Fugitive (Misty) Read online

  “Give me a minute.”

  Aiden just disappeared and I had no idea where he went. He wasn’t gone long, but he was back talking about flowers. He started sketching something up.

  “This is a Stargazer Lily. I wanted to put them around the wings. They are my favorite flower. I was hoping to use yours, but it appears no asshole felt the need to give you flowers before.”

  Aiden didn’t tattoo me that day. He wanted his sketch to be perfect. I had no idea what he was doing when he put away all his drawing materials around the time Casey and Gareth normally got home. He asked me to go to my bedroom and not come out until he texted me. I had no idea if they had to have a meeting, just the guys, about Jake before they broke some bad news to me. I was pacing and nervous until I got his text to go into the den.

  I just stopped when I saw all four men lined up at the sectional holding flowers. Aiden made damned sure someone gave me flowers when he disappeared. I could tell Aiden had the Stargazer Lilies he drew for me. I walked up to all of them with tears brimming in my eyes.

  “Special flowers for our special princess,” Gareth said. “Apparently, no one felt the need to before.”

  “This is…All of these flowers are beautiful and I don’t know what they are. How did you do this?”

  Casey grinned at me. “My mother owns a flower shop. She made sure every single one of us had something pretty for dances and special occasions. I told her we needed something special for a special person and she pulled out the stops. She asked a million questions and I don’t think she’s going to let up until I spill who they were for.”

  “Are you all close with your families?”

  Aiden had his grandmother and Casey had his mother. I only had my mother left and she plotted to kill me. They all noticed the look on my face.

  “We’re your family now, Misty. When all of this blows over with Jake, you can have family dinners with our extended families.”

  I had to pick one of them to do that. I couldn’t exactly eat with Casey’s mom while I had feelings for all four men. Aiden’s grandmother struck me as a sharp woman who didn’t miss anything. She’d notice right away and probably chew me out and ban me from the house.

  Chapter 15

  Aiden was covered in tattoos and had probably tattooed countless people, but once his sketches were done and I was lying on the table with my shirt off waiting to be inked, he was conflicted about actually doing it because he thought he would hurt me.

  “I want to do this more than anything and I have a light hand, but I don’t know your pain tolerance. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I finally told Aiden something I’d never told anyone. “After my father died and my mother married Jake so fast, I went totally numb. I wanted to feel something, anything, so I went for pain. I used a thumbtack so it wouldn’t scar.”

  “Misty,” he sighed, yanked me up from the table and crushing me to his chest. “I just want to wipe away everything your mother and Jake did to you.”

  “It was all horrible, but I don’t hurt myself anymore and all of it led me here to the four of you. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy, even if Jake is still out there. I’m just trying to tell you I can handle your tattoo needle and it won’t hurt me. Can we forget the past and move towards the future? I want you to give me this tattoo. I want you to be the one to do it.”

  He set me back down so I could stretch out. “We’ll do the outline first, then you tell me if you want to keep going or add the color after it heals.”

  I was a little nervous as the tattoo gun started buzzing and hovered over my back. Aiden told me he was just going to do a tiny line so I would know how it felt. I laughed when he finished his tiny line and removed the gun to ask me how it felt.

  “It kind of tickles, you know?”

  “God, Misty, you’re a hell of a woman. You give me the honor of putting my art on your body and you take it like a champ. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had grown men sitting in my chair moaning about the pain. I think it tickles too.”

  Aiden wanted total concentration while he worked, so we didn’t talk. Sometimes, the tickle turned into a bit of a sting when he went over an area more than once. I actually ended up falling asleep and taking a nap. Aiden finally shook me gently.

  “The outline is done. We can stop for today or I can do the black shading. It’s up to you.”

  “Do the black shading. I’m excited to have this finished.”

  “You sit like a champ,” Aiden said proudly.

  I ended up falling asleep again and this time, Aiden just let me sleep until he was finished. He let me see his work in the mirror. I had what looked like two dragonfly wings bursting from my back surrounded by Stargazer Lilies.

  “It’s beautiful, Aiden!” I said, practically tackling him. “When can we do the color?”

  “It’s going to be tender as hell, but we can either do it tomorrow or wait until this heals. Do you need me to go over all the aftercare instructions again?”

  I was sitting on his lap and I wanted him again. I kissed him deeply and tugged at his shirt. “We can do the color tomorrow. And I want you right now.”

  “Misty, it’s going to hurt like hell to lie on your back,” he said, looking conflicted. He looked like he didn’t know if he wanted to be my tattoo artist and tell me not to damage his work or drag me to his bedroom for a little fun. He scooped me up and ran towards his bedroom. I hadn’t been alone with any of them since they found out the truth about me, so I hadn’t been fooling around with any of them. I missed all their unique touches.

  I was sure I was going to finally get some relief from Aiden, but he carried me to the bathroom and started running the shower. “You need to wash the ink and lymph off your back and this way, I can have you standing up so we don’t hurt your back.”

  I was out of my clothes in seconds. I needed Aiden just as much as I wanted him to do this tattoo. I just had no idea how it was supposed to happen in the shower with their no sex rule. I’d also never taken a shower with anyone before.

  Aiden had a special soap he used to wash my back, then insisted on washing my hair and washing my body with his loofah. The loofah was making me scream for his touch and I wondered if he decided he didn’t want to right now. I saw that he did when he turned me around and hungrily kissed me.

  “I’ve missed this. I’ve missed tasting you. Brace yourself with your hands against the wall.”

  I did what he asked and he kneeled in front of me. He picked up my right leg and slung it over his shoulder. “You taste like honey and I need this just as much as you do. A celebration for your new ink.”

  Aiden normally did this at a steady pace, increasing his speeds as he felt like I needed it, but his tongue was urgent tonight and I was panting in seconds. It had only been a few days since I had done this with any of them, but it felt like it had been years. I didn’t last long once he added two fingers.

  Aiden slithered up between my two arms bracing against the wall and kissed me. “I think that’s a record for me on how fast I’ve made you come,” he grinned. “Was it any good?”

  “I’m going to need you to hold me up for a bit because it was so good my legs aren’t working. Let me get my body under control, then I want you in my mouth.”

  Aiden just held us under the water. “I’m glad we got to do this. I know you need all of us right now, but I can’t help but miss our alone time. I’ll admit something to you though. Sleeping on the sectional with you and three dudes is oddly nice too, even if Casey snores like a freight train and Gareth always steals the covers from me.”

  It was nice. It was better than nice. It just felt right, but I knew we couldn’t keep doing it once Jake was taken care of. I’d have to start thinking about how I could possibly pick one of them. I decided not to think about that now.

  I grabbed Aiden’s shaft in my hand and started stroking it. He let out a little groan and his head fell back.

  “I think it’s your turn now,” I said,
getting to my knees and taking him in my mouth.

  Chapter 16

  Even with Andre monitoring Jake’s texts, we didn’t know where he was. He wasn’t making phone calls that could be traced on Casey’s end and there was no GPS on the phone. Aiden mostly kept my company unless it was Friday. I had to force him out of the house to take his grandmother to the salon like he always did. I had a feeling she looked forward to that every week and I wasn’t coming in the middle of that.

  Aiden finished my tattoo and it was gorgeous. It looked like I had two iridescent dragonfly wings bursting from my back ready to flutter at any minute and they were surrounded by a bed of Stargazer Lilies. Now, I just had to heal it. It was at this unbearably itchy stage where Aiden kept telling me not to scratch it.

  It had been two weeks when Andre finally announced Jake was arranging a drop for the stolen drugs. Right when that was happening, Casey’s contacts had word about a deal going down with a new player in town. We were sure it was Jake. The date from his texts matched the date from Casey’s contacts. It just so happened to fall on a Friday and I told Aiden it wasn’t up to him; he was taking his grandmother to the salon like always.

  The plan was just for Jake, Gareth, and a team of cops to watch the location the drop was supposed to happen. They’d grab Jake, arrest him, and all of this would be done. Andre was supposed to stay with me that day and keep me apprised of what was going down with the arrest. I thought it all sounded a little too easy. Jake wouldn’t be caught that easily. Something bad was going to happen. Casey insisted Jake was dumb as a bag of rocks and they’d get the jump on him.

  I was a nervous wreck the entire night before, even if the boys were insisting nothing would go wrong. With me, something usually did. Casey and Gareth left early and Aiden left for the salon around ten. I was left alone with Andre. He opened his arms and I flew to his lap. He knew he couldn’t touch my back, so he stroked my head.

  “Casey always gets his man. Gareth is no slouch either. They’ll be fine.”

  The problem was that I trusted all four of these men, but I didn’t trust Jake. Aiden was supposed to be taking his grandmother to dinner after the salon because I wanted him as far away from all of this as I could. If I could have sent Andre somewhere, I would have too. The drop was supposed to go down around six that night.

  I knew Casey and Gareth were in position, but I had no idea what was going on when something started screaming inside the house. Andre jumped up and yelled for me to go somewhere safe. I didn’t. I followed him asking what the hell was going on.

  “Someone is trying to break in. We’ll have security here soon to arrest them, but I live far out. It should still give them time to get here before whoever is out there gets anywhere close.”

  “How long does it take security to get here?” I practically shrieked.

  “Twenty minutes. I’m going to watch the cameras.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  We had a twenty-minute window, but I watched someone scale Andre’s walls with ease and make it to the front door. They shot the lock and before I knew it, they were in the house. Andre yelled at me to stay there, but I ran out behind him. I didn’t want him hurt because of me. There was a man I didn’t recognize standing in the living room. I was behind Andre and neither men were armed.

  Andre growled and took a step towards the man. From behind, I could see his entire body stiffen, then he went down. I looked down in horror, thinking he was dead. It didn’t make me feel any better when I realized the man had just tased him. He eyed me up and down.

  “I think I’ve got your prize, Jake. Come in and get her,” he called. This man was built like Casey and had a similar haircut. How had they found me if they hadn’t touched my bank account?

  I didn’t have time to think about it. Jake waddled into the room like his crotch still hurt and he was trying to swagger. He grinned at me like he knew he’d won.

  “Love the new look, Misty. You were always a pretty thing for a bitch who is constantly ruining my plans.” He pulled a gun out, but he didn’t aim it at me, he aimed it at Andre, who was still knocked out. “Come quietly, why don’t you? I’ll shoot your little friend if you don’t. I’ll bet you think your arsenal of men here would keep you safe. Bet you didn’t know your cop friend was how I found you. I have friends everywhere, Misty, even New Orleans. When Dillon here found out the New Orleans police department was looking for me, I knew you were here. Dillon figured Casey had you since he was making such a stink about me. You made this too easy, Misty.”

  I gulped. I’d have to go with him or he’d shoot Andre. What Jake didn’t know was that I was one of those people who constantly kept their phone in their back pocket. My phone had GPS. Maybe Andre would wake up in time to contact Casey and Gareth and they’d think to check my phone before Jake killed me.

  Chapter 17

  Jake’s crooked cop friend didn’t use his handcuffs on me. He bound my hands tightly in duct tape from a duffle bag they had in the dark SUV with tinted windows. Jake couldn’t stop grinning at me.

  “Are you going to cooperate or do we need tape over your mouth too, Misty?” he asked.

  I just shook my head. I didn’t want tape over my mouth and if I could keep him talking, I may live a little longer. Jake loved to brag, endlessly, about everything. If I talked to him in the car, he’d probably tell me his entire plan and I could figure out how to get away if the boys didn’t find me in time. Dillion practically threw me in the back of the SUV and it seemed to make Jake angry.

  “Gentle! I need her alive for now. I don’t want to look at ugly bruises.”

  “Whatever, Jake. I risked a lot for you this time. Just take her and go. Don’t tell me where you’re going and don’t tell me what you have planned for her. You owe me big for this one. The heroin and cocaine you stole is just the start. Remember that. When you get the money, I expect my share.”

  So, Jake never planned to sell the drugs. He gave them to Dillion to get me, then promised him money from my trust fund. I had no idea how he expected to get his hands on that money. The door was shut while they continued their conversation. Dillion must have hidden a car somewhere because we drove off without him.

  “You’re a lot of trouble, Misty, but I’m getting my hands on that money, finally. I had plans to get it when you were sixteen, but you just had to run away and ruin my plans. Then, when I finally get your mother to agree to make that damned phone call to you to get you back at the house, you go and ruin them again. Then you go and find some dick to fuck and hack my emails and lose me my job.”

  “What’s your big plan now? You can’t kill me and expect to get that money. Where is my mother?”

  “Your mother was bitching about getting caught. I got tired of listening, so I kicked her out the car somewhere in Arizona and just left her there. She needs to be gone for my plans now. She’d just be in the way. I know I can’t kill you yet. This is what is going to happen. I’m guessing you have a fake identity. So do I. Your new name is going to marry mine. You always were a pretty thing and I’ve always wondered what it’d be like with you. I’ll keep you around until I’m tired of having sex with you, then I’ll just kill you and the money will come to me anyway.”

  I didn’t tell him why that wasn’t going to work. Devon and I had long set up plans for my trust fund if anything happened to me. Devon knew where the money was and would be checking it. If it got cashed out as part of an estate, he’d swoop in a fuck Jake over. My money was going straight to various charities if I never had children.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “The police in LA have already searched your father’s cabin. We can stay there for a little while. We’ll be married as soon as we are far away from New Orleans and I find a courthouse that can do it quick. I finally beat you, you conniving little bitch. Your mother convinced me not to look for you when you ran the first time because she said it would be easier to get your money when you turned eighteen and had more control over i
t. I had everything planned the night you showed up at the house and you had to ruin that too.”

  I didn’t point out his plans were ruined because he was the one that left the damned gun on the table. He was watching the road and not paying attention to me. I tried not to be noticed as I slipped my cell phone out my back pocket. I dialed Casey and just left the line open. I hoped he didn’t yell into the phone and tip Jake off I had a phone on me.

  “The duct tape on my hands is tight and really uncomfortable. How long before we stop?”

  “Have you fantasized about my dick, Misty?” Jake laughed. “Just can’t wait to get there so you can have it? I’m not stopping until we’re in Arkansas.”

  We drove in silence for ages. I watched my phone next to my leg and noticed Casey had disconnected the line. It was getting late and I was starting to think Jake was going to get me to Arkansas and do horrible things to me. We had been driving for hours. We were alone on the road for most of it, but after a while, I noticed headlights behind us and they were riding Jake’s ass. Jake noticed too.

  “I hate Louisiana drivers. They drive like maniacs. I’m already speeding and I’m not getting caught with you by getting a speeding ticket. This asshole can go around or deal with it.”

  I could see headlights coming towards us too. We had been on back roads and alone for hours. I wished there was a way to signal one of those cars, but the windows were heavily tinted.

  “Great,” Jake complained. “I’ve got one asshole riding my tails and the one up head doesn’t seem to want to turn his high beams off. I can’t wait to—”

  The driver behind us nudged the car a bit. It wasn’t hard enough to jostle me, but I felt the impact. I had no idea what was going on, but the high beams up ahead just disappeared. Jake started swearing and pumping the breaks when he realized there was another dark SUV parked in the middle of the road blocking both lanes.