TAKING THE FALL - the Complete Series (26 page)

“
I’m going out the back. I’ll circle around and cover the exit,” Saint shouts as he heads in the opposite direction.

I get to the garage door and stop, raising my gun as I slowly open the door. I peek around the corner and see Justin has Layla thrown over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. I look him over, but I don’t see a visible weapon. I move towards him, and the sound of the garage door opening muffles my footsteps. I stop when I’m about fifteen feet away, and I aim my weapon.

How the fuck did he plan on getting out of here? I’m on edge, but I feel like I’m missing something. He can’t be this stupid.

I scan the garage but don’t see anyone else. I’ve got my gun trained on his head in case he makes a move for a concealed weapon. The garage door opens fully and clicks into place. Soon silence fills the area.

“
Put her down, raise your hands and turn around slowly,” I order all too calmly.

I see his shoulders stiffen, like he knows he’s been caught. I see him take a breath, but this little shit isn’t moving fast enough. I try to remain calm because he’s got my entire life in his hands. The woman I love and our unborn baby are nothing to him, but they are my world. My only focus is getting them safely by my side.

“
Do it, and I’ll let you walk out of here,” I say, and I mean it. I would give anything to have them safe, including my own life. “You have my word. You put her down and don’t try anything, I’ll let you go.”

Justin slowly turns around and looks me directly in the eyes. He looks half-crazed right now, like he might be on something. I didn’t notice it before, but maybe the adrenaline from his finger getting cut off masked it. He’s sweating like crazy and his pupils are so enlarged his eyes look like they are solid black.

“
You’re too late,” he sneers, and a sinister smile spreads across his face.

Just then Saint comes around the corner of the garage holding a woman, his arm around her neck and a gun pointed to her head. She grips his arm but otherwise looks like a space cadet with the same black pupils as Justin. I’m convinced these two junkies are so fucked up they have no idea what’s happening.

“
Hope this wasn’t your getaway ride, Justin. She was too busy using to check the time. Guess she missed the signal.”

I still have my gun trained on Justin, and I see defeat cross his face. I guess relying on a junkie to be on time wasn’t the smartest plan. I look back over at the woman, and I realize I recognize her. It’s Layla’s mother. Jesus! Layla told me she was with O’Leary at the warehouse, but I had no idea how far deep in this shit she was. I don’t have time to figure this shit out right now. I’ve got to make sure Layla is safe.

“
Fucking useless bitch,” he rants disgustedly. “All she had to do was drive the car. Four years of planning this shit out, and she’s too busy getting high to remember her one goddamn job. I’ve put up with that asshole O’Leary, and fucked that crazy bitch,” he nods at Claire, “to get my payday, and she can’t do one goddamn thing. But, hey, maybe I can have a little fun with your Cherry. I’d bet you would pay for me to give her back to you.”

“
Put her down.
Now!
There’s no way out of here. It’s the end of the line,” I shout, and I see him jump. He glares at me and then makes his move. He pushes Layla roughly off his shoulder and she lands with a loud thud on the concrete. She utters a small cry, and I see red.

I’m distracted by her falling, and for a moment my attention is diverted. I lower my gun and make a move towards my girl. As I step towards her I catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye, pulling a kitchen knife out from behind his back.

My body is already in motion but he’s closer to Layla. He stands above her and raises his arm. I see his intention is to bring the big knife down on her, and I react.

In a split second I aim my gun at his head and pull the trigger. No hesitation. Direct hit.

The loud pop rings through the garage and Justin hits the ground as I reach Layla.

I hear Layla’s mother start to scream, and I don’t know if she’s upset he’s dead, or if she’s so strung out she’s just in a panic over a loud noise. I don’t give either of them a second of my attention as I go to my girl.

“
Layla, baby, look at me,” I say, frenzied. I rub my hands over her face and head, trying to see if she’s okay. I don’t know where she hurt herself, but, thank God, she’s semi-conscious so she must have hit her head when she fell. Or maybe it just the drugs he slipped her.

Suddenly Jeanette is by my side, helping me wake her up. “I think he drugged her, but it must not have been much. She’s still breathing and her eyes are opening,” she says.

Layla looks up at me with foggy eyes blinking slowly. She doesn’t say anything so I guess she must be drifting in and out of consciousness. “Look at me, Cherry. I’m right here. Are you hurt? Talk to me, baby. I love you so much. I’m right here.” I’m rambling but I don’t give a fuck.

Jeanette helps me in looking her over, and she sees a big bruise already forming on her hip. “She must have banged her hip on the ground when he dropped her. Fucking hell, I’m glad that dick-bag is dead. I want to kill him all over again for that shit. Do you have any idea how difficult that was to watch and not be able to do anything?” She looks up at me and gives me a small smile, like she’s trying to make an inappropriate joke, maybe trying to get me to calm down a little. I feel like my whole body is shaking. It probably is. I’m sure I’ll laugh later.

“
I need to get her to the hospital and make sure she and the baby are okay. I don’t know what that motherfucker gave her,” I say and pick Layla up.

“
Two steps ahead of you, big guy,” Jeanette says, jangling the keys to the truck in her hand. “You sit in the back with her. I’ll drive.”

Saint walks over with Layla’s mother and looks at me with a questioning raised eyebrow. I know that look. He’s asking if we should take her out back and clean up this mess completely.

I look at the woman who was once the epitome of elegance – never a hair out of place and always perfectly dressed. She was a cold bitch but had her shit together. That woman would be ashamed if she could see herself now. She was a shitty mother and a pretty shitty human being, but I don’t think she would be standing here if it wasn’t for Dean O’Leary. That man ruins lives and his wife is no exception. I look back at Saint and shake my head.

I lock eyes with her, and I can see she’s coming down from her high. She knows what’s just happened. “I’m letting you leave here with your life. Nothing happened here today as far as you're concerned. You leave and you never, ever come back. You won’t have contact with Layla or our baby. Ever. You disappear on your own or next time I see you, I make you disappear. We clear?”

Tears start to stream down her cheeks, but she takes a deep breath and nods. “Thank you,” she whispers and turns to leave. Before she makes it out of the garage she looks back and says, “For what it’s worth, tell her I’m sorry.” With that, she’s gone.

This bitch is clearly crazy, making up some idea that we had something, but I just can’t bring myself to kill her. It’s Layla’s mother. She never really did anything worth killing her for. Maybe being with O’Leary all those years made her lose her grip. I can always finish her off later if she tries something. I look at Saint, and he knows what I need. “I’ll take care of this. No need to worry,” he tells me, motioning towards Justin’s body. This isn’t our first time dealing with a corpse. He knows what to do.

I get in the backseat and position Cherry in my lap. I look up to see Jeanette in the front seat, fiercely kissing Saint goodbye. It’s over quickly, and before I know it she’s cranking up the truck. Cherry breathes evenly and occasionally looks around almost drunkenly as she slips in and out, but I need to know she and the baby are going to be okay.

“
Let’s move it!” I shout, and Jeanette stomps on the gas.

“
I told you. I got this, big guy. Just hold on to your girl. Oh, and P to the S, I got this little surprise for you,” she winks, tossing another flash drive at me.

“
What’s this? Where’d you get it?”

“
I was watching the beginning of your convo with Justin when he gave you the flash drive. I guess in the shuffle to get Layla out, he dropped another. I’m willing to bet that’s got the real account information on it. Dean O’Leary had money on top of money, and Justin was a financial expert. I think if anyone had access to it it was Justin. I can probably crack the encryption on it for you. From what I can tell he was funneling money from O’Leary the whole time. Either those accounts are on there or the original ones are. Either way, the trail is there.”

I look up and our eyes meet in the rearview mirror.

“
Also,” she continues on a hair flip, “when we get to the hospital say that she went to the bar called Jimmy’s out by Route 17. They’re known for date rape drugs being passed around. I’ve got a cover story of working there part-time, and she came to pick me up. She had a water while she waited but went to the bathroom for just a second. The owner owes me a favor so I’ve got us covered. I found her this way and you came to get us. Got it?”

“
Who are you?” I ask. Jeanette’s like a goddamn Russian sleeper spy all of a sudden.

“
Let’s just say my past life prepared me for a lot of shit,” she responds, and winks at me.

LAYLA

His warm mouth eats at my pussy. Shifting again, Carter spreads my legs wider using his broad shoulders. Sleepily opening my eyes, I look down at what I’ve woken up to every day for the past two weeks. Every morning without fail, Carter has woken me up with his mouth, like my own orgasmic alarm clock. While I love it, I’m really starting to miss my man’s cock and forceful nature. Since I’ve come home from the hospital his appetite for me has changed. It’s tame and gentle. I enjoy that side of him, but I also need the other side.

“
I swear you taste sweeter since I planted my seed in you, baby,” he says, inhaling deeply. A look of pure pleasure crosses his face as he drives his tongue into my pussy. My back comes off the bed, and I moan loudly. Carter takes the opportunity to slide his hands under my ass, gripping each cheek to pull my pussy closer to his mouth. It’s wonderful, but I want more. I need more. I want him in me.

“
More,” I beg, moving my hips to mimic sex, trying to convey my body’s silent plea.

Growling into my pussy, Carter suddenly flips me over onto my stomach. He grabs me by the hips and brings my ass into the air. When I start to rise up onto all fours, he places a firm hand on the middle of my back, stopping my movement.

“
Stay like you are, baby,” he commands and uses his knee to nudge my own knees farther apart, opening me wider for him. Finally I see he’s going to give me what I want: his cock deep inside me, thrusting and filling me completely. I look over my shoulder, and disappointment hits me when I see he still has his sleep shorts on. He’s been sleeping in those for the past few weeks now. I’ve thought about burning them but stopped when I remembered Jeanette and Saint are still staying here, and Carter walks around in his shorts in the mornings. No one is seeing my man naked. Not even Saint.

Biting my lip, I give my ass a little wiggle to encourage him.

“
God, you’re so fucking beautiful, Cherry,” he groans as he rubs his cloth-covered cock against me. I can see his control slipping so I reach back and try to pull at his shorts. He gives me a quick smack to the ass that halts my movements.

“
Spread your legs more for me. I want to see how wet you are for me. Only me. Show me how much your pussy wants it.”

I spread my legs farther apart for him. He grabs my hips and rocks us as if he’s actually inside me.