Shielding my eyes from the sun, I watched Dani as she shimmied out of her clothes and threw her bra and panties on the sand as if she ran around naked outside every day. Like it was nothing.
“Are you going to just lay there and watch?”
She turned her face up toward the sun, standing with her hands outstretched, her eyes closed, naked as a jaybird. I felt my cock stirring just looking at her-that body, those long lean legs and perfect ass. But it wasn’t just her body, or the sex. I’d been so relaxed with her, even before last night. Even when it was tense between us, there was just something about her that made her different from every other girl I had ever met. I was beginning to want more from her, more than what we had right now, even though I knew it could never work between us.
She dipped her toes in the water. “Holy shit, it’s cold!” she screamed.
“Aw, hell,” I yelled, pulling off my clothes to join her. When we were done, I carried her from the frigid lake to the blanket, warming her with my body. My face between her legs, I drank in her scent. I had never wanted a girl as much as I wanted Dani. But that was dangerous, not only because of her father. Wanting something - someone - so much was dangerous; I’d learned that as a kid. Everything I wanted was always taken away.
When I slid inside her, watching her expression change as she went higher and higher until she climaxed, I thought, I’m going to lose her. Nothing lasts.
Nothing lasts, I thought as I stood there, my arm around Dani. My gun lay on the ground and I was helpless. I would be unable to do anything to protect her from what was about to happen. Two black sedans with dark tinted windows were parked on the road, and five large men in suits and sunglasses stood in front of them, their weapons trained on us. We were outnumbered and outgunned.
“It’s ok,” I whispered to Dani. She was trembling like a leaf beside me. I squeezed her tighter against me, trying to silently reassure her she was safe. The problem was that I wasn’t sure whether we were safe myself.
Two of the men walked toward us, and without a word escorted us to the road before patting us down. Dani stood in front of me, her arms out to the sides, in her flimsy sundress, nipples hard against the thin material. As one of the suits patted her down, I felt my blood boil. I knew he was being professional, not handling her inappropriately, yet I had to force myself to stand there instead of punching him in the face the way I wanted to.
When they finished, I scanned the men and the vehicles, trying to assess who they might be represent. The men in suits were all clean-cut, with a military appearance. But the sedans were too expensive to be government. They were professionals - not bikers, not gang members. If they were either of those groups, Dani would have already been a prize for the boys. Were they Guillermo’s men? Was this about Dani and I hooking up? Or retaliation for not taking out the college kid?
I had talked to Mad Dog last night and everything was copacetic. Besides, the kid was long gone, somewhere in Europe for summer break, like I'd suspected. We couldn't be blamed for not doing the hit. And I didn't think Guillermo would take us this way. Guillermo’s men would have identified themselves right away, or Dani or I would have recognized them. That left Guillermo’s rival, about whom I knew nothing.
We were blindfolded and cuffed with zip ties around our wrists, but not uncomfortably tight, which made me think they were under orders not to treat us badly. That was a good sign. As we wound down the road and away from the cabin, Dani whispered. “Blaze?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know who these men are?”
“No. But it’s going to be fine.”
One of the guys in the front seat spoke. “No talking.”
“Who are you?” Dani asked, her anger obvious by her tone.
“Dani,” I said under my breath.
“Quiet.” The man in the front spoke again, and Dani went silent. Her mind had to be going a mile a minute, trying to put things together, and despite the situation, I had to stifle a smile at her spirit. She’d been scared momentarily, but now she was just pissed off.
That’s my girl, I thought.
“What is this place?” Dani asked.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. We had driven for a couple hours and had been brought to this house, a place that looked like something out of a movie. It was a mansion, all modern architecture, with white walls and white furniture, situated cliffside overlooking the ocean. It looked like a movie star’s place.