Page 31 of Dirty Gambit

But the thing weighed a ton. It took all his strength to keep his grip.

He turned to see what the plan was and found Lena edging out of the backseat, a wiggling bundle wrapped in a blanket clasped in her arms. A pack was strapped to her back and the baby bag was slung over her shoulder, but somehow, she was on her feet without stumbling and turned to him.

“This way!” she shouted.

It dawned on him as he was trampling through the field that he could overpower her at that very moment. He was behind her, practically on her heels. All he had to do was drop the bag, grab her by the hair, and drag her down. He could have, except she was holding Jessie, and he knew he couldn’t. Maybe that made him a weak, passive aggressive idiot, but he knew the only time he could truly picture himself grabbing her by the hair was while she was on top, riding him, her back arched, her breasts thrust towards him in offering.

Christ, what was wrong with him? What had she done to him? This clearly wasn’t rational thinking. A normal person, a normal captive would take every opportunity to escape, to find help, not haul luggage through a downpour.

I’m doing it for Jessie,he told himself firmly. He couldn’t leave her, or worse, risk getting her hurt in the crosshairs. He just had to bide his time and find the perfect opening. But he would stop her. He had to. No way was he letting her go anywhere with his sister. It was all a matter of planning.

They approached a slumping structure with a squeaky door and the heavy stench of rotting straw wafting from inside. Lena dashed inside with Jessie clutched tight to her chest. Jaxon followed, relieved once they were no longer getting drowned.

The inside was no better. It was dark and damp with large puddles forming from the holes in the roof. Blocks of hay were piled along one corner and an assortment of farming gear he didn’t recognize was lined along the other. The whole place stank of mildew and rot.

“Close the door,” Lena instructed, sounding breathless.

He did as he was told and turned just in time to see Lena climbing up a rickety ladder to the hayloft above where he could just make out the faint halo of light.

Now, he was no expert in barns or building structures in general, but the place seemed condemned, or at least should be. There were holes in the boards and everything groaned every time the wind shifted. Getting higher just seemed like a bad idea, but he followed. He tossed the duffle straps over his shoulders and climbed up after her.

At the top, he found she’d already set up a camp for them. There were dusty blankets he couldn’t guess where she’d unearthed and a fresh layer of straw for cushioning. A lantern sat next to the pile, already lit, but barely. Whatever oil was keeping it alive was running out. He guessed they had an hour at best before they were plunged into absolute darkness.

Gingerly, Lena knelt and placed Jessie onto her tiny feet. The blanket was unraveled from around the girl and shook out. Unlike Jaxon and Lena, Jessie was dry but not happy about being smothered. She glowered up at Lena, then spotted Jaxon and broke into an immediate smile. With a squeal, she trotted over to him, tiny hands outstretched.

Jaxon didn’t hesitate. He set down the duffle and scooped her up.

“Hey there, darling.” He pressed a kiss to her warm cheek. “Feels good to be out of that car, huh?”

Jessie garbled something intelligible that he took for confirmation. One chubby finger jutted out and pointed in the direction of the ceiling.

“Yup,” Jaxon agreed. “It’s disgusting in here. I’m pretty sure this is where leather face lives.”

“It’ll do for the night,” Lena defended from her kneeling place next to the blankets.

She shook them out, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Jaxon took a cautious step back, turning his body so none of the filth touched Jessie. Each blanket was laid out over a layer of straw. A larger pile was made up with an indent in the center he guessed would be where Jessie would be sleeping. Another makeshift bed was set up next to it, one he assumed would be hers. A third was placed a short, but safe distance from the other two.

“That should do it,” she sighed, planting her hands on her knees and shoving to her feet. “It’s not a comfy bed, but we’ll do better tomorrow.” She trudged over to where she’d dumped her bags and dragged the pack over and sat on one of the blankets. “Are you still hungry?”

He was freezing, actually. He needed a fresh pair of clothes, ones that weren’t dripping wet, but he knew she wouldn’t have anything like that in there.

“We need to get out of these clothes,” he replied, moving slightly closer. “We’re both going to get sick.”

Lena tilted her head back and peered up at him with a nod. “I know, but I don’t have anything.”

She sighed again and rubbed at the back of her eyelids with the heels of her hands. It struck him just how tired she seemed. In the dull light of the lantern, the shadows beneath her eyes were prominent, giving her an almost gaunt expression.

“Here,” she said, at last, pushing back to her feet. She dragged the blanket she’d been sitting on up. She shook the straw off and moved towards him with it held out to him. “Wrap this around yourself. I think I saw a barrel in the corner. If I can find enough dry pieces of wood, or straw, I’ll start a fire.”

He took the blanket and said nothing as she moved to the far corner of the loft. He eyed the blanket, not missing that she’d given him hers.

Gently, he set Jessie down and replaced the blanket on the mound of straw. A scrapping sound drawing his attention and he glanced up in time to watch Lena struggling to drag a blue, metal barrel across the loft. He abandoned his crouching position and stalked over to take it from her. Inside was already littered with trash and the odd bit of charred wood. There were dark streaks up the sides, indicating someone else having used it for the same purposes.

“I don’t think we’re the first people to come across this place,” Lena panted, stepping aside to let him maneuver the barrel closer to their beds.

“Believe it or not,” he grunted, dumping the barrel down. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

Lena broke into a grin, taking him completely by surprise. “Right?”

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