A long time later, we turned down a winding country road in the eastern part of Montgomery County. It was a rural area not far from Houston where ramshackle houses and rundown trailers with foil-covered windows were the norm. The abject and cyclical poverty in this area crushed the hopes and dreams of too many. It saddened me. I thought of the abusive, drunken father and the life I had escaped and the life I had created for myself. I thought of how damned hard Jem had probably worked to save her brother and give him a chance at making something successful out of his life. I hoped he understood the sacrifices she had made to give him a chance.
Headlights were cut, and we were plunged into darkness. The caravan of SUVs crept down the bumpy, unpaved road. Thick piney forests surrounded us. Apprehension gripped my gut. I wasn't used to this sort of life anymore. I had gotten soft and couldn’t hang with these hard men.
The SUVs slowed to a stop. One by one, men climbed out of them and started arming themselves for what looked like a fucking war. Ten slapped my arm and indicated that it was time for me to join them. I hadn't fired a gun in years and hoped they didn't expect me to try to use one tonight. I would be a liability they didn’t need.
The man named Mueller had shed his expensive bespoke suit jacket and silk tie. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. In the bright moonlight, I spotted the dark and ugly swastikas marking his forearms. He had more tattoos on his elbows and swirling up under his shirt. One of his men handed him a pump action shotgun. He rested the barrel against his shoulder and glanced around the group of men waiting to join him. "Are we ready?"
After a round of nods, Mueller led the men into the woods. Nikolai clasped my shoulder to keep me from following. "We stay here with Ten."
My stomach churned violently. I breathed as quietly and slowly as possible and strained to hear every noise. The woods were alive with insects and animals. My heartbeat ticked up a notch with every passing minute. What was happening? Was Benji all right? I thought of how scared he must be right now and how terrified Jem was back at the Kalasnikov estate. I swore then and there that those two would never know fear like this again. Not on my fucking watch.
The blast of a shotgun tore through the stillness of the night and startled me. I noticed that neither of my companions showed even the tiniest hint of being surprised. I could hear Ten working a piece of gum between his teeth as he stood beside me with his arms crossed. Nikolai had positioned himself a few steps in front of us. He seemed to be watching and waiting for something.
Two more shotgun blasts ripped through the night air. I swallowed and waited, straining to hear anything that might let me know if Benji had been recovered and if he was unhurt. I flexed my fingers at my side and tried not to fidget too much. How long had it been since the last gunshots? Five minutes? Ten?
And then, faintly but growing louder, I heard the unmistakable crunch of approaching footsteps. Kostya and Three-Fingered Arty emerged from the woods with a hooded and cuffed figure between them. He was thrust at me, and I realized it was Benji. The moonlight overhead illuminated Kostya's shirt just long enough for me to catch the glimpse of blood spatter on his clothing.
I started to reach for the hood covering Benji's head but Kostya stopped me. He wagged a finger and pointed at the SUV. I understood his instruction. Benji had to stay covered and bound until we were away from here. No eyewitness accounts. No loose ends.
I silently helped Benji into the backseat of the SUV and got into the front passenger seat. I waited for Ten to join us. I wanted to ask him what had happened back at the house, but I didn't. Sometimes it was safer to know nothing. Sometimes it was safer to stay silent.
Not a word was spoken until we had almost reached Houston. Ten pulled over on an isolated strip of road, and I climbed into the backseat with Benji. I carefully untied his hood and pulled the fabric gag out of his mouth. He had a bloodied, bruised lip and busted nose. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Benji shook his head. His eyes narrowed and then widened. "Holy shit! Stepan Vasiliev? What the hell? I mean—
dude
. Why are
you
rescuing me?"
I accepted the frighteningly sharp knife Ten had offered me and slit the duct tape binding Benji's wrists together. "It's a long story, kid."
"Well, I think I want to hear it."
"Probably not all of it," Ten replied with a smirk as he took back the knife and folded it closed. "I doubt you want to hear the parts about your idol climbing into bed with your sister."
"Ten! Jesus!" I punched my cousin's arm, but he just laughed.
"Wait.
Wait
. You and my sister? You and Jem?" Benji reached up and touched his head.
"Are you hurt?" Concerned, I leaned closer to examine him.
"No, man, but I'm wondering if maybe I have a concussion and am hallucinating this. Because you and my sister? That isn't possible. She
hates
your music."
Ten snorted in the front seat, and I whacked him again. Turning back to Benji, I explained, "I don't need another fan of my music. I just need her."
"But
how
? How in the hell did
you
meet
my
sister?"
"It's a long story, kid."
"Yeah, well, leave out the gross parts, okay? I don't need to know all my sister's business."
"Fair enough."
"We need to get moving," Ten said, his gaze drifting to the rearview mirror. "What's your address, kid?"
Benji rattled off the number, and Ten eased back onto the highway. I stayed in the rear seats with Benji and gave him the PG version of my day with Jem. He wasn't happy about her losing her job, and he made damned sure I knew it. When I explained that she would be working for me, he seemed lukewarm about the idea. It didn't take me long to figure out that he was intensely protective of his big sister. I had gone from the rocker he had sneaked into a club to meet to the man who wasn't good enough for his sister in the blink of an eye.
When we reached the home he shared with Jem, Benji led me inside to pack some bags for them while Ten stood guard. We didn't have much time so I had to let Benji help me pack up the necessities for Jem. Though their house was tiny and old, the two of them kept it immaculately clean and had made it into a real home. I envied the coziness and their happiness together.
As I stared at some photos of the brother and sister on a camping trip, Benji came to stand beside me. "You two look happy in these."
"We've had some rough patches the last three years, but it's been mostly good." Benji adjusted one of the frames. "Jem is an amazing person."
"I know."
"Do you?" Benji scrutinized me. "My sister is the sweetest, kindest person you will ever meet. She gave up a lot for me. She gave up college and her dreams of having a real career. She works two and three jobs at a time to make sure that I can go to my magnet school and pay for my trips and clubs and project fees. And she, like,
never
complains about it. Never. She goes to bed at midnight and gets up at four to start the cycle all over again."
"I want to take care of her, Benji." I touched his shoulder. "I'll take care of both of you, if you'll let me."
"I don't think Jem wants someone to play sugar daddy. I think she wants someone who will be her partner and help her achieve her goals."
"I can be that person."
"Can you?"
"Yes."
"If you hurt her—"
"I'm sure I'll make mistakes, Benji. I'm sure that we'll fight and argue about all sorts of things, but I will never hurt her. I won't hurt her physically or emotionally."
"If you do, I'll fucking end you, brah."
"I know you will." This kid would be a full-grown man soon, and I had no doubt that he would carry through with that threat.
"You two done with the heartfelt chat?" Ten poked his head through the front door. "Your nosy neighbor is making me nervous. If she calls the cops, I'm fucking out of here, and you two are on your own. My P.O. will bust my ass for breaking curfew."
"We're good." Benji grabbed his backpack and Jem's small suitcase and followed Ten out of the house. I turned off the lights and joined them at the SUV.
When we walked into the Kalasnikov house a short time later, Jem raced across the kitchen and flung herself at Benji. He caught his sister and hugged her tight. As she embraced her brother, she held out her hand and smiled at me. Feeling like a hero, I gripped her small hand in mine.
I didn't know what our future held in store for us, but I believed it would filled with happy moments like these.
Chapter Nine
Jem
Needing to reassure myself that Benji was okay, I peeked into the guest room he had claimed and made sure that he was sleeping peacefully. I tiptoed quietly into the room and placed his inhaler on the bedside table before carefully retreating and shutting the door. After the stress of his ordeal, I feared his asthma would bother him tonight.
I tracked Step down in his bedroom. Barefoot and bare-chested, he wore only a low-slung pair of pajama bottoms as he sat on the edge of his bed and strummed an acoustic guitar. There were sheets of staff paper and a notepad covered in scribbled lyrics on the bright white comforter. He glanced up as I entered the room, and I froze. "I didn't mean to interrupt you while you're working. I can come back later."
He set aside his guitar and held out his hand. "Come here,
rybka
."
"Vivian told me what that means." I crossed the room and let him pull me between his open legs. "Little fishy? Really?"
He laughed and placed a noisy kiss on my neck. "It loses a little something in the translation." He kissed my cheek and then my mouth. "I could call you
zaichik moy
."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do I even want to know what one means?"
"You'll have to Google it."
I pinched him. "You aren't playing fair."
"I know, and I love it." His hands slipped under the hem of my nightgown. They glided along the backs of my thighs and didn't stop until he was cupping my backside. "Are we still driving out to Dayton in the morning?"
"We?" His question surprised me.
"Your van is in the shop. You need a driver."
"Oh. Right." In the chaos of the evening, I had completely forgotten. "If you don't mind…"
"I don't mind." He dotted soft kisses on my collarbone. "I'll probably just sit out in the car and work on some new lyrics." His mouth skimmed my neck again. "We may have to postpone our big date tomorrow night. I caught the tail end of the news. They said that tropical storm is probably going to hit earlier than expected. Apparently it's picking up steam."
"That's okay."
"I'll make it up to you," he promised.
Holding his handsome face in my hands, I gazed into his eyes. "After what you did for us today? You don't have anything to make up for, Step." I kissed him lovingly and ran my thumbs along his cheeks. "I'm the one who owes you."
His mouth slanted with a sexy grin. "I can think of one or two ways you can pay me back."
"Oh?"
"Yes, but first…" He shifted me aside and gathered up his music and guitar. When the bed was clear, he dragged me close again and whisked the nightgown off my body. He tugged my panties down my hips and thighs and then shucked his pajama bottoms.
We moved onto the bed and began to kiss leisurely. Step's hands roamed my curves, cupping by bottom and squeezing my breasts. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hauled me tight against his chest, dragging me right on top of him. Our bodies aligned in the most deliciously tempting way. His cock stabbed between my thighs, and for the briefest moment, I seriously considered just sliding down a few inches and sheathing his shaft in my slick heat.
"We can't," Step whispered against my mouth. "I want to," he said with a groan. "I want to feel your wet pussy squeezing my bare cock—but I won't put you at risk."
"Have you ever…?"
He shook his head. "Never. I've always gloved up, but I still want to be careful with you. Besides," he swept aside my hair and bared my neck to his seeking lips, "you aren't on the pill are you?"
"No."
"Then we have to be careful," he repeated. Step ravished my throat, scraping his teeth over my skin and biting down gently on my jugular. It wasn't enough to draw blood, but it would leave a mark.
"Step!" I gripped his shoulders and bucked against him. We kissed again, and Step smoothed his hands over my body. Gripping my bottom, he flipped me onto my back and shoved my thighs open. I was still dazed by the sudden move when he started lapping at my core. His tongue zeroed in on the rhythm and pace that had driven me crazy earlier. He flicked at my clit until I was scratching at his arms and swiveling my hips. I came with a soft cry and pushed my pussy against his mouth, desperate to wring out every last drop of pleasure possible.
Even after I had climaxed, he kept his mouth on me. His tongue probed my entrance and swirled around my clitoris. He suckled my pink pearl and fluttered his tongue over it until my toes were digging into the mattress and I felt close to another climax. Strung tight and panting, I clutched at Step and eagerly anticipated another powerful orgasm.
But I whimpered in protest when he abandoned my sopping wet sex and crawled over me. He lingered on my belly and breasts, caressing and kissing and teasing my nipples until they were bright pink and puckered. I didn't have a lot of sensitivity there, but he seemed to have found a way to enhance the pleasure I did feel by tweaking and suckling me.
Wanting to make him feel good, I pushed on his shoulders and silently urged him onto his back. Emboldened by the way he looked at me and that hungry glint in his eye, I clasped his hands and claimed his mouth in an insistent kiss. He rolled his hips beneath me, and his thick, heavy cock smacked against my bottom. I could tell he was seeking stimulation. I decided to give him exactly what he wanted.
I slowly kissed my way down his body and settled between his spread legs. I didn't have much experience giving head, but I didn't think he would hold it against me. With one enthusiastic swipe of my tongue, I drew a low, rumbling groan from his throat. When I wrapped my lips around his crown and rolled my tongue around it, he pawed at the bedding and unleashed a string of Russian that sounded suspiciously like curse words.