Page 54 of Take A Chance

He pulled out, and I sank to the floor, inhaling sharply. My ass hurt, my skin slick with moisture, my pussy ached, and my shoulders were strained, but it was amazing.

He waited a moment, buckling his pants as I caught my breath, then he gripped my waist and hoisted me to my feet. "Go lie down," he said gruffly. "Nap. I have some work. I'll bring dinner home."

I did as he said, stumbling toward the bed. I vaguely heard him give instructions to someone, a guard, I assumed, and then I drifted off. When I woke hours later, it was late, and he was not home. I wandered out to the living room after finding a pair of shorts to wear. The guard sat at the counter sipping a drink. He looked up at me.

“Where’s Blake? It’s late. He said he’d bring dinner.”

The dark-skinned man glowered at me. “No word... He does this sometimes.”

I hugged my arms over my stomach and backed into the bedroom. The clock read past ten p.m. I’d slept for almost ten hours. I was scared now, overwhelmed by everything, and without my phone, I had no way to call him. Why wasn’t he home yet?

30

Blake

The minute I walked out the door, I felt his eyes on me. I hesitated for a moment, not out of fear for me, but for Emma. Three guards were posted in the building, one at the elevator, one at my door, one inside with her. She’d be safe, especially with the unmarked police car parked out front. But I still lingered. I glanced up the street, only a few blocks from my building to the office. If they called, I’d be here in under three minutes, but that wouldn’t stop the bastards from trying to take her from me.

I had information, though, a lot of things the PI had searched over the past few weeks. Information on Bonetti and Emma too. I needed that. It had to go to the FBI if we were going to bring Bonetti down and end his reign of terror over Emma. So with another glance over my shoulder and knowing I was being followed, I headed off toward the office.

It was a cool afternoon, but not raining, the sort of day that was perfect for walking to work. The sort of day it had been when Emma had been snatched off the street and stolen from me. I tried not to let that anger get roused. If I let them get to me—to that monster inside me—I’d lose her. She’d see things that terrified her, and I’d likely go to prison because when that beast came out, he wouldn’t be stopped. Not this time.

I’d done well enough for the past five years of tempering it, hiding the sins of my past, but it wasn’t so easy when those sins wanted to follow me and unleash my fury. I looked back and saw him, black shirt, black jeans, black sunglasses despite it being cloudy. He was dressed for work, the sort of work that happened when a score needed to be settled. I wasn’t about to let him settle that score. I knew they’d come for me the minute I learned who Emma was.

They thought she belonged to them, and they were wrong. But they’d never dealt with me before, so they didn’t know any better. I gave the man the benefit of the doubt. He was only trying to reclaim what he thought was his, or what his boss thought was his. I understood that sentiment even though it was wrong.

I ducked into my building, locking up after I let myself in. I knew he’d be waiting there for me when I came out, and I resolved to make myself ready. As I rode the elevator to my floor, I sent a message to Paul, the guard stationed outside the apartment, letting him know what was going on. He responded that he would keep his eyes peeled, and I was confident that he would.

I worked for a few hours, gathering all the intel I had. I saved everything to a flash drive, encrypting it to make sure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands. When I started to grow hungry, I decided it was time to head back. I ordered takeout from a place a few blocks away and packed my things up, hanging the flash drive on a chain around my neck. Before I got on the elevator, I took a few breaths, steeling myself for what I assumed would be a confrontation. Then I descended.

It was growing dark out already. The sun hid behind the tall buildings, casting shadows on everything. Not too many people were out walking this time of the evening, but that was probably a good thing. Fewer witnesses for when this guy made his move.

I walked out the front door, headed toward the restaurant, and felt his eyes on me again, though I didn't see where he was this time. I picked up my pace, anxious to get to the restaurant and get our dinner. I didn’t want a confrontation, but it felt like it would be unavoidable.

As I walked, I could feel the man's presence getting closer, like a predator stalking its prey. He made no attempt to hide his footsteps echoing behind me in the night. With each step I could feel the air thicken around me with anticipation of what was coming next.

I drew nearer to the restaurant. He was still there, I could feel it in my bones. The sun had long set, and the streetlamps cast an eerie glow on the deserted road ahead. With each step I took, I heard a faint scuffle behind me that felt too close for comfort. I glanced over my shoulder and saw no one, but when I looked back ahead of me, his figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

He stood tall and intimidating with a menacing glare in his eyes. His hands were balled into fists at his sides as he slowly made his way toward me. My heart raced faster than ever before, but something inside me kept me rooted to the spot despite every instinct telling me to flee. He advanced closer and closer until he stopped just a few feet away from me, causing an unsettling silence to fall between us.

“You need to hand her over, Emmerson.” The man’s voice was gruff. His shoulders were squared, ready for a fight, but with the unmarked cop car only blocks away, I knew he’d never fire a weapon. He’d be caught. This guy was smart. I could see it in his eyes. My mind raced with a plan.

“It’s not nice to take,” I told him, backing into the alley behind me. He followed me as I lured him. Roaches were like that—loving the darkness.

“So give back what you stole.”

I turned to face him, a sly smirk playing on my lips. "What makes you think I stole anything? I don't know what you're talking about." I laughed, a cold sound that echoed off the alley walls. "I didn't steal anything. She came to me willingly." I could see the anger in his eyes, and I knew he was about to attack. I tensed, ready to defend myself.

He walked in a slow circle, wide and far away from me, but I saw the grip of a knife protruding from a sheath on his belt. I was right. No gun, but I hadn’t pegged him for a knife guy. I had nothing but my bare hands, but I still wasn’t intimidated. I matched his movements, slowly making my way in the same circular pattern he was as we pushed deeper into the alley.

“Amelia has a reckoning coming, and you’re standing in the way. Bonetti won’t take kindly to that.” His fists loosened then tightened again. He was ready to strike, and I was ready to take it.

“Amelia walked away. She’s not part of this anymore. So if you have a problem, it’s a problem with me.” I took a step closer to him, tightening the circle.

“You want to put yourself into this fight, then so be it, but remember it was your choice.” Like lightning, he reached for his knife, drawing it and holding it in front of himself. I held my hands out defensively, still circling, and he lunged at me, taking a swipe. I dodged the knife and smacked his hand down.

The man spun around, raising a foot in the air, and I ducked beneath it, swinging my right leg around behind me. I connected with his leg and swept his foot out from beneath him. I spun around and stood, and he fell to the ground but quickly rolled away and got to his feet. He was fast, I’d give him that, but I was faster.

“You’re going to lose this fight, and when you do, you can go back and report to Bonetti that his daughter is mine now. I’m not giving her up.”

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