Page 16 of Mace

She called after me, “You’re not fooling anyone, Mace. If I knew your mom’s number, I’d call her myself.”

I chuckled at her empty threats, as I headed back to the bedroom. If my grandmother found out that Alicia had to sleep on the sofa last night, then I’d hear no end of it. Later I’d decided I’d turn one of the cells into a makeshift bedroom for myself. But right now, I had zero intention of sleeping. Instead, I was going to search aerial maps for evidence of that burial ground I was so eager to find.

I was a man with too many balls in the air, but this was one that I would never let go of. My tribe, family, and club were critical to my existence and letting any of them down was not an option.

Still, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to spend the day on the sofa with Alicia. She was soft and pretty. A womanwho needed a strong man to fight for her and protect her from all harm. My protective instincts rose when she was in distress, making me want to do whatever it took to keep her safe and happy.

The problem was, the more time I spent with her, the more I wanted to draw her close and maybe make her mine. Unfortunately, she wasn’t from my world. She was focused on getting back to her family in Mexico. I, for sure, wasn’t trying to move to Mexico anytime soon. My whole family was here on the outskirts of Griffinsford. Getting close to this woman was asking for a massive heartbreak for both of us. Even if I was willing to suffer a broken heart myself, I wanted better for her. So that’s why going forward I needed to try to keep my distance.

That’s also why I decided to take a cold shower. I had waterproof dressings over my wounds and our medic hadn’t said showers were off. My cock was far too interested in Alicia to lay right and that pissed me off, so I needed to deal with that matter quick sharpish. I shouldn’t be thinking about her sexy curves, her pretty hazel eyes, and the way my name sounded on her lips. Even the chill of the water cascading over my heated flesh couldn’t cool my desire for her. It was a gnawing need that clawed at my resolve not to flirt with her, and not to take advantage of her vulnerable situation.

It was situations like this that separate decent men from assholes. So far, I had avoided the asshole category by virtue of the fact that I hadn’t hit on her. As for being a truly decent man, I was falling short because I kept fantasizing about what it would be like if she took a liking to me as more than the guy who rescued her from a bad situation.

I knew it wasn’t polite to stroke myself to thoughts of her, but I did it anyhow because it was more important to curb my need so I could be appropriate when we were together. For that my rock-hard cock was thankful.

The moment I gave myself permission to let my imagination run wild, my mind created images of her approaching me with a welcoming smile, of her touching me, wanting me. Of us naked and wrapped in a warm embrace, of her wrapping her legs around my waist and clawing at my back. In my mind’s eye she made sexy sounds when I plunged deep inside her wet, welcoming heat. I thrusted into my tight fist, like I wanted to thrust into her, imagining how her tight pussy would feel gripping my shaft and it didn’t take me long to shoot my load. I rinsed away my seed, feeling cleansed and ready to get back to work on my project.

Chapter 7

Alicia

Ihid out in the bathroom to call my handler now that I had a strong phone signal. I paced back and forth waiting for him to answer.

“Alicia, is that you?”

Relieved that he didn’t start out screaming at me this time, I answered, “Yeah, it’s me.”

“We got your text saying you were safe but out of cell phone range. What happened?”

“I’m not entirely certain. I believe a dam broke and flooded out the only road into this area. Maybe it took out the cell phone tower too.” That latter part was bullshit but they didn’t need to know I was in an underground bunker.

“We’ll look into all that. Did you hook back up with your father? We need to know his whereabouts.”

“I told you that I almost got raped by his second-in-command. I’m never going back into that situation. It’s not safe for me.”

“This wasn’t the deal you made with our agency, Alicia,” he said,

“I know but I still have information to exchange for protection for me and my mother.”

“What kind of information?” he asked suspiciously.

“I got a reliable report this morning that my father and all his men had disappeared. Instead there were five dead bodies I didn’t recognize. It’s unclear if they were innocents who stumbled onto their location or someone who had a beef with them.”

“We’ll contact the local sheriff’s office and see if we can get a bead on who these individuals are. Meanwhile, you keep your eyes and ears open for any information related to the cartel, whether it involves your father or not. Got it?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Closing down the call, I wasn’t sure how I felt turning state’s evidence on my own father. It seemed shady but necessary. If I don’t stop him, who will?”

I tried to call my mother again, but she didn’t pick up.

***

This was how I lived the next four days. By the end of it I was a nervous wreck and felt like I’d been living underground my entire life. When I came out to start breakfast on the fifth day, I found Mace fully dressed and with his boots on. “You ready to get the hell outta here and touch grass?” he asked with a bright smile.

Excitement bloomed in my chest, and I returned his bright smile. “Absolutely. I’ve got a bad case of cabin fever.”

“Let’s get going then,” he said eagerly. “Nine went back to the clubhouse with Grit. He took him back in my pickup, so we don’t have to worry about wrangling him into the canoe this morning.”

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