that I knew you had to go.
So, I came up with ways to get rid of you without his help since he was still adamant that you would actually be an asset to us.”
Her laugh was loud and full of disbelief and it made Max open his eyes to stare at her. Between her laughter she said, “Can you believe that Max? He thought you’d use your skills to help us! He thought you’d never turn against him! How naïve was that?”
Max blinked against the sounds and images as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. Something about being nine with skills that had reached their full potential. But what did that mean? How could he have been only nine and have a woman like her scared of him? He didn’t get it.
She tilted her head and gazed thoughtfully at him. Apparently she saw the confusion on his face and in that moment, she realized he had no idea what she was talking about. A slow smile spread over her face at that.
In that moment she knew that he couldn’t remember his youth. And if he couldn’t remember his youth, then he couldn’t remember what he was really capable of. No wonder she hadn’t seen any of those skills all those times she’d sent her men after him. Max’s memories seemed to have been completely wiped out and with them went his original skills.
She laughed again. Oh, this was going to be so good and so easy.
“In the end, I thought that it would be best if I could use the two of you against each other. That if I could turn you against your stepfather and make you hate him, you’d do the job for me. Unfortunately the man figured out what I was doing before I could succeed. So, he decided it was time for you two to strike out on your own.”
Her eyes narrowed. “As if I’d allow anyone who knew what I wanted to go free! So, before he had a chance to escape with you in tow, I killed him and then went after you.”
Max closed his eyes as the images rose up before him. This time he saw the entire thing in sharp clarity.
********************************************************************************
A young boy was asleep in his bed, but slowly came awake to the sounds of fighting and screams from outside of his closed bedroom door. As the boy stumbled out of bed, Max knew that boy was him.
He remembered the fear that began to grow inside his chest as those screams and fighting seemed to get closer and closer. He could see the glow of the fire from the fireplace in the crack beneath the door, but he had been afraid to open the door for fear of what he’d find behind it.
He’d stood in his darkened bedroom as the fear grew and grew inside of him, making his chest hurt and a roaring sound begin to build in his ears. Unable to stand it anymore, he’d opened his door and stood stunned at the sight before him.
In what was obviously a living room with a huge fireplace, there were dead bodies everywhere and in the middle of them was his stepfather. Tall, with sandy blond hair the man had been Max’s world then.
The boy stood with wide eyes as he watched his stepfather fighting off two other men one handed because his other hand had been destroyed. He gasped as the man went down to his knees, obviously unable to fight off the other two.
He’d heard the small gasp and turned to look the boy in the eyes. Through lips coated with blood, he’d yelled at the boy. “Zander, run!”
At first the boy didn’t respond, but when one of the two men ran a sword through his stepfather’s body, the boy screamed. And with that scream, flames burst from the fireplace and shot out in various directions around the room. Where it touched, more flames ignited.
As the place began to go up in flames and the roaring sounds increased, the boy found himself stumbling out of the house into the front yard. He tripped and fell to his knees as sobs welled up and bubbled past his lips.
He ignored the soot that covered his face and the fact that his lungs burned with the heat from the fire. All he could feel was the loss of the stepfather he’d just lost. He had been all the boy had known.
He was feeling so much pain and loss that he almost didn’t see the shadow on the ground in front of him. Lit from the fires of the burning house, someone had loomed over him from behind, casting the tell-tale shadow on the ground.
Just as he turned his head to look wide-eyed at the woman who’d claimed to be his stepmother, she lifted a sword high above her head intending to bring it down on him. But before she did, he heard the sound of something whizzing through the air.
She whirled around and appeared to be deflecting whatever it was. It was then that he saw his stepfather half-dragging himself across the ground, wielding a gun in his good hand. Wanting to run to him, the boy took a step towards him until the man roared at him again.
“Zander, run!”
The boy didn’t hesitate this time as he turned and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. He heard his stepmother cursing his stepfather and then nothing but the sound of the fire roaring.
Then he felt it. A white hot pain that started at the back of him and ran through his body to his chest, just to the right of his heart. Stumbling, he feel to his knees and looked down at the hole in his chest, right before he went down.
As he lay sprawled on the ground, he turned his head to see his stepfather’s body not too far from where he was. From the way those lifeless eyes stared at him, he knew the man was completely dead.
His own blood was quickly saturating the ground beneath him as his stepmother loomed over him once more. He looked up at her, but the fear was leaving his body as fast as his blood was. Her face began swimming in and out of focus as he tried desperately to keep his eyes open.
He heard her tsk. “Good thing you still couldn’t control your powers that well, boy. Too bad you couldn’t kill your stepfather for me, I might have kept you alive then. Oh well, good riddance to the both of you.”
His sight had gone by then as he heard her speaking to someone else. “Get rid of the bodies. I don’t want anything left here to identify them or connect me to them, you got it?”
Before he could hear the other’s reply, darkness had finally reached up to claim him.
********************************************************************************
“…you were dead and buried. Imagine my surprise when I was working on my next plot I discovered that you were alive and well!”
Max’s eyes snapped open and he glared at the woman’s back in anger. She was too busy telling her story to the room to notice the look in his eyes. If she had, she would have realized that he now remembered exactly what had happened all those years ago.
And not only that, but she would have realized that not only did he remember the day of his stepfather’s death, but he remembered everything else leading up to that. He even remembered exactly what skills he possessed that she had been so afraid of.
Those skills and powers that were now building and surging through his body as every piece of his past came flooding back into his memory. Every bit of kindness and love that his stepfather had nurtured and trained him with. Most of all, he remembered every hateful, deceitful look and cruel, stinging word that his stepmother had directed towards him.
And the only thing that gave away the fact that he knew how much his evil stepmother hated him and wanted him dead was the sudden curling of his bound hands into tight fists. Luckily for him, there was only one other person in the room who recognized this and at the moment, she was bound and gagged on the table.
Max kept his features free of anything that would give himself away as she turned to face him once more. “After I made sure that you were indeed the boy I once claimed as my stepson, I knew I had to make sure you were taken care of before you found out I was still alive. I don’t like loose ends, you know. And I thought that if you found out I was still out there, you’d make sure I was taken care of.”
She waved her hand in the direction of Tess. “So, I decided to work from within and hire others to kill you. But you are a hard man to kill, Max Evans. No matter how many examples I made of the ones who’d failed me, you still eluded me. Then I hired her and what did she do? Betrayed me and thought she could get away with it!”
She walked over to Tess and narrowed her eyes at her. “Thought you’d get away with that did you? Now you’re going to find out that I don’t let those who betray me live that long.”
She turned to look at Max with a smile. “I’d thought I could get to you through the others who seemed so close to you, but after a while I began to realize that you weren’t even that close to them.”
Then her eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she looked at Liz. “Until your one weakness fell into my lap.”
She turned back to Max and shook her head. “You were really good at keeping everything that really mattered to you under such tight wraps. It wasn’t until just recently that I realized the clues had been there all along, but I’d never recognized them. All this time I had been going after the wrong people. But I was getting impatient at trying to figure out how to get the best of you. So I set this up, thinking I could lure not only everyone who was associated with you, but you too.”
She laughed as her hand swept towards Liz. “Imagine my delight when I realized exactly which one of them would make you forget all of your rules and training and put you right where I wanted you.”
All humor left her face as she turned to look at Max with glittering hatred in her eyes. “Now I have the both of you right where I want you. And this time, this time I intend to make sure I finish the job.”
TBC...
Shadowlynxbehr's Fics
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
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Shadowlynxbehr
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Re: An Altered Existance (M/L, Adult)pt27(pg21)8/8
WARNING: This part has a torture scene in it. I don't believe it's that graphic, but still....you have been warned.
Part 28
Every eye and ear was trained on her as she looked at her watch once more with a frown. Her lips were in a thin line as she confirmed what they all knew. “Time’s up.”
At Maria’s confirmation, Alex’s eyes swung towards the building. “Something must have happened.”
Michael nodded. “I agree.”
Kyle’s voice came over their headsets. “Which means we’re going to have to come up with a plan to go in and get them, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” was Maria’s reply.
********************************************************************************
The red-haired woman walked over to Tess and grabbed hold of her hair, yanking her head back. “You dared to disobey my orders, you little shit! Well no matter, I’ll delight in the misery that boy you paired up with is going to experience when he finds your dead body. But I’ll put you out of your misery in a few. First, I’ve got a bigger fish to fry.”
She motioned to Tess’ two guards. “Take her into the room and watch her. When I’m done with these two, I’ll deal with her.”
Tess was dragged into the small room Max had noted when he’d first been taken into the basement. As soon as Tess and her two guards were inside and the door was closed, Max’s stepmother turned to give him a cold smile.
Without saying a word, she made her way towards the table that held Liz and walked around to the other side where she placed her hand on a handkerchief-covered tray. Still looking at Max with that same cold smile, she finally spoke.
“Now let’s get to the fun part shall we? You know you’ve caused me an inordinate amount of pain and headaches ever since before you were born, Max. So I thought it was only fair that I repaid you for it. Granted, I’m sure she’ll give out sooner than I’d like, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Max narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the covered tray before looking back at her. “What the hell are you talking about?” he growled.
She didn’t even blink as she answered. “Pain, Max. I’m talking about inflicting as much pain on Liz as I possibly can while you watch.”
With that, she removed the handkerchief allowing Max to see the different sharp, steeled instruments she had lined up on the tray. Liz’s eyes went wide as she too saw the instruments since she’d lifted her head to look at the tray. She started saying something, but the gag made it unintelligible to everyone in the room.
Max saw the look in Liz’s eyes and started pulling at his bonds. “No! Don’t you touch her, you bitch!”
The woman looked up at Max after grinning at Liz. “Oh don’t worry. I’ll kill her when I think she’s no more fun for me and then I’ll put you out of your misery too. Of course, I don’t intend to let you die right away. I’m sure you’ll be even more fun than she will be. After all, you’re the one with that strong, almost indestructible body.”
Max gritted his teeth as fury roiled through him. Roaring with rage, he continued to yank at his chains trying to see if his strength could pull them out of the wall. There was no way he was going to allow that woman to hurt Liz.
Ignoring Max’s rage, she motioned to the man that stood near Liz’s head. “Remove her gag, I want him to hear her pain.”
The man did as she asked and as soon as the gag was out of her mouth, Liz let loose on the woman. “You foul, evil harpy! If you think for one moment I’ll even allow you to use me against Max, you have another thing coming!”
The woman laughed. “Such bravery in the face of your oncoming slaughter. You talk now, but trust me you’ll be singing a different tune once my instruments do their work on your vulnerable skin.”
With that she lifted up one of the thin scalpels and surveyed it for a moment.
Liz growled at her as she struggled against her bonds. “You think you know me huh? Think you can scare me, you bitch! I’ll never give you the satisfaction!”
Max yanked at his chains once more before he looked in their direction. “Liz! Liz, don’t push her!”
“I’m not afraid of her Max! The bitch thinks she can hurt me!” She was twisting her body this way and that, trying to find a way out.
Max gritted his teeth. “Liz, please!”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Enough of this! I need more tension!”
The two men who’d been Liz’s guards moved to either end of the table and took hold of the levers there. As they began turning them, the sound of clinking chains sounded in the room. Within moments, Liz’s arms and legs were stretched out even more and Max could see the way she clenched her teeth against the burn of her aching muscles.
He growled in anger as he tried to yank at his own chains once more. “Stop this!”
The woman glanced up at Max before looking down at Liz again. “More tension!”
Once more the chains were reeled in, stretching Liz’s limbs even more. It felt as if her arms were nearly pulled out of their joints. Tears came to her eyes, but she refused to cry out.
The woman tsked. “Fine, be stubborn. It won’t last, you’ll see.”
With that she leaned over Liz and parted the robe she wore, exposing her bikini-clad body to the room. Lowering the scalpel, she lightly ran it over the side of her face.
Max let out another roar of rage. “Get away from her!”
Ignoring him, she continued to let the scalpel trace the lines of Liz’s jaw before moving to her throat. The whole time, she made sure to keep her touch light enough so no blood was drawn, yet Liz could feel the coldness of the steel against her flesh.
“Such flawless skin. I guess I can see why he likes you so much. Hm, wonder if he’s still going to like you when I get finished with you. Will you still be beautiful to him then?”
Liz didn’t say a word as her chest heaved with anger at the woman. There was no fear in her eyes as she glared into the woman’s eyes, just raw determination not to let the woman get any satisfaction out of torturing her. She refused to let this woman hurt Max anymore than she’d already done.
Suddenly tired of seeing the fearlessness in Liz, the woman pulled away slightly and laid the scalpel against Liz’s chest, just to the right of her heart.
“Here,” she hissed, “feel what he felt when I’d thought I’d killed him.”
The scalpel dug into her skin drawing blood for the first time. Liz hissed against the pain, but still refused to give anything else. After a few moments, the scalpel withdrew and the woman shook her head.
“Nope, not gonna put the thing all the way through you. I don’t want you to bleed to death too quickly now.”
They could both hear Max struggling and cursing from across the room. However, the woman continued to ignore him, focusing instead on finding Liz’s breaking point. Picking up another instrument, this one with a round head with lots of sharp points sticking out all around it, she grinned down at Liz.
“Hm, this may do the trick.”
The instrument was made to roll over a surface, leaving pin pricks in its wake. She set it against the inside of Liz’s left thigh, then suddenly added pressure so the pins would sink into her flesh.
Liz gritted her teeth against the pain as the device was rolled up the inside of her thigh, leaving small bloody holes in its wake. It neared the top of her thigh and was taken away from her flesh, giving her a brief reprieve. She heard the woman tsk before the device was placed against the outside of her left arm, near her elbow.
Once more it was rolled along her skin going down until it reached the beginning of her armpit. There was a brief hesitation in which Liz drew in a shaky breath before it was yanked into her armpit and pressed with so much force that Liz just knew the entire length of those sharp pins had been embedded in her flesh.
This time, she couldn’t stop the cry of pain that escaped as she tried to twist her body away from the woman and the offensive torture device. That was all the woman had needed as her laughter rang through the room, blending with Max’s anguished roars.
“Oh yes! Now that’s more like it! Don’t stop now, sweetheart. Let Max hear your pain some more.”
This time the device was pressed against her right side, just above her hip and rolled slowly with lots of pressure over her stomach towards her left side. Liz closed her eyes as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks and the pain began to consume her.
She was still trying her hardest not to give in to the pain, but the woman was relentless. The men were told to add more tension, which only stretched Liz’s body almost to the breaking point. She knew it wasn’t going to take much more before her body began to fail her completely.
She couldn’t stop the whimpers that escaped her lips with each pull on her limbs or the cries of pain she emitted every time the pin-covered device ripped over her exposed skin. She tried to focus on Max’s voice, but even that was hard through the throbbing pain of her body. And with each passing moment she could feel the blood trickling out of her body, getting farther and farther away just like the sounds were beginning to.
********************************************************************************
Max hung from the chains that held him prisoner as sweat poured from his forehead down into his eyes. He’d been struggling to get out of his chains from the start, but when he’d heard Liz’s first cry, it had spurred him like nothing else.
His vision had clouded over with a red haze as he became like an animal trying to escape from a trap. With each sound of pain that issued from Liz, Max’s sanity was fading away until nothing else had mattered except getting to her.
He was so far gone that he hadn’t even cared if he’d managed to get free of his chains and left his appendages behind. He was that close to gnawing them off himself.
But so far, the chains and his appendages had held. Plus, there was the fact that the two guards that had been assigned to him were still watching him like hawks.
Then when Liz’s cries had seemed to recede, he’d finally managed to get hold of himself. At least enough so that his vision had cleared so that he could see what was happening to her.
The woman was leaning over Liz with a frown on her face as she slapped Liz’s cheeks a few times. Then she reached down to the floor and picked up a small bucket and threw water over Liz.
Liz coughed and sputtered for a few moments as the woman smiled.
“Ah, there you are. I’m not done with you yet, so don’t you think fainting is going to help you here.”
She set the bucket down and went back to rummaging on her tray. Liz turned her head to look in Max’s direction.
Their eyes met and she gave him one of the most beautiful smiles he’d ever seen. Then she mouthed some words to him. “Don’t give in. I love you.”
He inhaled sharply as she turned away from him and the woman straightened up with a knife in her hand. She was completely oblivious to what had just transpired between Max and Liz. So were the other four guards in the room since two of them were focused on Max and the other two were focused on the levers to Liz’s chains.
As Max’s eyes took in the rest of the room, he noticed that the two guards who’d been with the woman were both at the top of the stairs, listening to any sounds that came from outside of the basement. There had been eight guards in the room, which meant the last two were in the small room guarding Tess.
A sharp gasp made him look back in the direction of the table in time to see the knife sticking out from the top of Liz’s left shoulder. Max grimaced in sympathetic pain as he realized just how much that had to hurt, especially since it was inserted at the point where Liz’s joints were stretched the most from the chains.
The woman reached for another knife and as she leaned over to insert it into Liz’s other shoulder, Max realized what she was doing. So did Liz, since her eyes went wide with a gasp a split second before the knife was imbedded in her shoulder.
Her scream rose in pitch as the knife was slammed into her shoulder and then pushed so deep that it was imbedded into the wood of the table. Just like the first knife had been.
Max roared as he tried once more to yank at his chains. “Stop it! You’re killing her! Stop!”
Liz turned her head to look at him. He could see the tears in her eyes even from his distance. She shook her head feebly as she whispered. “No. Max, no!”
Max refused to listen as she turned away from him once more. This time she turned so far so that all he could see was the back of her head. He watched as the woman retrieved another knife, obviously meant for one of Liz’s hips.
Pain so profound lanced Max’s heart as he collapsed back against the wall. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he knew things were getting hopeless now. He could feel it in his bones.
He looked at Liz laying on the table that was already soaked with so much of her blood that it scared him. It was then that he realized just what the pain in his heart was.
Love.
He was truly, madly, deeply in love with Liz Parker and he’d been a fool not to give in to it when it had first appeared. He knew that now. Now that they were both one heartbeat away from being killed, he could feel the hopelessness of it all.
As he let those feelings drown him, as well as the helplessness he felt at not being able to help the one woman who meant everything to him, his eyes roamed the room once more. Tears began to gather in his eyes as his heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces.
So this was it. This was the way things were going to end for him and Liz. He’d never have the chance to tell her how he really felt about her. He’d never be able to tell her how much he’d appreciated everything she had ever done for him.
Everything from pushing him to remember his past to being there for him no matter how surly he was towards her. He’d had no right to ask for anything from her and she’d had every right to deny him everything. She never had shut him out, no matter how much he’d tried to do the same to her.
She was stronger and tougher than he had ever been. Even now, while that bitch of a so-called stepmother did her best to inflict as much pain on her petite body as she could.
“Liz,” he whispered with bittersweet pain as he leaned his head back against the wall. His eyes were just about to close when something suddenly caught his eye.
Opening them, he stared straight ahead at the sconce burning in the wall opposite of him. A smile spread inside of him as the memories of his past flooded through him once more.
Fire. He could manipulate fire.
His eyes traveled around the room once more as he dredged up more memories from his past. Within moments it became clear that fire manipulation wasn’t the only power he was capable of using.
Liz’s scream rent the air as the woman finally plunged the third knife into her hip. But Max closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, shutting out all noise and focusing his concentration. He knew he had no choice, because if he failed to do this, it was over for all of them.
Opening his eyes, he curled his hands around the chains that held the bonds around his wrists and called on his powers. His guards weren’t aware what was going on until it was too late.
He’d kept the melted part of his chains hidden in his hands until just the right moment. As soon as he knew his hands were free, he lowered them and thrust them in front of him. Palms out, they faced towards the sconce just as his guards realized the chains no longer held his wrists imprisoned.
Jerking his hands back towards his body and spreading them slightly, twin flames shot out from the sconce and he moved his hands towards the two guards making the flames wrap around them instantly.
The guards had no choice but to deal with the flames that were consuming them and making them scream in agony while Max bent over and melted the bonds from his ankles. He was just straightening up when he heard the feminine scream. And it wasn’t from Liz.
“No! No! It’s not possible!” Max turned to give his stepmother a wicked grin at her words.
“Oh, yeah. It’s possible,” he laughed as he stalked towards the table.
“Kill him!” she screeched at the two guards who were at opposite ends of the table.
They reached for the guns they had at their hips, but Max was quicker. Reaching back with one hand, he called the fire from what was left of his two guards and directed it towards the two that were running towards him.
Unable to stop their forward motion, they ran right into the twin flames that were waiting for them. Their screams echoed around the room as Max ran past them towards the woman. She ran around the opposite side of the table away from him as she continued to screech.
“How is that possible? You couldn’t remember your past! I saw it in your eyes! You didn’t know about the fire!”
Max glared at her from the side of the table she’d abandoned. “It’s your fault! Just like it was your fault that you failed to kill me when I was only nine years old.”
The wicked grin reappeared on his face as he said, “You underestimated my powers and my skills again.”
She screamed in anger as she ran towards the stairs. “Guards! Get down here and kill him! He can’t escape this time!”
Max looked down at Liz who lay there looking up at him in silence. She had her jaw clenched against the pain and her eyes were still full of tears, but he could see the strength and resolve in them.
His smile turned tender as he said, “I’m going to borrow your power for a few moments. It won’t hurt, I promise.”
Her eyes told him she trusted him explicitly as he placed a hand against her forehead before looking up at the two guards who were headed their way. His free hand flew up as a psychic sword manifested in his hand and he aimed it at one of the guards head.
He let it go when the man was close enough. It went through his head, sending him to the ground where he writhed and screamed while clutching his head.
The second guard aimed his gun at Max and fired a couple of shots. Max’s body jerked with the impact and he hissed against the pain, but it wasn’t enough to take him down. Two shots was all the guard had gotten before Max manifested another sword and threw it at the guard’s head.
He heard his stepmother screech. “What the hell! How is that…”
Then she was running up the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs for more of her men to come to her help.
Max ignored her as he leaned over Liz and brushed the tears and hair away from her face. “I’m going to get you out of this. It’s going to hurt…”
Liz hissed at him through her gritted teeth. “Just do it, Max!”
He didn’t waste anymore time as he gripped the knife in her hip and yanked it out of her flesh. Liz let out an anguished scream through her teeth. Max glanced at her to see more tears welling in her eyes, but he could see she wanted him to continue getting her out.
He curled one hand around a knife in each of her shoulders and yanked again. Liz’s body arched off the table as another scream was ripped from her. Max tossed the knives aside as he placed his hands on the link that held her hands to the chains and melted it off.
Liz lay there drawing in deep breaths to get past the pain of her body as Max worked on getting the links off of her ankles. When he was done, he moved to wrap his arms around her body to help her sit up.
Liz gritted her teeth once more against the pain the movement caused, but refused to make another sound as Max settled the bloody robe around her body.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
She nodded. “I can walk.”
He helped her to her feet, keeping one arm around her waist. Liz groaned as they began to make their way towards the small room that Tess was still being held in. Max set her against the wall next to the door and placed his hand against her head once more. Manifesting a sword in his hand, he kicked in the door expecting to have to fight off two more guards.
He paused the moment he saw their two bodies sprawled on the floor in front of him. Tess was sitting in a chair looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Took you long enough.”
Max tossed the sword into the air and removed his hand from Liz’s forehead. The sword disappeared as he made his way to Tess’ side.
“How did you…”
She indicated the wall socket near the door with her chin. “The moment they both turned away from me to see what all the screaming and noise was about, I electrocuted them. How did you two…”
“Long story. Right now we need to get out of here.”
“Right,” she replied as Max finished melting her bonds off of her feet and hands.
She stood up and followed Max out of the room. Max grabbed the guards two guns and handed them to Tess before pulling Liz into his arms.
“You’re going to have to lead the way up the stairs. Liz won’t be able to walk until we reach the first floor.”
Liz hissed. “I can…” But she stopped when she saw the look in Max’s eyes.
Tess nodded and led the way up the stairs. Stopping long enough to listen through the door before pushing it open and holding the guns out to fire if they were threatened. Nodding to Max to let him know the coast was clear, she quietly walked forward keeping all her senses tuned to any noise.
Max walked out of the basement and set Liz back on her feet. “Let’s get out of here.”
Tess nodded as she continued to lead the way while Max lent his support to Liz. She was favoring her left leg as she limped along as fast as she could, but Max’s arm around her waist helped her progress. She couldn’t really put her arm around his shoulders since it was too injured from her abuse.
Still, the three of them managed to get to the intersection of the hall before they heard the sounds of the enemy coming down the stairs. Tess aimed the guns at the stairs as Max and Liz brushed past her, trying to make it around the corner. That hall would lead towards the foyer and the front door.
Max swore under his breath as he spotted the small group of guards in the foyer. He whirled around and looked down the other hall just as Tess said.
“Trust me, the easiest way out of here is through the front door or up the stairs. All the rooms on this floor are either occupied or the windows are proofed against escape.”
Max gritted his teeth as his mind worked overtime. “Liz, can you use your psychic sword?”
“Yes,” she growled.
“Okay, Tess take Liz and try to cut your way through the group in the foyer. I’ll take care of everyone else that comes behind you.”
Liz’s eyes went wide as she looked up at him. “What! Are you insane?”
Max pulled her into his arms and took her lips into his. Kissing her with everything he had inside of him, he burned that kiss into his memory.
Liz could feel that kiss all the way into her soul as it left her breathless and lightheaded. She couldn’t move as Max pulled slightly away from her to cup her cheek in his hand and look deep into her eyes.
“Liz, I love you.” He heard her swift intake of breath. “I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you even when all I could see were your eyes through the mask you wore. All this time I was the one wearing the mask and it would never let me see just how much I’ve been in love with you.”
He gave her another quick kiss before letting her go. “I’m sorry, Liz.” He whispered before turning to Tess.
Grabbing Tess’ arm, he spun her in Liz’s direction. “Go! Both of you get out of here while I hold them off.”
Tess immediately wrapped an arm around a stunned Liz’s waist and began to lead her towards the front door. At that point Liz didn’t have any choice but to concentrate on the group she and Tess had to get through.
As they neared the foyer, they got the attention of the men in there. Liz moved away from Tess so that they both could wield their weapons. Tess immediately began firing her guns into the group, downing men instantly.
As soon as she was close enough, Liz manifested and let loose her psychic swords. Every man it touched went down screaming and clutching his head. Tess ran out of bullets just as they entered the foyer, so she tossed them aside and quickly glanced around the room for any kind of electric device.
The moment she found the socket, she focused her power and let the electricity surge through the room. It bounced from one man to the next until every last one of them was sprawled unconscious on the ground. As soon as the way was clear, she grabbed Liz around the waist and pulled her towards the front door.
Max had run back down the hall, looking for a fire source of some kind. He’d found it at the second door. He’d heard the sound of Tess’ guns going off from the foyer and glanced up the stairs in time to see two men running down it.
Flinging his hand out towards the fireplace, he called the fire towards him and directed to the two men coming down the stairs. As soon as the fire surrounded them, Max ran to them and grabbed their guns away. Each time he’d reached into the fire to retrieve the guns, the fire had parted as if it knew not to touch him. Then it went back to burning the bodies.
Max backed away from the two men, keeping an eye on the staircase but still aware of Tess and Liz making their way through the foyer. The sound of running footsteps made him look to the left in time to see a group of men coming out from what looked like a kitchen area.
All of them were armed and headed towards the foyer, apparently to make sure the two women didn’t escape the mansion. Max growled beneath his breath as he flung his hand to the fire still burning low on the two bodies and directed towards the foyer.
Concentrating on the fire, he made it form a tall wall between the group and the two women who were just opening the doors to the outside. He grinned as several of them couldn’t stop soon enough and went slamming into the wall only to drop as they were covered in the flames.
That was the only moment of satisfaction he got to enjoy as bullets suddenly ripped into his back. Spinning around, he glared at the men who were coming down the stairs and aimed the two guns he had taken from the dead men.
He fired at will as he began to back up, trying to find a nook or place to use as cover. He heard his stepmother’s voice coming from the top of the stairs.
“Keep shooting! As long as he’s still standing you keep putting bullets into his body!”
Max gritted his teeth as he continued to back up and fire the guns at the men coming down the stairs. He could feel his body beginning to weaken from the strain of too many wounds all at once. Turning his head to glance in the direction of the front door, he was glad that at least Tess and Liz had made it safely out of the house and the wall of fire still prevented the group to go after them.
A bullet whizzed by his ear, barely missing it. It was enough to get Max to turn his attention back to those on the stairs. When he did, another hail of bullets ripped into him. Gasping as he felt his knees give from what felt like the shattering of his knee caps, Max went crashing down to the floor.
Still he rolled onto his back and aimed the guns at the stairs. One of them clicked, letting him know it was empty. Tossing it aside, he raised the other one higher aiming for the bitch at the top of the stairs.
Another click sounded and he groaned in defeat as he let the gun fall out of his hand. He lay on his back staring up at the ceiling as the sound of bullets lessened.
“Stop! I want him alive!” roared his stepmother.
Max lay there listening to the fire roaring in the background and the sound of a woman’s foot falls coming down the stairs. Some of her men surrounded him and trained their guns on his body as they waited for her to join them.
When her face came into view, Max flicked his gaze from the ceiling to hers. She gave him a smug smile of victory.
“I want you to know that after I’ve taken care of you, I have every intention of going after Liz and finishing what I started. I don’t like loose ends you know.”
Max grinned at her. “Neither do I!”
With that, he flung both of his hands towards the wall of fire and yanked them back towards him. The roar filled him completely as everyone around him was suddenly engulfed in flames.
The smile never left his face as he watched his stepmother burn before his eyes. He couldn’t hear her screams or anyone else’s as the roar of the fire overpowered everything. Tilting his head back, he ignored the heat that was now lapping at his clothes and made sure the fire had reached the rest of the men near the stairs.
As the fire began to spread from them to the stairs, the walls, and then to everything else in its path, Max closed his eyes with a smile. At least now Liz would always be safe.
********************************************************************************
Tess glanced back long enough to see the wall of fire that prevented anyone from going after them. However, it also prevented her from seeing Max at all. Still, she knew Max wanted her to get Liz to safety before all else and she refused to fail him after everything that happened.
Liz groaned as pain shot through her hip once more, making her stumble. Tess tried to steady her just as they heard the sound of feet running towards them. Glancing up with a look of panic just like the one Tess wore, she was relieved to see Alex and Michael headed in their direction.
As soon as they reached them, Alex took Tess’ place and wrapped an arm around Liz’s waist to steady her.
“Where’s Akita?” asked Michael.
Tess glanced back at the house. “He was holding off the others from coming after us.” She turned to Alex. “Liz was tortured in front of him. Be careful of her shoulders and left hip, they are the most damaged.”
Alex nodded as Liz glared at Tess. “I’m fine,” she growled just before they heard the roar coming from inside.
“What the hell is that?” asked Michael as the sound just grew louder.
Liz gritted her teeth. “It’s Max. His past was unlocked and with it so were some hidden powers.”
As the two men turned wide eyes on Liz she nodded. “Yes, he can manipulate fire and from I saw, I think he can also borrow someone else’s powers by touching them.”
“No way!” exclaimed Alex.
Liz was about to elaborate when suddenly there was a huge explosion that rocked the ground they stood on. All eyes turned back to the house as a huge fireball pushed through the roof and shot into the sky.
They all watched in horror as it turned into a mushroom of fire and began rolling back in on itself. The moment it made contact with the roof, it began to spread rapidly consuming everything in its path.
“No!” screamed Liz as she shoved Alex out of the way and began limping back towards the house even as they all heard the sound of sirens in the distance.
Alex cursed as he caught up with her and pulled her into his side.
Liz hit him and tried to struggle out of his hold even as her eyes remained on the mansion. “Let go of me! Let go! Oh my God! Max is still in there!”
It wasn’t until the fire had eaten away the roof enough to make it start to cave in that she finally went limp in Alex’s arms. By that time, the sound of sirens were closer than before.
Michael walked up to them and spoke in a low voice. “Guys, Spaniel just gave us the warning. We have ten minutes to get away from here before the authorities show up.”
Liz didn’t respond as her vision became blinded with tears. The ceiling of the foyer just beyond the front door crumpled to the ground, blocking anything from going in or out of it.
“Max,” she croaked through her tears as Alex swung her up into his arms, careful not to agitate her injuries any more than was possible.
She continued to gaze at the house over Alex’s shoulders as everyone ran to the gates at the front of the mansion. Maria roared up to the gate in the van and waited until everyone was inside before taking the van back to the road and heading in the opposite direction of the oncoming sirens.
Liz never stopped looking at the mansion until all she could see was the smoke from rising from whatever remained of the structure. Only then did she turn away and bury her face in her hands, letting her tears fall freely and silently in grief.
The End
Part 28
Every eye and ear was trained on her as she looked at her watch once more with a frown. Her lips were in a thin line as she confirmed what they all knew. “Time’s up.”
At Maria’s confirmation, Alex’s eyes swung towards the building. “Something must have happened.”
Michael nodded. “I agree.”
Kyle’s voice came over their headsets. “Which means we’re going to have to come up with a plan to go in and get them, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” was Maria’s reply.
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The red-haired woman walked over to Tess and grabbed hold of her hair, yanking her head back. “You dared to disobey my orders, you little shit! Well no matter, I’ll delight in the misery that boy you paired up with is going to experience when he finds your dead body. But I’ll put you out of your misery in a few. First, I’ve got a bigger fish to fry.”
She motioned to Tess’ two guards. “Take her into the room and watch her. When I’m done with these two, I’ll deal with her.”
Tess was dragged into the small room Max had noted when he’d first been taken into the basement. As soon as Tess and her two guards were inside and the door was closed, Max’s stepmother turned to give him a cold smile.
Without saying a word, she made her way towards the table that held Liz and walked around to the other side where she placed her hand on a handkerchief-covered tray. Still looking at Max with that same cold smile, she finally spoke.
“Now let’s get to the fun part shall we? You know you’ve caused me an inordinate amount of pain and headaches ever since before you were born, Max. So I thought it was only fair that I repaid you for it. Granted, I’m sure she’ll give out sooner than I’d like, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Max narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the covered tray before looking back at her. “What the hell are you talking about?” he growled.
She didn’t even blink as she answered. “Pain, Max. I’m talking about inflicting as much pain on Liz as I possibly can while you watch.”
With that, she removed the handkerchief allowing Max to see the different sharp, steeled instruments she had lined up on the tray. Liz’s eyes went wide as she too saw the instruments since she’d lifted her head to look at the tray. She started saying something, but the gag made it unintelligible to everyone in the room.
Max saw the look in Liz’s eyes and started pulling at his bonds. “No! Don’t you touch her, you bitch!”
The woman looked up at Max after grinning at Liz. “Oh don’t worry. I’ll kill her when I think she’s no more fun for me and then I’ll put you out of your misery too. Of course, I don’t intend to let you die right away. I’m sure you’ll be even more fun than she will be. After all, you’re the one with that strong, almost indestructible body.”
Max gritted his teeth as fury roiled through him. Roaring with rage, he continued to yank at his chains trying to see if his strength could pull them out of the wall. There was no way he was going to allow that woman to hurt Liz.
Ignoring Max’s rage, she motioned to the man that stood near Liz’s head. “Remove her gag, I want him to hear her pain.”
The man did as she asked and as soon as the gag was out of her mouth, Liz let loose on the woman. “You foul, evil harpy! If you think for one moment I’ll even allow you to use me against Max, you have another thing coming!”
The woman laughed. “Such bravery in the face of your oncoming slaughter. You talk now, but trust me you’ll be singing a different tune once my instruments do their work on your vulnerable skin.”
With that she lifted up one of the thin scalpels and surveyed it for a moment.
Liz growled at her as she struggled against her bonds. “You think you know me huh? Think you can scare me, you bitch! I’ll never give you the satisfaction!”
Max yanked at his chains once more before he looked in their direction. “Liz! Liz, don’t push her!”
“I’m not afraid of her Max! The bitch thinks she can hurt me!” She was twisting her body this way and that, trying to find a way out.
Max gritted his teeth. “Liz, please!”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Enough of this! I need more tension!”
The two men who’d been Liz’s guards moved to either end of the table and took hold of the levers there. As they began turning them, the sound of clinking chains sounded in the room. Within moments, Liz’s arms and legs were stretched out even more and Max could see the way she clenched her teeth against the burn of her aching muscles.
He growled in anger as he tried to yank at his own chains once more. “Stop this!”
The woman glanced up at Max before looking down at Liz again. “More tension!”
Once more the chains were reeled in, stretching Liz’s limbs even more. It felt as if her arms were nearly pulled out of their joints. Tears came to her eyes, but she refused to cry out.
The woman tsked. “Fine, be stubborn. It won’t last, you’ll see.”
With that she leaned over Liz and parted the robe she wore, exposing her bikini-clad body to the room. Lowering the scalpel, she lightly ran it over the side of her face.
Max let out another roar of rage. “Get away from her!”
Ignoring him, she continued to let the scalpel trace the lines of Liz’s jaw before moving to her throat. The whole time, she made sure to keep her touch light enough so no blood was drawn, yet Liz could feel the coldness of the steel against her flesh.
“Such flawless skin. I guess I can see why he likes you so much. Hm, wonder if he’s still going to like you when I get finished with you. Will you still be beautiful to him then?”
Liz didn’t say a word as her chest heaved with anger at the woman. There was no fear in her eyes as she glared into the woman’s eyes, just raw determination not to let the woman get any satisfaction out of torturing her. She refused to let this woman hurt Max anymore than she’d already done.
Suddenly tired of seeing the fearlessness in Liz, the woman pulled away slightly and laid the scalpel against Liz’s chest, just to the right of her heart.
“Here,” she hissed, “feel what he felt when I’d thought I’d killed him.”
The scalpel dug into her skin drawing blood for the first time. Liz hissed against the pain, but still refused to give anything else. After a few moments, the scalpel withdrew and the woman shook her head.
“Nope, not gonna put the thing all the way through you. I don’t want you to bleed to death too quickly now.”
They could both hear Max struggling and cursing from across the room. However, the woman continued to ignore him, focusing instead on finding Liz’s breaking point. Picking up another instrument, this one with a round head with lots of sharp points sticking out all around it, she grinned down at Liz.
“Hm, this may do the trick.”
The instrument was made to roll over a surface, leaving pin pricks in its wake. She set it against the inside of Liz’s left thigh, then suddenly added pressure so the pins would sink into her flesh.
Liz gritted her teeth against the pain as the device was rolled up the inside of her thigh, leaving small bloody holes in its wake. It neared the top of her thigh and was taken away from her flesh, giving her a brief reprieve. She heard the woman tsk before the device was placed against the outside of her left arm, near her elbow.
Once more it was rolled along her skin going down until it reached the beginning of her armpit. There was a brief hesitation in which Liz drew in a shaky breath before it was yanked into her armpit and pressed with so much force that Liz just knew the entire length of those sharp pins had been embedded in her flesh.
This time, she couldn’t stop the cry of pain that escaped as she tried to twist her body away from the woman and the offensive torture device. That was all the woman had needed as her laughter rang through the room, blending with Max’s anguished roars.
“Oh yes! Now that’s more like it! Don’t stop now, sweetheart. Let Max hear your pain some more.”
This time the device was pressed against her right side, just above her hip and rolled slowly with lots of pressure over her stomach towards her left side. Liz closed her eyes as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks and the pain began to consume her.
She was still trying her hardest not to give in to the pain, but the woman was relentless. The men were told to add more tension, which only stretched Liz’s body almost to the breaking point. She knew it wasn’t going to take much more before her body began to fail her completely.
She couldn’t stop the whimpers that escaped her lips with each pull on her limbs or the cries of pain she emitted every time the pin-covered device ripped over her exposed skin. She tried to focus on Max’s voice, but even that was hard through the throbbing pain of her body. And with each passing moment she could feel the blood trickling out of her body, getting farther and farther away just like the sounds were beginning to.
********************************************************************************
Max hung from the chains that held him prisoner as sweat poured from his forehead down into his eyes. He’d been struggling to get out of his chains from the start, but when he’d heard Liz’s first cry, it had spurred him like nothing else.
His vision had clouded over with a red haze as he became like an animal trying to escape from a trap. With each sound of pain that issued from Liz, Max’s sanity was fading away until nothing else had mattered except getting to her.
He was so far gone that he hadn’t even cared if he’d managed to get free of his chains and left his appendages behind. He was that close to gnawing them off himself.
But so far, the chains and his appendages had held. Plus, there was the fact that the two guards that had been assigned to him were still watching him like hawks.
Then when Liz’s cries had seemed to recede, he’d finally managed to get hold of himself. At least enough so that his vision had cleared so that he could see what was happening to her.
The woman was leaning over Liz with a frown on her face as she slapped Liz’s cheeks a few times. Then she reached down to the floor and picked up a small bucket and threw water over Liz.
Liz coughed and sputtered for a few moments as the woman smiled.
“Ah, there you are. I’m not done with you yet, so don’t you think fainting is going to help you here.”
She set the bucket down and went back to rummaging on her tray. Liz turned her head to look in Max’s direction.
Their eyes met and she gave him one of the most beautiful smiles he’d ever seen. Then she mouthed some words to him. “Don’t give in. I love you.”
He inhaled sharply as she turned away from him and the woman straightened up with a knife in her hand. She was completely oblivious to what had just transpired between Max and Liz. So were the other four guards in the room since two of them were focused on Max and the other two were focused on the levers to Liz’s chains.
As Max’s eyes took in the rest of the room, he noticed that the two guards who’d been with the woman were both at the top of the stairs, listening to any sounds that came from outside of the basement. There had been eight guards in the room, which meant the last two were in the small room guarding Tess.
A sharp gasp made him look back in the direction of the table in time to see the knife sticking out from the top of Liz’s left shoulder. Max grimaced in sympathetic pain as he realized just how much that had to hurt, especially since it was inserted at the point where Liz’s joints were stretched the most from the chains.
The woman reached for another knife and as she leaned over to insert it into Liz’s other shoulder, Max realized what she was doing. So did Liz, since her eyes went wide with a gasp a split second before the knife was imbedded in her shoulder.
Her scream rose in pitch as the knife was slammed into her shoulder and then pushed so deep that it was imbedded into the wood of the table. Just like the first knife had been.
Max roared as he tried once more to yank at his chains. “Stop it! You’re killing her! Stop!”
Liz turned her head to look at him. He could see the tears in her eyes even from his distance. She shook her head feebly as she whispered. “No. Max, no!”
Max refused to listen as she turned away from him once more. This time she turned so far so that all he could see was the back of her head. He watched as the woman retrieved another knife, obviously meant for one of Liz’s hips.
Pain so profound lanced Max’s heart as he collapsed back against the wall. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he knew things were getting hopeless now. He could feel it in his bones.
He looked at Liz laying on the table that was already soaked with so much of her blood that it scared him. It was then that he realized just what the pain in his heart was.
Love.
He was truly, madly, deeply in love with Liz Parker and he’d been a fool not to give in to it when it had first appeared. He knew that now. Now that they were both one heartbeat away from being killed, he could feel the hopelessness of it all.
As he let those feelings drown him, as well as the helplessness he felt at not being able to help the one woman who meant everything to him, his eyes roamed the room once more. Tears began to gather in his eyes as his heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces.
So this was it. This was the way things were going to end for him and Liz. He’d never have the chance to tell her how he really felt about her. He’d never be able to tell her how much he’d appreciated everything she had ever done for him.
Everything from pushing him to remember his past to being there for him no matter how surly he was towards her. He’d had no right to ask for anything from her and she’d had every right to deny him everything. She never had shut him out, no matter how much he’d tried to do the same to her.
She was stronger and tougher than he had ever been. Even now, while that bitch of a so-called stepmother did her best to inflict as much pain on her petite body as she could.
“Liz,” he whispered with bittersweet pain as he leaned his head back against the wall. His eyes were just about to close when something suddenly caught his eye.
Opening them, he stared straight ahead at the sconce burning in the wall opposite of him. A smile spread inside of him as the memories of his past flooded through him once more.
Fire. He could manipulate fire.
His eyes traveled around the room once more as he dredged up more memories from his past. Within moments it became clear that fire manipulation wasn’t the only power he was capable of using.
Liz’s scream rent the air as the woman finally plunged the third knife into her hip. But Max closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, shutting out all noise and focusing his concentration. He knew he had no choice, because if he failed to do this, it was over for all of them.
Opening his eyes, he curled his hands around the chains that held the bonds around his wrists and called on his powers. His guards weren’t aware what was going on until it was too late.
He’d kept the melted part of his chains hidden in his hands until just the right moment. As soon as he knew his hands were free, he lowered them and thrust them in front of him. Palms out, they faced towards the sconce just as his guards realized the chains no longer held his wrists imprisoned.
Jerking his hands back towards his body and spreading them slightly, twin flames shot out from the sconce and he moved his hands towards the two guards making the flames wrap around them instantly.
The guards had no choice but to deal with the flames that were consuming them and making them scream in agony while Max bent over and melted the bonds from his ankles. He was just straightening up when he heard the feminine scream. And it wasn’t from Liz.
“No! No! It’s not possible!” Max turned to give his stepmother a wicked grin at her words.
“Oh, yeah. It’s possible,” he laughed as he stalked towards the table.
“Kill him!” she screeched at the two guards who were at opposite ends of the table.
They reached for the guns they had at their hips, but Max was quicker. Reaching back with one hand, he called the fire from what was left of his two guards and directed it towards the two that were running towards him.
Unable to stop their forward motion, they ran right into the twin flames that were waiting for them. Their screams echoed around the room as Max ran past them towards the woman. She ran around the opposite side of the table away from him as she continued to screech.
“How is that possible? You couldn’t remember your past! I saw it in your eyes! You didn’t know about the fire!”
Max glared at her from the side of the table she’d abandoned. “It’s your fault! Just like it was your fault that you failed to kill me when I was only nine years old.”
The wicked grin reappeared on his face as he said, “You underestimated my powers and my skills again.”
She screamed in anger as she ran towards the stairs. “Guards! Get down here and kill him! He can’t escape this time!”
Max looked down at Liz who lay there looking up at him in silence. She had her jaw clenched against the pain and her eyes were still full of tears, but he could see the strength and resolve in them.
His smile turned tender as he said, “I’m going to borrow your power for a few moments. It won’t hurt, I promise.”
Her eyes told him she trusted him explicitly as he placed a hand against her forehead before looking up at the two guards who were headed their way. His free hand flew up as a psychic sword manifested in his hand and he aimed it at one of the guards head.
He let it go when the man was close enough. It went through his head, sending him to the ground where he writhed and screamed while clutching his head.
The second guard aimed his gun at Max and fired a couple of shots. Max’s body jerked with the impact and he hissed against the pain, but it wasn’t enough to take him down. Two shots was all the guard had gotten before Max manifested another sword and threw it at the guard’s head.
He heard his stepmother screech. “What the hell! How is that…”
Then she was running up the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs for more of her men to come to her help.
Max ignored her as he leaned over Liz and brushed the tears and hair away from her face. “I’m going to get you out of this. It’s going to hurt…”
Liz hissed at him through her gritted teeth. “Just do it, Max!”
He didn’t waste anymore time as he gripped the knife in her hip and yanked it out of her flesh. Liz let out an anguished scream through her teeth. Max glanced at her to see more tears welling in her eyes, but he could see she wanted him to continue getting her out.
He curled one hand around a knife in each of her shoulders and yanked again. Liz’s body arched off the table as another scream was ripped from her. Max tossed the knives aside as he placed his hands on the link that held her hands to the chains and melted it off.
Liz lay there drawing in deep breaths to get past the pain of her body as Max worked on getting the links off of her ankles. When he was done, he moved to wrap his arms around her body to help her sit up.
Liz gritted her teeth once more against the pain the movement caused, but refused to make another sound as Max settled the bloody robe around her body.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
She nodded. “I can walk.”
He helped her to her feet, keeping one arm around her waist. Liz groaned as they began to make their way towards the small room that Tess was still being held in. Max set her against the wall next to the door and placed his hand against her head once more. Manifesting a sword in his hand, he kicked in the door expecting to have to fight off two more guards.
He paused the moment he saw their two bodies sprawled on the floor in front of him. Tess was sitting in a chair looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Took you long enough.”
Max tossed the sword into the air and removed his hand from Liz’s forehead. The sword disappeared as he made his way to Tess’ side.
“How did you…”
She indicated the wall socket near the door with her chin. “The moment they both turned away from me to see what all the screaming and noise was about, I electrocuted them. How did you two…”
“Long story. Right now we need to get out of here.”
“Right,” she replied as Max finished melting her bonds off of her feet and hands.
She stood up and followed Max out of the room. Max grabbed the guards two guns and handed them to Tess before pulling Liz into his arms.
“You’re going to have to lead the way up the stairs. Liz won’t be able to walk until we reach the first floor.”
Liz hissed. “I can…” But she stopped when she saw the look in Max’s eyes.
Tess nodded and led the way up the stairs. Stopping long enough to listen through the door before pushing it open and holding the guns out to fire if they were threatened. Nodding to Max to let him know the coast was clear, she quietly walked forward keeping all her senses tuned to any noise.
Max walked out of the basement and set Liz back on her feet. “Let’s get out of here.”
Tess nodded as she continued to lead the way while Max lent his support to Liz. She was favoring her left leg as she limped along as fast as she could, but Max’s arm around her waist helped her progress. She couldn’t really put her arm around his shoulders since it was too injured from her abuse.
Still, the three of them managed to get to the intersection of the hall before they heard the sounds of the enemy coming down the stairs. Tess aimed the guns at the stairs as Max and Liz brushed past her, trying to make it around the corner. That hall would lead towards the foyer and the front door.
Max swore under his breath as he spotted the small group of guards in the foyer. He whirled around and looked down the other hall just as Tess said.
“Trust me, the easiest way out of here is through the front door or up the stairs. All the rooms on this floor are either occupied or the windows are proofed against escape.”
Max gritted his teeth as his mind worked overtime. “Liz, can you use your psychic sword?”
“Yes,” she growled.
“Okay, Tess take Liz and try to cut your way through the group in the foyer. I’ll take care of everyone else that comes behind you.”
Liz’s eyes went wide as she looked up at him. “What! Are you insane?”
Max pulled her into his arms and took her lips into his. Kissing her with everything he had inside of him, he burned that kiss into his memory.
Liz could feel that kiss all the way into her soul as it left her breathless and lightheaded. She couldn’t move as Max pulled slightly away from her to cup her cheek in his hand and look deep into her eyes.
“Liz, I love you.” He heard her swift intake of breath. “I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you even when all I could see were your eyes through the mask you wore. All this time I was the one wearing the mask and it would never let me see just how much I’ve been in love with you.”
He gave her another quick kiss before letting her go. “I’m sorry, Liz.” He whispered before turning to Tess.
Grabbing Tess’ arm, he spun her in Liz’s direction. “Go! Both of you get out of here while I hold them off.”
Tess immediately wrapped an arm around a stunned Liz’s waist and began to lead her towards the front door. At that point Liz didn’t have any choice but to concentrate on the group she and Tess had to get through.
As they neared the foyer, they got the attention of the men in there. Liz moved away from Tess so that they both could wield their weapons. Tess immediately began firing her guns into the group, downing men instantly.
As soon as she was close enough, Liz manifested and let loose her psychic swords. Every man it touched went down screaming and clutching his head. Tess ran out of bullets just as they entered the foyer, so she tossed them aside and quickly glanced around the room for any kind of electric device.
The moment she found the socket, she focused her power and let the electricity surge through the room. It bounced from one man to the next until every last one of them was sprawled unconscious on the ground. As soon as the way was clear, she grabbed Liz around the waist and pulled her towards the front door.
Max had run back down the hall, looking for a fire source of some kind. He’d found it at the second door. He’d heard the sound of Tess’ guns going off from the foyer and glanced up the stairs in time to see two men running down it.
Flinging his hand out towards the fireplace, he called the fire towards him and directed to the two men coming down the stairs. As soon as the fire surrounded them, Max ran to them and grabbed their guns away. Each time he’d reached into the fire to retrieve the guns, the fire had parted as if it knew not to touch him. Then it went back to burning the bodies.
Max backed away from the two men, keeping an eye on the staircase but still aware of Tess and Liz making their way through the foyer. The sound of running footsteps made him look to the left in time to see a group of men coming out from what looked like a kitchen area.
All of them were armed and headed towards the foyer, apparently to make sure the two women didn’t escape the mansion. Max growled beneath his breath as he flung his hand to the fire still burning low on the two bodies and directed towards the foyer.
Concentrating on the fire, he made it form a tall wall between the group and the two women who were just opening the doors to the outside. He grinned as several of them couldn’t stop soon enough and went slamming into the wall only to drop as they were covered in the flames.
That was the only moment of satisfaction he got to enjoy as bullets suddenly ripped into his back. Spinning around, he glared at the men who were coming down the stairs and aimed the two guns he had taken from the dead men.
He fired at will as he began to back up, trying to find a nook or place to use as cover. He heard his stepmother’s voice coming from the top of the stairs.
“Keep shooting! As long as he’s still standing you keep putting bullets into his body!”
Max gritted his teeth as he continued to back up and fire the guns at the men coming down the stairs. He could feel his body beginning to weaken from the strain of too many wounds all at once. Turning his head to glance in the direction of the front door, he was glad that at least Tess and Liz had made it safely out of the house and the wall of fire still prevented the group to go after them.
A bullet whizzed by his ear, barely missing it. It was enough to get Max to turn his attention back to those on the stairs. When he did, another hail of bullets ripped into him. Gasping as he felt his knees give from what felt like the shattering of his knee caps, Max went crashing down to the floor.
Still he rolled onto his back and aimed the guns at the stairs. One of them clicked, letting him know it was empty. Tossing it aside, he raised the other one higher aiming for the bitch at the top of the stairs.
Another click sounded and he groaned in defeat as he let the gun fall out of his hand. He lay on his back staring up at the ceiling as the sound of bullets lessened.
“Stop! I want him alive!” roared his stepmother.
Max lay there listening to the fire roaring in the background and the sound of a woman’s foot falls coming down the stairs. Some of her men surrounded him and trained their guns on his body as they waited for her to join them.
When her face came into view, Max flicked his gaze from the ceiling to hers. She gave him a smug smile of victory.
“I want you to know that after I’ve taken care of you, I have every intention of going after Liz and finishing what I started. I don’t like loose ends you know.”
Max grinned at her. “Neither do I!”
With that, he flung both of his hands towards the wall of fire and yanked them back towards him. The roar filled him completely as everyone around him was suddenly engulfed in flames.
The smile never left his face as he watched his stepmother burn before his eyes. He couldn’t hear her screams or anyone else’s as the roar of the fire overpowered everything. Tilting his head back, he ignored the heat that was now lapping at his clothes and made sure the fire had reached the rest of the men near the stairs.
As the fire began to spread from them to the stairs, the walls, and then to everything else in its path, Max closed his eyes with a smile. At least now Liz would always be safe.
********************************************************************************
Tess glanced back long enough to see the wall of fire that prevented anyone from going after them. However, it also prevented her from seeing Max at all. Still, she knew Max wanted her to get Liz to safety before all else and she refused to fail him after everything that happened.
Liz groaned as pain shot through her hip once more, making her stumble. Tess tried to steady her just as they heard the sound of feet running towards them. Glancing up with a look of panic just like the one Tess wore, she was relieved to see Alex and Michael headed in their direction.
As soon as they reached them, Alex took Tess’ place and wrapped an arm around Liz’s waist to steady her.
“Where’s Akita?” asked Michael.
Tess glanced back at the house. “He was holding off the others from coming after us.” She turned to Alex. “Liz was tortured in front of him. Be careful of her shoulders and left hip, they are the most damaged.”
Alex nodded as Liz glared at Tess. “I’m fine,” she growled just before they heard the roar coming from inside.
“What the hell is that?” asked Michael as the sound just grew louder.
Liz gritted her teeth. “It’s Max. His past was unlocked and with it so were some hidden powers.”
As the two men turned wide eyes on Liz she nodded. “Yes, he can manipulate fire and from I saw, I think he can also borrow someone else’s powers by touching them.”
“No way!” exclaimed Alex.
Liz was about to elaborate when suddenly there was a huge explosion that rocked the ground they stood on. All eyes turned back to the house as a huge fireball pushed through the roof and shot into the sky.
They all watched in horror as it turned into a mushroom of fire and began rolling back in on itself. The moment it made contact with the roof, it began to spread rapidly consuming everything in its path.
“No!” screamed Liz as she shoved Alex out of the way and began limping back towards the house even as they all heard the sound of sirens in the distance.
Alex cursed as he caught up with her and pulled her into his side.
Liz hit him and tried to struggle out of his hold even as her eyes remained on the mansion. “Let go of me! Let go! Oh my God! Max is still in there!”
It wasn’t until the fire had eaten away the roof enough to make it start to cave in that she finally went limp in Alex’s arms. By that time, the sound of sirens were closer than before.
Michael walked up to them and spoke in a low voice. “Guys, Spaniel just gave us the warning. We have ten minutes to get away from here before the authorities show up.”
Liz didn’t respond as her vision became blinded with tears. The ceiling of the foyer just beyond the front door crumpled to the ground, blocking anything from going in or out of it.
“Max,” she croaked through her tears as Alex swung her up into his arms, careful not to agitate her injuries any more than was possible.
She continued to gaze at the house over Alex’s shoulders as everyone ran to the gates at the front of the mansion. Maria roared up to the gate in the van and waited until everyone was inside before taking the van back to the road and heading in the opposite direction of the oncoming sirens.
Liz never stopped looking at the mansion until all she could see was the smoke from rising from whatever remained of the structure. Only then did she turn away and bury her face in her hands, letting her tears fall freely and silently in grief.
The End
Shadowlynxbehr's Fics
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss