Then, for some reason, I blurted, “I saw him.”
“What?” she asked.
I took in a deep breath and shared, “That night, when he brought me to the hospital, after I was raped. I passed out and when I woke up in the emergency room, I saw them force Hector out of my bay. He didn’t want to go. Luke told me tonight that Hector asked if he could stick around until I woke up, they said no and he lost it.” I waited for her reaction to this announcement and when none was forthcoming, I pushed, “Really, Jet, how bizarre is that?”
“It doesn’t sound at all bizarre to me,” she answered quietly.
I shook my head thinking she was not getting it and sat up, pulling a hand through my hair and then dropping it into my lap. “You don’t understand. We didn’t know each other. I mean, we were around each other a lot when he was undercover and, one night, we had a thing that didn’t end well. But other than that…” I stopped then went on, “I don’t get it.”
“I don’t either,” she told me. “It even happened to me. One second, I was minding my own business, trying to avoid Eddie, the next second he informed me he was making me his business and the next second after that, I was living with him. I watched it happen to Roxie, Jules, Ava, Stella and I knew it happened to Indy. I don’t know how these guys know, I don’t know how their minds work, it just happens, they just know. I’ve stopped trying to figure it out.”
Well.
It wasn’t an answer but it was one.
Still.
It was time to get to the heart of the matter.
“What do I do now?”
Jet answered instantly, “Do what they do. Go with your instincts. It’ll all work out in the end, I promise.”
That didn’t give me anything to go on.
“You okay now?” Jet asked.
I sighed then said, “No.”
“You will be, honey,” she replied softly. “It’s hard then, when you trust it’s for real, it gets a whole lot easier.”
I answered, “Okay,” but I didn’t mean it.
She changed the subject to a much better one. “We need to get you fitted for your bridesmaid’s dress. Can you do that tomorrow?”
At last. Something to look forward to.
“I think so. I’ll have to check with whatever bodyguard I have.”
She giggled. “Oh, I hope it’s Bobby. I bet he’ll love going to a bridal shop.”
I smiled into the phone even though I didn’t know Bobby, none of them were bridal shop type of men then I whispered, “Thanks Jet.”
“Anytime, honey.”
We disconnected. I did the getting ready for bed thing, gathered up my clothes and boots and walked into the bedroom.
The lamp was lit on the nightstand by Hector’s side of the bed. Hector was sitting up against all (yes, all!) the pillows, chest bare, legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed, wearing a pair of gray, drawstring sweatpants that had also been cut off (poorly) at mid-thigh.
He looked better than ever which, at that moment, I thought stunk.
A game was on TV but his eyes sliced to me the minute I walked in.
It took effort but I ignored him. I wasn’t quite finished being angry, though I wasn’t certain sure what I was angry about anymore, and I wasn’t quite ready to make amends and didn’t know how anyway. So, I dumped my stuff on my overnight bag and headed to the other side just as he angled off the bed and stalked out of the room.
I stared at his back until he went into the bathroom then I climbed in bed, stole two of the four pillows as should be my ration and propped them up on my side well away from his. I sat on the covers, arms crossed on my midriff, legs out, ankles crossed and I locked my eyes on the TV.
I didn’t watch sports, except tennis, those tennis players had finesse… and nice legs, so the football didn’t do anything for me but I watched it like it fascinated me beyond imagining, even though Hector wasn’t in the room (practice).
Therefore, when he came back, I kept my eyes glued to the TV and didn’t look at him except when he walked in front of the TV, of course. I didn’t look at him when he got to his side of the bed and I didn’t look at him when he resumed his position.
Then, all of a sudden, his arm sliced along the small of my back between me and the pillows, he yanked me across the bed until my body hit his then his arm bent, so my front was against his side.
I put a hand on his abs to push away but his arm went tight.
“What are you doing?” I snapped, looking up but he leaned across me and grabbed my pillows. Doing an ab curl, he shoved them behind him. “Hey!” I cried. “Those are my pillows.”
“Settle, Sadie,” he ordered in a low voice.
I. Did. Not. Think. So.
“Don’t tell me to settle! You just stole my pillows!”
I pushed away.
His arm got tighter.
I pushed harder, putting my full body into it.
His other hand came to my hip and held on.
I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and pulled it way.
His wrist twisted and then his fingers wrapped around my wrist.
Thus began The Tussle.
I had no chance in heck of winning but it didn’t stop me from trying.
There was a lot of grunting (Hector and me), some sharp cries (all me), panting (mostly me), rolling (both of us), more rolling… still more rolling. Then it changed from being all about limb maneuvering, strategy and strength to being about getting as close as physically possible, tasting, touching, kissing and even biting (me again).
He yanked off my pajama bottoms and panties. I tugged off his sweatpants. Then we went back at each other like there were ten seconds left before the whole of planet earth was going to explode.
Finally, I ended up on my back, my legs wrapped around his hips while he drove deep inside me, our mouths touching but we weren’t kissing, just breathing heavily. The delicious anticipation was hitting critical mass in my body, my nails tore up his back, he groaned against my mouth at the same precise second his last, deep thrust caused the sweet tension to release and explode and I gasped against his lips.
When we were both finished, his weight settled on me, his heat surrounded me, he stayed deep inside me, we were both panting and he rested his forehead against mine, eyes closed.
Then his eyes opened and he said softly, “Christ, Sadie, puttin’ up with you demonstrating how many more ways you can be a pain in the ass was worth every fuckin’ second if that was the end result.”
Someone, please tell me he did not just say that.
“You did not just say that,” I said to him.
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he abruptly switched topics. “Who’d you call?”
I blinked in confusion. “What?”
“In the bathroom.”
Not that it was any of his business, I answered, “Jet.”
“She sort you out?”
I felt my eyes narrow. “Do you want me to be mad at you?”
His hips moved slightly and I couldn’t help it, I was still tender, I let out a little moan.
When I was done moaning, he grinned at me wickedly and muttered, “I’m thinkin’, yeah.”
I glared.
His grin died, face and voice now serious, he said, “We gotta get by this, mamita.”
I kept glaring.
Then my mind flashed on the memory of Luke and the security guard forcing Hector away from me in the hospital when he didn’t want to go.
And, even though, if you asked me if I had any instincts, I would have told you no, I pulled them up from wherever they were lying latent and I went with them.
“Other than you, I’ve had two lovers,” I announced and watched his face grow dark and begin to morph toward angry. “No. I don’t want you to share yours. I’m just saying, neither of them, well, they weren’t…” I stopped and then started again, “You need to know, I haven’t let anyone close and tonight you found out why.”
“Maybe you should keep talkin’,” Hector told me, not yet fully morphed into anger, not ready to break into a grin either.
“That man at the bar, who was he?”
Hector’s head cocked impatiently at my off the subject question but he answered, “Knew him. Worked with him briefly. He’s in the business.”
I nodded then I lifted my hand to the side of his face and rested it there.
“What he said to you, about me, knowing you were with me, feeling he was okay to say that… Hector, even when they were beginning, I can’t imagine anyone walking up to Lee and talking that way about Indy. Or Eddie about Jet. Or any of them. But me, Seth Townsend’s daughter.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m fair game.”
I saw an angry but understanding flare before he closed his eyes and my thumb moved to trace his bottom lip. When it did, his eyes opened again and the anger was gone.
“Sadie –”
I talked over him. “Enter Ice Princess. She was the only way to get by when people thought about me like that, talked about me like that guy. Or to me, like Jerry did this morning. I knew it happened, they never said it directly to me because of my father but I heard pieces here and there and I always knew. Until people forget, that’s not going to change, they’re going to think it’s okay –”
“It’s not fuckin’ okay. It wasn’t then and it isn’t now,” Hector broke in sharply and my hand drifted down to cup his jaw.
“No, you’re right, it wasn’t and isn’t. But they’re going to think it is and you can’t beat up every one of them.”
He didn’t say anything, he just stared at me.
So, as usual, I sallied forth.
“What Natalie said freaked me out,” I went on and his gaze darkened again but I shook my head, took my hand from his jaw and wrapped both my arms around him, squeezing his hips with my thighs. “Listen to me, Hector, it freaked me out because I was unprepared. I’d had a good day. I’d had a nice meal. I felt safe. I was happy. I wasn’t expecting that. It threw me. If I’d had time to think about it, which I didn’t, I would have worked through it on my own.”
Again, he didn’t respond, at least not verbally.
What he did was much better.
His head dropped and he nuzzled my neck with his nose then his mouth was there and my arms went tighter.
I turned my lips to his ear and whispered, “I won’t wear that skirt again but anything else, Hector, you have to let me be me. And the jerks can be jerks and they can think what they want but we’ll just come home and watch the game.”
Again, he didn’t answer.
Instead, his face came out of my neck and he kissed me, slow and sweet.
And, I figured, with his reaction, my instincts were right.
When his head moved away an inch, he looked in my eyes and asked softly, “Which Sadie is this?”
I felt my mouth form a little grin and I answered honestly, “I’ve no idea. I haven’t met her yet.”
He touched his forehead to mine a nanosecond. Then Smooth Move Hector did a push up, our bodies disconnected but his arm came around my lower back, he lifted me to him until my limbs wrapped tight around his body. His arm went away and he yanked down the covers under us and settled me in the bed. He joined me, snapping the covers back over us. His hands went into my camisole, he tugged it up and off and tossed it to the side of the bed. He finished by rolling us, him to his back, me tucked to his side and he settled the covers up around his stomach and under my armpit.
I put my head on chest, wrapped my arm around his belly and fell asleep watching football.
* * * * *
Hector
Hector pulled gently away from Sadie’s sleeping body, got out of bed, leaned back in and tucked the covers around her.
He walked to the bathroom, took a shower, shaved and went back to the bedroom.
He dressed with his eyes on Sadie to make sure she didn’t wake and because she looked cute when she slept, hands tucked under her cheek, her thick, soft, wild hair everywhere. Her scarred cheek was against the pillow which Hector thought was a good thing. She seemed not to notice it anymore or she’d put it somewhere in her head where she didn’t think about it. But every once in awhile the sight of it and the reason it was there crept into Hector’s consciousness and it would serve as an angry reminder. This was happening a lot less lately but when it did, it didn’t lose any of its intensity.
Once dressed, he leaned in and kissed the top of Sadie’s head.
She didn’t stir.
Then he went downstairs.
He made coffee, flipped the switch on the coffeemaker, wrote a note for Sadie and went upstairs and put it on the pillow. He was walking back downstairs when the knock came at the door.
He opened the door to see Bobby.
“Hombre,” he said, Bobby jutted out his chin and stepped in. Hector closed the door and went on, “Sadie’s sleepin’.”
“Got coffee?” Bobby asked.
Hector led the way to the kitchen, poured a mug for Bobby and a travel mug for himself. Bobby walked with him to the front door.
“Cell contact okay?” Bobby asked.
“Yeah,” Hector replied.
“You thinkin’ positive thoughts?” Bobby went on.
“No,” Hector responded.
His first errand that day was unpleasant but unavoidable.
Bobby nodded.
Hector walked out into the pre-dawn morning, got in the Bronco, started it up and drove to Vance’s house.
Just before Max was born, Vance and Jules had moved from her small duplex to a three bedroom bungalow with a white picket fence that was four doors down from Indy and Lee’s place but still only a block away from Jules’s Uncle Nick.
Hector parked in front of their house and had a hand on the door handle when he saw Vance exit the house and stop. Jules was there, holding a coffee mug and wearing a robe. Her hair was down and mussed and she looked half asleep. She lifted a hand to wave at Hector. He gave her a chin lift and settled back in his seat. Then she tilted her face to Vance who accepted her invitation and bent his head to her.
Hector looked away.
Minutes later, Vance opened the door, slid in, put his travel mug between his knees and buckled up.
Hector took off.
“This gonna go well?” Vance asked the windshield.
Hector didn’t take his eyes from the road. “I’m thinkin’, no.”
“How far you gonna push it?” Vance asked.
“As far as I have to.”
Vance didn’t respond and the conversation died, both men lost in their own thoughts.
It took an hour and a half to drive to the prison. Hector had called in a few markers or a few more markers. This business with Sadie was draining his reserves but he also didn’t give a fuck.
They were met at the entrance and taken to a room. Bars on the windows, a couch, a table, two chairs. They stayed standing and waited, silent.
Less than ten minutes later, the door opened and Seth Townsend walked in with a security guard.
He took one look at Hector, not even glancing at Vance, and he turned to the security guard.
“Take me back.”
The security guard’s eyes moved to Hector, he closed the door and stood in front of it.
“Take me back,” Seth repeated to the guard.
Hector studied him. Even with months inside, he looked good. Body fit, his prison blues wrinkle-free like he had them ironed, his hair cut neatly. Hector tried to find some hint of Sadie in him but it wasn’t there. Seth Townsend was tall, dark-haired with some distinguishing gray and his body was made up of lean, muscled bulk. He was impressive, had a presence that was both magnetic and menacing, even in prison. How this man made Sadie, Hector couldn’t begin to guess. If he hadn’t seen the photos of Sadie’s mother, he would have thought she was adopted.
“We gotta talk,” Hector said.
Seth’s gaze sliced to him but he was silent.
“I wanna
cut a deal,” Hector went on.
Seth’s eyes flashed and he smiled. It was not an amused smile, it was a triumphant one. He walked further into the room.
“You want to cut a deal,” Seth repeated.
“Yeah,” Hector replied.
Seth put his hands in the pockets of his pants and rocked back on his heels.
“All of a sudden, I want to cut a deal too,” Seth said.
It was Hector’s turn to stay silent.
Then, as if Vance nor the guard were in the room, Seth offered, “I’ll make it worth your while to stay away from her.”
Hector showed no reaction to this and remained silent.
“Good enough to fix up that house of yours, trade up to a better car, even afford a decent haircut.”
Exposing his knowledge of Hector’s living arrangements and vehicle mixed with the inference that Hector was beneath Sadie’s notice, Hector knew Seth was trying to rattle him.
Considering he left Sadie naked and asleep in his bed, Hector remained unrattled.
Seth watched him closely then said, “No? Then I’ll make it not worth your while to stay with her.”
“This how you scared away Tracy and Brent?” Hector asked about Sadie’s only two boyfriends. She didn’t need to tell him about them last night, he already knew. He’d dug them up as a matter of course during the investigation and knew all about them.
“They took the first option,” Seth replied without remorse.
“I’m waitin’ for option three, the one where, once you get out, you invite me to Thanksgiving dinner,” Hector returned casually.
Seth showed no response.
“We done with this topic?” Hector decided it was time to move on.
Seth shrugged.
“Sadie’s bad business has to stop,” Hector continued.
Instantly Seth retorted, “You are clever. You come up with that on your own?”
Hector ignored him. “You can carry on and fuck it up or we can work together.”
Seth’s eyes went hard. “You have got to be joking, Chavez, no way in hell we’re working together.”
“Then I got a choice,” Hector replied immediately. “Vance here has been diggin’ around Elizabeth’s disappearance. Vance is pretty good at findin’ shit out. So good, he found out she was whacked by Mickey Balducci. You remember Mickey Balducci?”