Chapter 8: Jack

I wake up around seven, alert as I take in my surroundings. Memories of last night come flooding back. The feel of Ruth in my arms, her mouth, her taste, her sweet arousal. She shifts in my arms, making a soft sound that goes straight to my dick. I'm already hard.

When I press my lips against the back of her head, she stirs.

"Good morning," I say.

Groaning, she stretches. "It is," she says as she pushes her ass into my crotch, pressing those soft round globes against my morning erection.

Okaaay. That's an invitation I wasn't sure I'd get this morning. Passion and desire in the heat of the night is one thing, but sometimes people come to their senses in the morning. And in case I wasn't getting the message, she reaches back, wraps her fingers around me, and squeezes.

That's all the green light I need. I roll over to grab another condom packet from the nightstand drawer. Quickly, I roll it on.

I toss the covers aside, uncovering both of our naked bodies. Early dawn light filters through the sheer curtains of an east-facing window, giving me enough light to see what I'm doing. Not that I need to. It's just a bonus.

I roll Ruth onto her side again, so that she's facing away from me. Then I tuck my arm around her waist and slide my fingers between her legs. Damn, she's still wet from last night. Another bonus.

I slip a finger between the lush lips of her pussy and start teasing her clit. The moment I touch that little piece of flesh, she cries out softly, arching her back and pressing her head back against my shoulder. I lean over and kiss her throat, placing an open-mouthed kiss right over her pulse point, and apply gentle suction. Yeah, I'm going to leave a mark. After I'm gone, I want her to look in the mirror and think of me. Remember this night. Remember us.

I shove away any thoughts of what might have been and focus on the here and now. We're here, the two of us, in this bed, and I plan to make the most of it. I sure as hell want to give her something to remember me by.

With my thumb, I draw lazy circles around her clit, teasing her, ratcheting up her desire. She gasps, arching her neck as she grabs my hand, not in an effort to stop me, but to urge me on.

Damn!

A woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to ask for it is a helluva turn on.

I stroke her to climax, growling in her ear when she cries out as her long legs stiffen. That's three times now, not that I'm counting.

I lift her leg and drape it over my hip, opening her up so I can enter from behind. She moans when I press into her, pushing slowly until I'm balls deep inside her. She lets out a heavy sigh as she presses her head against my shoulder. She turns her face to me, and I angle my mouth over hers, stealing the sexy sounds she makes as I withdraw and shove myself back in to the hilt.

She reaches back to grasp my ass, her nails digging deep.

I still my movements. "Did I hurt you?"

"Good God, no," she says, laughing softly. "Don't you dare stop."

I power into her, thrusting hard and deep. She's with me every second, pushing back into me, deepening our connection.

I hold out as long as I can, reveling in the feel of being buried inside her scorching wet heat. Fire screams down my spine to my balls, which tighten almost painfully. I come hard, seeing stars again.

Still nestled deep inside her, I nuzzle her neck and revel in the pleasure of being buried in her tight channel. We're both sleepy and sated, and I smile when she dozes off once more in my arms.

I need to get up and dispose of the condom. Hell, I need to leave. I've already stayed too long.

When I tighten my hold on her, she makes a soft, sleepy sound, which makes it even harder for me to pull away. I close my eyes and bury my lips in her hair, allowing myself just a few more minutes with her.

The fact that I don't want to leave is all the more reason why I should. I can't risk staying.

Reluctantly, I slip out of her body and head to the bathroom to clean up and dispose of the condom. After I dress quietly in the early morning light, I sit on the side of the bed and watch her sleep for a while longer.

I don't want to go. I want to crawl back in that bed with her. I want to be there when she wakes up, have breakfast with her, spend the day with her.

God, how I wish things could be different.

"Goodbye, Ruth," I whisper.

Silently, I let myself out of the apartment and out of the building, locking the doorknob behind me on my way out.

* * *

Only an hour later, as I'm packing up my meager belongings in preparation to check out of my motel room, there's a knock at the door. I check the peephole and find Micah standing outside looking pissed. Surely he can't know I spent last night with his sister. Not this soon.

I unlock the deadbolt and the chain and open the door.

Before I can get a word out, he says, "There was a guy at my shop this morning asking questions about you."

My heart skips a beat. "I see."

"He's not from around here. I just thought you should know."

I imagine not. "Where's he from?"

"Originally? By the accent, I'm going with Russia."

Well, fuck. My window to leave Bryce, Colorado just closed. "Thanks for the intel. What did you tell him?"

"I told him nothing. Look, man, I don't know what you're mixed up with, but you need to go before you bring trouble down on my sister's head."

"I'm not mixed up—" Oh, hell. It's too complicated to explain. "I'm going." I nod toward the Harley parked in front of my motel room. "You should go." Realizing he might have been followed here, I scan the parking lot.

He looks me in the eye for a long moment, then turns on his heel and starts for the bike. I watch as he straddles the seat and reaches for his helmet. "One more thing," he adds with a look back at me.

I wait for the other shoe to drop. "What's that?"

"Stay the hell away from my sister."

"Yeah, I hear you."

Micah starts the engine and backs out of the parking spot. I watch him ride away.

Back in my motel room, I dig out a burner phone and call Mike.

"Tell me you left town," he says.

"Hello to you, too."

"I'm serious, Jack."

"Honest, I was just about to leave. In fact, I'm packed and ready to go. But it's too late now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's just say a concerned citizen stopped by to inform me there's someone with a Russian accent in town asking questions about me."

"Fuck." Mike makes a frustrated groan. "I'm still trying to figure out who's leaking info to Yevgeny."

"I hate to state the obvious."

"I can't believe one of our guys would turn on you, not after everything we've been through together."

"They're the only ones who know my whereabouts."

"Well, it's not me, damn it," Mike says.

"I never thought it was." I trust Mike Roman with my life. "So it has to be one of the others—Aleksa, Diego, Lenny."

"It's not Aleksa," Mike says. "I'd stake my life on it. He wouldn't betray you."

"That leaves Diego and Lenny."

Mike blows out a frustrated breath. "Now what?"

"I can't leave town, not with one of Yevgeny's men here. I can't put Ruth in danger. It needs to end, here."

"Then I'm coming out there. You're going to need backup."

"No—"

"Don't waste your breath arguing with me, Jack. I'll be there as soon as I can. Since I'll need to bring a lot of firepower with me, ammo and gear, I'll have to drive. I'm in Kansas City, so it's about a ten-hour drive. I'll leave within the hour."

"I'm done running, Mike. I'm taking a stand here. We're going to have it out with these guys once and for all. I can't leave this town vulnerable. I can't leave Ruth in danger. I won't."

"So, you kill Yuri—assuming he comes out there himself—and then what? The next to take over the organization puts out a hit on you too? When's it going to end?"

"I don't know. I'll deal with that when the time comes. Right now, I have to make sure Ruth is safe."

Mike chuckles. "I was hoping you'd settle down one day, but this isn't what I had in mind."

After I get off the phone, I check out of my motel room in an effort to remove any traces of myself from town. I head straight for the tavern, thinking Ruth might still be there, but when I pull into the rear parking lot, it's empty. She must have gone home. The only problem is, I don't know where she lives.

So I drive over to Micah's auto repair shop, park in front of the office, and walk inside to find an elderly white-haired lady sitting behind a desk.

"Can I help you?" she asks me, staring openly.

"Is Micah around?"

She nods to an open doorway. "He's in the shop."

I walk into the auto shop, which smells like automotive oil. I spot Micah standing beneath a minivan that's up on a lift, staring up into the engine compartment.

"Micah. We need to talk."

He ducks out from underneath the vehicle. "I thought you were leaving."

I sigh. "It's too late for that."

He frowns. "What are you talking about?"

"I need your help."

He frowns. "What kind of help?"

"Ruth could be in danger. I need to warn her. Do you know where she is?"

"I imagine she's at home. It's about fifteen minutes from here."

"I need the address."