Explosion, p.6
Explosion, page 6
“Does it hurt when you laugh?”
I shook my head and smiled. I gently moved her so I could get to the shelves behind her. I grabbed a deck of cards.
“I can play strip poker and that’s it,” she said.
I typed into the phone.
“I’m not man enough for that game. How about crazy eights?”
Chapter Ten
Cori
Duke taught me crazy eights. We played for several hours until we were both cheating so badly we couldn’t stop laughing and the game became ridiculous.
“Thank you,” I said after we had the deck put away.
His expression questioned my statement.
“You took my mind off everything and I enjoyed playing cards. It’s not something I would normally admit to. Thank you,” I repeated.
He gave me a quick hug. Duke grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the bed. He then lifted the side of the mattress and hydraulics did the rest. Underneath there was a trap door. Duke moved the lever that kept it locked and pulled it open. I could only see darkness down the hole.
“Escape tunnel,” he typed into his phone. “Exits in the garage.”
“Good to know, I guess. Your grandfather was paranoid.”
My phone chimed.
“For a reason.” He didn’t share what that reason was.
We went upstairs to eat and Duke opened the front door and a few vents I hadn’t noticed in the ceiling. They drew the cooler outside air inside while allowing the hot air to escape. Once the sun went down, the high mountain air cooled rapidly.
I fixed soup from a can and cut up a baguette of French bread. Simple but filling. We fell asleep together again on the small bed downstairs and I slept the best I had in three months. There were no nightmares or even bad dreams. Just peace.
Over coffee on the swing outside the next morning, Duke sent me a text.
“I know you’re a city girl, but do you have any interest in learning survival skills?”
I thought about it. I had wondered what we would do up here. The cards and hike were fun. What more was there?
“As long as it doesn’t involve snakes, you can teach me anything.” He bumped my shoulder and grinned. “I have a feeling we’ll be hiking.” I may have groaned.
I was right. We set off an hour later. It was slightly earlier than the day before and there was still a coolness in the air that would be gone shortly.
My shoes remained a problem, but I learned to pick my spots. My legs hurt when we started. Within a half hour, I forgot about them. Duke showed me more tracks. I knew the animal they came from until we came across something strange. They appeared to be cow prints but there was a line through the center between them and it made no sense.
“Was a snake following a cow?” I asked seriously, checking around for the slithering demons.
Duke looked at the print I pointed out, then laughed so hard he bent double. My hands went to my hips as I watched. I had no idea what was so funny but every time he tried to type into his phone he would laugh again. It took forever before he managed the letters.
“Cow’s tail.”
I examined the prints and realized the cows had long tails that dragged behind them in the sandy dirt. Okay, it was funny and the best part was no snakes. Throughout the hike, a smile would appear on Duke’s face for no reason and I knew he was thinking of the snake tail. I enjoyed giving him reasons to smile.
Duke pointed out birds, their nesting areas, and how to look for eggs. He also showed me places to avoid if I didn’t want to run into snakes. We spotted a rabbit or I should say scared one. Duke typed into his phone.
“Jackrabbit. Need to cook long and slow. Better rabbits to eat.”
“I have no intention of eating any rabbit.”
“If you’re hungry enough, you eat,” he typed next.
I wouldn’t argue with that. I could fire a gun but I seriously doubted I could shoot a hopping rabbit. They were most likely safe from me even if I were starving.
Duke had sensors on the vast property. We came across two and Duke pointed them out. He typed that cows and other animals triggered them and he could never grow lax if he wanted to stay safe.
It wasn’t just his grandfather who was paranoid. Duke would keep me safe. I trusted him like I trusted Moon. It was crazy that I had two men on my side who wouldn’t hesitate to kill for me. I was damn lucky.
We hiked to the top of a ridge and Duke’s text said to pick landmarks. He pointed around at different rock structures and mountain ranges. At the top of the next ridge, he had me find those same landmarks. This time I could no longer see the house but I could determine which direction it was located in.
We didn’t go to the watering hole but it was a good day. I learned that maybe I enjoyed strolling through the hills. Calling it hiking was the problem. Hiking was what California hippies did. I wanted to see them strap on five-inch heels and keep their footing. They had nothing on me and my treadless shoes.
We received a text from Dax that evening.
“Have a bead on someone. Making plans. Stay tight.”
Duke did some pacing after that. It had to be hard to stay with me when he wanted to be part of the action. When he realized I was watching, he grabbed his weapons bag and brought it to the couch. He pulled the end table around and took out cleaning supplies. He meticulously started working.
“Teach me?” I asked after a few minutes.
Duke didn’t hesitate. He showed me how to dismantle one of his handguns, clean, oil, and reassemble. It would take a few tries to get it by myself, but again, I learned something that had nothing to do with waxing eyebrows or the latest concealer. I enjoyed the change.
Being with Duke was a constant lesson in non-gratification. He touched my nose, tugged my hair, and hugged me. It felt comfortable. He showed me so many things and I could picture him walking and learning with his grandfather.
I shuddered over what he’d told me of his dad. The man was dead and I had to accept I couldn’t avenge the boy Duke had been. I couldn’t imagine years of silence or that the person who did this terrible thing to you was the person who should have loved you the most.
We were both missing parental love. It damaged me and I know Duke had damage too. Who wouldn’t?
Duke had killed for me. He’d also held me in the back of Moon’s car at the worst time in my life. I was half out of it and still remembered his large bald head leaning over me and his strength when he looked into my eyes. He was a complete stranger and still, he stabilized my soul.
Duke was still doing it and I wasn’t sure why. He owed me nothing but he was there when I needed him most and he hadn’t run. He didn’t pressure me for sex and I had a hard time handling it. Sex was what I had to give and I was worth every dollar rich men paid.
It gave me a lot to think about. The brain fog I’d been under had receded. I was thinking clearer. The clean air didn’t make me want to vomit and I didn’t miss my designer heels while hiking. I wasn’t a mountain woman but the exercise helped my mental condition and the things Duke taught me taxed my brain. It made me think of things outside the horror that had been my world the past few months.
The next two weeks went much like our first two days. Duke taught me signs to look for in the desert. He taught me how to find my way back to the house. He made me get us home after the second day. We probably did some extra hiking but we made it and I felt proud of myself.
My body was no longer sore and I was actually using my left hand. Bumping it didn’t hurt like it had. My calves gained muscle and I began gaining control over fear. I wasn’t in the city so it would need to be tested. I didn’t feel like there was a man waiting to cut off my fingers and rape me around each corner. Being away from everyone allowed me to see the fear for what it was. Trauma. With my head clearer, I could finally divide out the memories and think of them in small bits without becoming overwhelmed.
I didn’t have the words to explain it to Duke. He was my rock and I would always be grateful to him for understanding what I needed when I did not.
The second week, nature began speaking to me. The land around us went quiet and I stopped walking due to the strangeness. Duke stopped also.
“What happened to the sound?”
“Large predator, maybe,” he typed.
“Where?” I asked after reading his answer.
“If that’s what it is, we won’t see it but it sees us. Keep hiking.”
Duke was right and we didn’t see the predator. I was okay with that. When we took a break, he typed that there were mountain lions and coyote packs. He smiled while typing into his phone that nature was starting to speak to me.
We went to the watering hole several times and I became a pro at swimming beneath the ledge to get into the cavern. Duke even had me do it with my eyes closed. He gave me pride in myself. I would never be a true survivalist but I now understood what to pay attention to. It gave me confidence. I’d worked the city jungle my entire life. This new jungle required a different set of skills and I was learning.
At the end of the second week, we hiked farther than we’d gone before and were well into BLM land. Duke stopped and pointed up to gathering clouds.
“Home,” pinged on my phone a moment later.
He took off at a fast pace with me slugging behind. Duke wasn’t messing around. The first drops hit our heads when we reached the top of a rise and I could see the house. We still had a few hills and the wash to get through. I saw lightning in the distance and Duke picked up his pace even more.
The rain came harder and was pouring once we made it to the wash. I was thankful my kinky hair, even tied back, cushions some of the downpour. Duke wasn’t so lucky with his bald head. I heard noise in the distance that sounded like a train. Duke took my hand and started running. We made it through the wash and he pulled me up to higher ground onto some large boulders and headed higher. The roar grew louder and when I looked over my shoulder, a wall of water exploded through the wash.
I’d never imagined water could be so powerful. Large boulders tumbled like they weighed nothing. It was like an ocean tsunami that took everything in its path. You didn’t see something like this and walk away without feeling that Mother Nature could squash you like a bug if she really wanted to.
Duke gave my hand another tug and pointed upward. The lightning was closer and thunder shattered around us. The last race was on. We made it inside in one piece and I started laughing. Duke gave me a look of consternation.
“That was great.” His shock had me laughing more. “I wasn’t afraid. Even if we hadn’t made it across the wash, we would have found a place to stay safe.” I held up my left hand. “I could even do it with this.”
We were plastered in wet clothes and it didn’t stop Duke. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around him and took his lips as my due. Like the first time he kissed me, he wasn’t gentle. He owned my mouth. With lips locked, he slipped the straps of my backpack off my shoulders and let it crash to the floor with his. His hands went to my shirt and peeled the wet material up and over my curves until it was a puddle on the floor. I lifted his shirt and he finished taking it off.
Socks and shoes were next. It would have been comical if we had stopped to watch what we were doing. My jeans came off with my underwear and I was in Duke’s naked arms. He carried me to the bed below. I didn’t think about the past. I thought about life. Really living again and Duke had given me that.
He spread my legs and slid down my body until his mouth closed around me. I cried out. He gave head like he kissed. He owned me. I had trouble staying still and Duke would have none of it. He grabbed my hips and held me to the bed.
“Fucking hell,” I cried out.
An orgasm took me by surprise it happened so fast. Before I stopped shaking, Duke entered me. I opened my eyes and his were on fire. I lifted my legs and wrapped them around his hips, grinding my pussy further onto his cock.
Duke flipped us suddenly and I was on top. His hands left my hips and covered my breasts while I rode him. He watched where our bodies joined. Just the sound drove me wild. I ground my pussy on him, rotating my hips while watching his expression. His eyes stayed half closed and still he watched. His fingers moved down to my hips again and he increased the momentum. My body was winding up for another orgasm. Duke’s fingers dug in and I knew there would be bruises. He flipped us again and drove into me until I lost my mind and screamed.
Duke groaned and closed his eyes. He rolled down beside me, our sweaty bodies touching on the bed. I have no idea where the tears came from. They started falling and I lost it.
Every man’s dream should be a woman having sex with him, then crying—not. He held me and let me fall apart. I didn’t know how to tell him what he had just given me. He took away all thoughts of Fernandez. I’d had sex. The rape and my fingers hadn’t interfered.
“It’s okay. Your manhood is safe. I always cry after sex,” I finally managed to sniff.
His laughter warmed my heart. He ran his finger over my breast to the center of my chest. Very slowly, he traced an image on my skin. I took his hand and held it in place when he finished.
A heart.
Chapter Eleven
Duke
Sex simply happened.
It wasn’t as a form of payment and Cori was magnificent.
It changed us.
We stayed in bed the following day, exploring each other’s bodies. She sucked me off while I pulled her amazing hair.
Her only comment was, “Harder, baby.” With my dick down her throat, she still managed to moan it. I gave harder and faster and she took it.
We shared a bath in the tiny tub to clean ourselves after eating a large dinner, laughing the entire time. Cori was propped between my knees and chest, her legs hanging far over the edge. We didn’t come close to fitting. Water spilled everywhere in the kitchen and we laughed even harder. It took my mind off the earlier text from Dax that I hadn’t yet shared. I didn’t want to ruin the day.
The following morning, we set out on another hike. I couldn’t stay still. Cori looked at me a few times with a question in her eyes but she didn’t ask. When we took a break for lunch, I showed her the text.
“They came after Sofia and the kids when she took the twins to the library because they were going nuts. Ask Cori if she knows anyone or anything with the letters MCTM.”
Cori thought for a moment and then shook her head. I took the phone back and replied to Dax’s message. It pinged immediately.
“Whoever it is, they’re coming at us from all sides. Keep Cori locked down.”
I showed her the message.
“I don’t want to stay locked down. I want a life. This needs to end,” she said with resolve in every word.
I understood and typed a reply.
“Let’s go hunting.”
“For animals?” she asked with a worried look.
I shook my head and typed.
“Two-legged animals.”
The change happened in her eyes. She knew what she was capable of. Her agreement was a quick kiss. She turned and started back to the house and I stopped her.
“Hike to the waterhole and then to the house. You’re on your own,” I typed, then walked away.
“You’re leaving me?” she called cautiously.
I was and I didn’t turn back.
“I’ll beat you home,” she shouted.
I heard her running and grinned. She had longer to travel. Cori needed to know she could take care of herself no matter the situation. She was only behind me by ten minutes when I got back. She went several more miles than me.
Her grin said it all.
“I stopped for a swim and met an otter.” My brows arched. “That’s a lie. I ran most of the way and you still beat me. Must I give you a prize?”
We would leave in the morning.
My prize was a long night with Cori in my arms.
Chapter Twelve
Cori
Finding my way to the waterhole wasn’t easy and I got lost once. After finding it, I knew how to get to the house and ran the entire way when possible. My legs were stronger and powered me up the hills. I was still disappointed when Duke beat me. At least until he got his prize.
The man did things with his tongue that should be illegal. Maybe that’s where his lack of speech paid off. No client or lover had done this for me in my life. I wielded sex as a weapon. It was something I excelled at. Men wanted more and more. I was that good. Duke gave me what those men never would. He cared about pleasing me and making me come. It turned him on like nothing else. I would never forget this incredible man. He didn’t just give me back my life; he gave me a new one.
Our last morning at the house, we gathered our things and Duke showed me how to operate the solar and well pump in the utility room. I knew I wouldn’t be back and this made me sad. If Duke noticed, he said nothing.
He had one thought on his mind. I’d lived around dangerous men for years and recognized the look in his eyes.
Duke needed someone to kill. He was done waiting.
I felt the same.
I had no idea what we were going to do or how we would do it, but I would follow Duke into hell. Before we left in his truck, he told me to look for markers so I could find my way back to the property. He said navigation systems wouldn’t find the house and you had to use a GPS if you had the map coordinates.
“Recognize where you turn. There are no markers out here. If you get lost, you can drive for days,” were his instructions.
In his truck, he took a key from his glove box. It hung on a leather rope. He placed it over my head, then typed.
“This is your safe place. Come here if you need to.”
He squeezed my left hand gently. I wanted to cry. I’d never had a safe place.
Hours later, we drove past the turn to the clubhouse. Duke continued straight on the Beeline Highway. I didn’t know where we were going but about ninety minutes later, we were in downtown Phoenix. This was my turf.
