Vince remembered driving past this facility in the prison transport as these cars were being offloaded from the semi-trailer. Keetch had wondered what army VIPs were going to be driving them.
Vince smiled now, hoping that the roadblocks had delayed their delivery.
On the side window of each car was a sticker with the name and address of whom it belonged to. A colonel in Lakemont. A high-ranking official in Hunt’s Point. A commander in downtown New Seattle. Vince’s gut burned when he saw the name on the first car.
A Dr. Uri Dobrynin with an address in Brewster Park.
Pay dirt. He tore off the paper and shoved it into his pocket.
“We’ll load a Merc and see what else we can fit,” Arlo said, chewing more furiously on his gum. “Shane, go get the van.”
He’d only been gone for a minute when Arlo’s comm device beeped.
“We’ve got trouble.” Shane’s tone was urgent. “Two guards are approaching your location in a golf cart.”
Arlo cursed. “Have they seen you?”
“I don’t think so,” Shane whispered. “I just got back to the alley.”
“Good. Stay put for now.”
Vince clenched his fists. He didn’t care what he needed to do; there was no way in hell he was going to get caught.
He followed Arlo down a row of pallets and crouched so they had a clear view of the door they’d come through.
Arlo cupped the comm device to shield his voice. “Where are they now? Can you see them?”
“Parking the golf cart in front of the delivery bay.” There was a pause. “And now they’re walking toward the door we came in.”
“Walking?” Vince asked, confused. “They’d be running if they thought they had a break in.”
“Agreed,” Arlo replied.
Maybe they were investigating the lack of a video feed.
Vince glanced at the door. Damn. It was unlocked. He couldn’t remember if the latch was visible on the outside or if it was just a keyhole. Sprinting over there, he held his breath and turned the deadbolt as quietly as possible. It made a faint but very distinctive click.
The sound of muffled voices could be heard through the steel door, and he thought he heard the word broken.
A moment later the door handle jiggled. Vince’s heart banged in his chest. The lock held.
Arlo tapped his temple. “Good thinking,” he mouthed. “But let’s get out of here. They’ll never know we were here.”
“Without taking anything?” Vince glanced at Dr. Dobrynin’s soon-to-be-delivered new car.
“We’ll come back another time, my friend. We must be patient and not do anything stupid.”
But he couldn’t just walk away. It was like candy to a sugar-starved diabetic. No matter how much he tried to talk himself out of it, tell himself it was a fool’s errand, he couldn’t leave without the car.
“Open the south delivery bay on your way out,” he told Arlo. “And the gate at the back.”
The other man turned, flipping his hair out of his face. “What the hell?”
“I’m getting even with an old friend. Remember the elementary school we passed on Old Smokey Point Way?”
“Yes, but—”
A key sounded in the lock. They were officially out of time.
“Meet you behind the portables in ten. And have the van ready.”
“You’re a fucking lunatic, bro,” Arlo said, shaking his head, “but I like your style.” Then the guy spun on his heel and beelined for the south entrance.
Vince peeled off the plastic from the windshield of the doctor’s car just as the guards entered the warehouse. He carefully opened the door and slipped into the driver’s seat.
With his hand on the ignition, he thought about what Arlo had said. It was true. No one had ever accused him of being sane.
CHAPTER 9
“He did what?” Zara wasn’t sure whether to laugh like everyone else or scream out her frustration.
Vince had been a hair’s breadth from getting captured again. What was he thinking?
Then she thought about what Mariah had said about being patient and she took a deep breath. But how could she be patient when his actions were so…so reckless? She balled her hands into fists and crossed her arms in front of her.
A beautiful Mercedes sedan was parked in the last bay of the garage. Rand was walking around it and nodding appreciatively. “I’d have paid big bucks for a drone’s eye view of how it all went down.”
“Me, too,” Shane chimed in.
Zara was confused. “But you were there, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, but not there there, you know? After leaving the warehouse, we drove the van to a nearby school and waited for, like, five minutes when—”
“No, you did that,” Arlo said. “I opened the garage, the chain link gate, and then ran like hell.”
Shane rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. As I was saying, all of a sudden there’s a flash of black coming around the corner, a screech of brakes, and boom, Vince pulls up in this car. He drives it up into the van, shuts the door and here we are.”
“Jay-zus,” Rand said.
“Yeah, I’m telling you,” said Shane, holding his hands up like a maestro, “it was Grand Theft Auto meets The Fast and the Furious.”
Vince looked like a cat who had just swallowed a canary. Unable to keep from smiling, he took a swig of beer and ended up spilling half of it down the front of him. He was clearly avoiding her gaze, probably because then he’d have to deal with her feelings about his reckless behavior. It was easier for him if he just kept drinking.
“Thank God you drive better than you drink.” Arlo threw him a clean rag from a nearby workbench.
“Just call me Vin. Vin Diesel.” Vince dabbed his T-shirt.
Arlo gave Rand a pointed look and lowered his voice, but not low enough that Zara couldn’t hear. “I’m telling you, the guy was incredible. Smart. Good instincts. Fearless as hell. You could really use another guy with Cooper gone…unless you think Coop is coming back.”
Rand shrugged. “Hard to say.”
Holy crap, Zara thought, rubbing her eyes. They wanted Vince to come work for them? She tried not to think of the danger he’d be exposed to on a regular basis.
Rand tossed a thick envelope to Vince.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Open it.”
Vince did. Inside was a thick stack of money. “What’s it for?”
Rand jutted his chin at the car. “Your cut. Told you it would be good.”
“So soon?” Vince frowned. “But the car just got here.”
“I’ve got a buyer already. Someone I’ve done business with before. Wants it sight unseen. Normally, my guys get paid when I get paid, but I figured you could use the money now. And I…uh…wasn’t sure what your plans were.”
Zara held her breath. She wasn’t sure what Vince’s plans were either.
Vince tucked the envelope into his back pocket. “Thanks.”
Rand held out his hand. “The job’s yours if you want it.”
“I appreciate that,” Vince said, his smile wider now as he shook Rand’s hand.
Her heart sank. It didn’t sound as if she and Darius were part of his plans. Without anyone noticing, she slipped from the garage and went back to the small apartment to pack her things.
***
Where the hell was Zara? He wanted to share his excitement with her.
Blood raced through Vince’s veins as he took the stairs to the apartment two at a time. He hadn’t felt this damn good in a long time.
Not only was he a free man and had, in a small way, successfully thwarted the army, he’d also made a wad of cash, gotten accolades from the guys and obtained the doctor’s home address.
He wasn’t going to do anything with the information now, but he had it and could kick that ball into motion when the time was right.
A dream without the means to achieve it was like an empty gun. Until it was loaded, it was just a use
less lump of steel weighing you down.
He was finally, finally taking control of his life again. It felt fucking great, and he wanted to share it with Zara.
He’d looked for her down in the garage but she wasn’t there. She’d probably gotten tired of the banter between half-drunk men who were slapping each other on the back for a job well done. She wasn’t in the break room either, so he figured she’d gone back to the apartment. Spotting a plate of her cupcakes, he’d grabbed one on the way out and shoved it in his mouth.
But his good mood vanished the moment he opened the door.
Zara was there all right. On the bed.
But she appeared to be packing.
He shut the apartment door behind him with a bang. “What are you doing?”
She jumped, but didn’t look up at him. “Just putting my things together,” she said quietly, seemingly unaffected by his bold entrance.
“Why?” he said, his tone harsher than he intended.
“As soon as the roadblocks are lifted, I’ll be able to head home.”
I, not we.
He stormed over to the bed in three long strides, rattling a few things on the nightstand. “When were you planning to discuss this with me?”
“What’s there to discuss? I have responsibilities. I need to get back to Darius and to work.” She continued folding clothes and putting them into her duffel bag.
He ran a hand over his buzz cut as a war of emotions clanged around in his head. So she was just going to leave him here? That was it? No discussion. No making plans. No nothing.
“And what about me?” The minute he uttered the words, he realized how pathetic and selfish he sounded, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want her to go, but didn’t know what to say to change her mind.
Her brow lifted. “You seem to be doing fine. You’ve got a place to stay. You’ve got friends. A job. I’m happy for you, Vince. I really am.”
He looked at the room and thought about being here by himself without her. The walls would close in around him. The shadows would intensify. It would be unbearable. She’d been a calming presence, helping to keep him grounded and sane. A light in his dark world. He wasn’t ready for her to leave. Without her, he would…
No. He was not fine with this. Not one fucking bit.
He swept her duffel from the bed, scattering her newly folded clothes over the floor.
“What the hell, Vince!”
The anger inside him raged on, and the blank wall next to the bed drew his attention. “So you’re leaving the first chance you get?”
“And that bothers you?”
“Hell yeah, it bothers me,” he said and punched his fist through the drywall.
“Vince! Oh my God!” She clamped a hand over her mouth. “What is wrong with you?”
He paced along the edge of the bed, rubbing his sore hand, restless as a jungle cat. “For your information, I haven’t taken the job.”
“Well, it sure sounded like you had.” The indignation in her tone was unmistakable as she slipped off the bed, brushed past him and began to pick up the clothes from the floor.
So that was it, huh? She was pissed about what he might be doing and didn’t want to stick around. “That’s a little like the pot calling the kettle black, wouldn’t you say?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re mad because you think I’m going to be stealing cars for a living. That the ex-con slash ex-boyfriend is really just a common criminal, when you, yourself, are a thief.” He stood, towering over her, his arms crossed over his chest. “Don’t you think that’s the least bit hypocritical?”
“No,” she said vehemently. “That’s not it at all.”
He didn’t believe her. “For your information, I was going to discuss it with you first. Unlike what you’re doing now.”
She jumped to her feet, dark eyes flashing with her own rage. “Don’t you dare pull that on me, Vince Crawford,” she said, poking him in the chest. “You’ve kept me at arm’s length ever since we arrived. You’ve barely asked about our son. What was I supposed to think?”
“I have not.”
“Yes, you have.” She spun on her heel, clearly disgusted with him, and grabbed a sock from the floor. “You hardly talk to me. You won’t touch me. Hell, you won’t even eat any of my damn cupcakes.”
“You’re mad at me because I didn’t eat a cupcake?”
She made a sound of frustration. “Not just because of a cupcake, but that’s part of it, yes. There was a time when you used to love the food I made for you.”
“You’re mad because of a cupcake,” he repeated softly, feeling a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.
“Hello? It’s called a sign of affection. And you rebuffed it. Just like you did with all my other attempts.” She was shoving things into her bag faster now, and without folding them. “I hope you know how to do drywall work, because Asher is going to be pissed.”
Yeah, well, Asher could go fuck himself.
He grasped her hands and pulled her to her feet, all of his earlier anger gone. “I don’t want you to leave, Zara. I don’t want you to be apart from me.”
“Why? Because then you won’t have anyone you can actively ignore?” Her lips remained parted and her breasts rose and fell as she huffed out a breath.
“Because I care about you. And…and I want to be with you.”
“Get a dog.”
“I’m serious, Zara. I want you to stay with me.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face, and her expression softened.
God, she was beautiful, her skin so smooth and flawless, her eyes framed with impossibly thick lashes. And she smelled incredible. A mixture of soap and something enticingly sweet.
She started to say something, probably another protest. She’d used baked good and animals already. Who knew what else she was going to try?
To silence her, he hauled her close and captured her mouth with his. Her lips were soft and he pushed his tongue inside, feeling as if he could devour her.
She let out a little moan that went straight to his groin.
Enough with this.
His patience was gone.
Cupping his palms under her butt, he scooped her up, wrapped her legs around his waist, and carried her to the bed. The friction of her grinding against him made him even harder. They tumbled to the mattress in a single mass, and their clothes went flying.
His erection jutted out at her, a bead of liquid balanced on the tip.
From somewhere, she produced a condom and handed it to him. He turned the latex disc over in his hand. Damn it. How did this thing work?
They’d only ever had sex in Cascadia, where they didn’t have modern conveniences like birth control, so he hadn’t used one before. He did try to take a box of condoms through the portal once, but it had disintegrated just like he thought it would by the time he got to the other side.
“Here. Like this,” she said, flipping it over and placing it on the head of his penis. Her touch was as light as a butterfly. “Now, just roll it down.”
Seeing her do it would be much more interesting, he decided. “No. You.” When she didn’t move fast enough, he grabbed her hands and positioned them on his shaft. She wrapped her fingers around him tentatively, then the tip of her tongue darted out as she sheathed him in latex.
He imagined it’d be pretty damn interesting to see her mouth around him too…but that could wait.
“Green?” he asked when she was done.
She smiled sheepishly. “That’s all they had in the bathroom downstairs.”
“I look like a carnival balloon.”
“But twice the fun.”
“Twice?” He grasped her thighs and roughly repositioned her beneath him, making her creamy breasts bounce.
She giggled. “Okay, three times.”
He lifted her hips and her knees fell open, exposing her sex to him. He gently rolled her beaded nipple with one hand, producing a soft moan from her lips, while the other h
and parted her pink folds and slipped a finger inside.
“God, Zara. You’re already so wet.” And when he rolled that tiny bundle of flesh between his finger and thumb, pressing a little bit harder, she writhed with pleasure.
“Oh Vince,” she cried out, holding his hand in place and moving restlessly against him. “I missed you so much. I missed…this.”
“Me, too.” He felt a surge of male pride that he could please her so easily with just one touch.
Gripping the base of his cock, veins visible through the colored latex, he pushed inside her with one powerful thrust. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to remain still for a moment, giving her a chance to adjust to his thick girth. He reveled in the incredible sensation of being cocooned inside her body, her legs around his waist and her soft, lush breasts pressed to his chest.
It had been ten long years since they’d been together like this. But even as he’d lain on a cot in his cell, reliving every exquisite memory, the sex hadn’t been a fraction as hot as this.
He groaned loudly as he began to piston his hips.
“You feel…so good,” he growled against her neck, his face buried in her luxurious hair. He knew he wasn’t going to last long.
Cool hands slipped up and down his back and she matched his rhythm. “So do you.”
His mouth found hers again, and the pressure in his balls intensified.
Vince berated himself for waiting so long to make love with Zara. They could’ve been doing this every day and every night since he’d gotten out. Hell, he could’ve gotten a blow job in the shower fifteen minutes after arriving if he hadn’t been so messed up.
They had so much lost time to make up for. He hoped he’d convinced her to stay, at least a little while longer.
Her internal muscles pulsed and squeezed him, signaling her impending release.
Vince roared as a powerful orgasm slammed through his own body, pumping out his seed in several long bursts.
When it was over, he collapsed on top of her without pulling out, taking care not to crush her with his body weight.
A thin layer of sweat covered both of them and the musky scent of their lovemaking filled the air.
“You lied to me, Vince,” she said softly in his ear.