The Town Of Pearl: Badge Of Honor Part 12

"Sure as s.h.i.t is, and recovering nicely. You want to know who took him in?"

"Yeah of course. You got my curiosity going now," Storm replied.

"Maxwell Ortega."

"How the h.e.l.l does he know Frankie, Lauren's partner?"

Dmitri smirked. "That's why I'm calling you. I would like for you to use your security firms to help figure out the connection between them."

"Something fishy is going on. Why else would Maxwell visit Stephan and give him information on the hit on Lauren? If he was friends with Frankie and Lauren was Frankie's partner, wouldn't he want to help save her life?" Storm asked.

"Unless that was part of the plan that night from the start. To perhaps have Lauren die in the midst of gunfire. But she shocked them by taking out all those men and their main leader, Aces," Dmitri replied.

"This is a big problem. And until we prove Stephan's position, I wouldn't trust him as far as you could throw him."

"I'm on it, Storm. You get on this. Let me know whatever you find out, no matter how small."

Storm disconnected the call and Dmitri looked toward the window. There was information to be found and some serious digging to do. What better people then Storm and his crew? They would get everything he needed and hopefully before someone found out where Lauren was hiding. Otherwise, she was going to die.

Lauren looked out the window from the guest bedroom. Five days had pa.s.sed since she arrived at her new place of residence. It was a stunning home with all the bells and whistles. Plus, the highest amount of security she'd seen in a home, ever.

It should have given her peace of mind, but the other residents kept her on edge. The commander of it all, Galvin, was a force to reckon with. She b.u.t.ted heads with him constantly, while Harper seemed to try and appease her and calm each aggressive confrontation between her and his leader.

Orin made her nervous, and Gus watched her like a hawk as if he were reading into her every word and movement. But worse of all was Mace. The man just had an expression of anger and darkness, and was always ready for a confrontation. He even seemed to spit his words at the others.

It had really been nuts when she exited the bathroom yesterday after taking a long, hot shower, and he yelled at her for only wearing a towel and reprimanded her about getting sick. Meanwhile he blocked her access to her bedroom while he gave her the third degree and talked about consequences. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s had felt full, her p.u.s.s.y ached with desire, and she wanted to head back into the shower to take an ice cold one to snap out of her daze.

Lauren came to the conclusion that there had to be something in the water or even airborne to make women even contemplate an attraction to more than one man at once. But here she was wondering, fantasizing about the five very dark, mysterious men who took her in.

She felt antsy, in need of an adrenaline rush or some sort of challenge. That was when she saw the men carrying long black duffel bags to the back of a black F-550 pickup. She knew there were guns in there. They had a stack of targets, too. What were they up to?

She walked over toward the closet and reached up to the box on the shelf to grab her gun. When her fingers. .h.i.t emptiness, she felt the anger erupt within.

"Mace, you son of a b.i.t.c.h!" she exclaimed and stormed out of her bedroom.

Before she even made it to the bottom of the stairs there stood Mace. He was wearing black camo pants and a black long-sleeve compression shirt that showed off every ripple of muscle he had. He was like a G.I. Joe doll, and she felt her jaw nearly drop with l.u.s.t.

She squinted her eyes at him and met him at the bottom of the stairs. She was one step higher than him and she still had to look up into his eyes. The men were all bigger than her by at least a foot.

She placed her hand palm out toward him.

"My gun."

He didn't even look at her hand. He held her gaze.

"It's safe."

"If it isn't with me then it's not safe. Give it back to me, Mace."

He shook his head.

"It's mine and you had no right to take it. I did as Galvin and you asked and I kept it in the box in the closet. You had no right to take it. What if someone broke in? I would have been unarmed and dead."

"No one is breaking into our home. No one will even make it up the driveway or through the wooded area surrounding us without us knowing. We're your protectors now, so get used to it."

"No. I'm not standing here like some weak incapable woman who needs five retired SEALs to protect her. I've had it."

She went to step past him when he grabbed her upper arm.

He held her gaze, his black eyes boring into hers.

"Harper said you were about ready to go crazy. We're setting up our mock targets in the woods. We'll let you partic.i.p.ate if you promise to not shoot one of us."

"Targets? Like a training setup?"

"Yes. There are twenty different locations and targets. It helps us stay sharp and keep our skills strong."

"I'll need my gun."

"You'll use what I give you." He released her arm and headed toward the kitchen. When she got there only Orin was there.

"The others headed out. We'll take Lauren with us. She'll shadow you and then on her second sweep around she can go solo," Orin said.

She looked at him and he eyed her over, his dark eyes lading on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She turned away, not wanting to show the effect he had on her. She realized that the V-neck shirt she wore did show off a bit of her abundant b.r.e.a.s.t.s. But considering that her clothing was limited and Mary shopped for her, she was stuck with some more revealing tops than she'd ever worn before.

"Let's move," Mace said and pulled a bag up off the counter and they headed out together.

When they caught up with Galvin, Harper, and Gus, she was surprised that they had their own training facility out there in the woods. She didn't know why they brought the targets when they actually had a setup like the SWAT training facility at the shooting center in New York. They had targets of bad guys and civilians that popped out next to targets to throw the officer off. She had excelled in this category in the academy. She felt that rush of excitement and she couldn't wait to try.

They all prepared their weapons and Lauren watched as each of the men went through the stations and then disappeared into the woods.

"I want you right behind me at all times. You get a trial run and then I'll go through right behind you," Mace told her as he checked his weapons.

"How many targets are there?" she asked.

"Twenty-five direct targets, sixteen trick targets and they're never the same so you don't know what's going to pop out Bad guy or civilian."

"Okay," she said as they approached the start. To the right she could see Galvin come out of the last section and then Gus. Harper would be next and Orin was going in after her and Mace.

She felt Mace's hand reach back and tap her hip.

"Right on me. I don't want you in my line of fire or throwing off my groove," he snapped at her.

She nodded her head. The man was mega serious. But how close did he expect her to get to him? He was filled with muscles. His arms pointed out in front of him as he gripped the Glock with two hands and began to fire upon the targets.

As they moved along she felt the rush, the feeling of wanting to be the one to hit the targets and shoot her gun. She felt the hand slap against her outer thigh.

"On me, Lauren. Not to the left or right. You're f.u.c.king up my groove," he yelled at her and she pressed closer. Had to place her hands on his hips to remain as close as it seemed he expected her to be. They moved along in sync. It was so strange how quickly she caught onto his movements and the way he only slightly twitched. He was a trained shooter, perhaps a killer. He didn't shudder or shake. He had the same steadiness she was known to have and had been complimented on.

As they walked quickly up the rough terrain, he lowered down to the ground and she followed.

Her body over his. She felt her p.u.s.s.y leak and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s tingle some more. This was turning into some erotic adventure instead of a training exercise.

"Up," he ordered and she jumped up along with him and they continued with him shooting, ducking, crouching down with her on him like white on rice.

By the time they came to the end, she was out of breath and so was Mace.

Orin chuckled as he called out his time.

"f.u.c.k. I got her on me the entire way. It doesn't count," Mace complained.

"You drew the straw. You should have gotten through that faster," Gus teased.

Mace complained.

"My turn now right?" she said, feeling ready to try their obstacle course of targets and surprises.

"Here." Galvin handed her two weapons. She checked each one, placing the second one on her hip in the holster holder Orin gave her and the other one she held.

Mace was right behind her.

"I can do it. I know where to go."

He held her gaze.

"Oh you're going to do it with me right behind you, like you were behind me. No way am I taking a chance that you'll get through this faster and beat me."

She rolled her eyes.

"I don't even know the route like you do."

"You're quick. Your file shows how resourceful you are. Now move," he ordered. She glanced at the others and they watched her. Orin held the stopwatch. The second she began he started the time.

It was difficult to concentrate with Mace on her heels and his hand on her hip. Her heart was racing, her belly tight, and when she got to the part where they had to drop, she hadn't expected Mace to cover her entire body with his own. She shot out the targets, but then she didn't move. Neither did Mace. Slowly she rolled to the side partially, and there he was staring at her.

"Giving up?" he asked.

"Never." She shifted up and he jumped up with her. She couldn't help but to wonder if he was trying to slow her up so she wouldn't time well. She didn't really care. There were too many emotions and feelings happening here. She shot the next three targets and then pressed against the tree trunk. That's when she felt the hands on her hips and his body pressed up against hers. He sniffed her hair.

"Almost done. You're doing great."

She swallowed hard, and then felt his hand slide along her waist to her back.

"You're an excellent shooter. I hadn't expected this."

"Me being decent at shooting?" she asked, holding his gaze.

He pressed her up against the tree.

"That, and more," he said. He stared down into her eyes. She felt the power of that stare across her needy lips and to her core and then he kissed her.

Mace didn't know what came over him. He hadn't been instantly and strongly attracted like this to a woman before. Having Lauren pressed against him while he proceeded to get through the obstacle course was torture. But then doing the same to her as she went through it was wild. He wanted to touch her, feel her, and kiss her lips. And now that he was doing just that, he wanted even more.

She was kissing him back, and her acceptance to the mutual attraction made him explore her body further. His hand slid under the hem of her T-shirt. So badly he wanted to head straight for a breast. They looked so full and large in the shirt he had admired her since she came downstairs back at the house.

But this felt different. He cared about her. He wanted to know more about Lauren. To learn everything he could and that had him hesitating to cup her breast and see how far they could go right here in the woods against this tree. He would never look at this obstacle course the same way again.

He pulled from her lips at the sound of throats clearing and Lauren's grip on his arms.

He pulled her tighter and covered her with his body in an instant defensive manner. It didn't go unnoticed by his team as they each stood there watching them. His heart pounded inside of his chest and he wondered what their reaction might be to finding him and Lauren like this. He was ready to fight and to defend this attraction and this desire to have Lauren, when he read through those tight expressions and saw in their eyes the hunger he felt inside.

"Oh G.o.d. We...I. s.h.i.t, this is crazy," Lauren said and tried to pull away from him. But like some possessive wild animal who was desperate to hold onto this valuable prize he acquired in the midst of the woods, he held her tighter.

"Don't move," he said a little too firmly. She shot him a look. That tough, New York cop look Lauren had given them a time or two over the last several days.

"I mean, it's okay. This situation, I mean. Don't pull away from me as if this shouldn't happen."

"It shouldn't have happened."

He reached up and cupped her cheek. She glanced away from him, seeming stunned by his show of affection and care for her. It was instant, natural, and he could see himself getting used to caring for her even more. She appeared to be taken aback by the expressions on the others' faces as they all gathered around her.

"Yes, it should have. We've all been p.u.s.s.yfooting around this attraction for days now. It started with Harper weeks ago, and then with each of us the more time we all spent with you."

"Did you plan this? This excursion into the woods where you purposely press against me while I'm trying to get through the obstacle course."

"No," Mace said.

"We all needed to get out of the house. To let go and just get lost in something so natural and calming as this obstacle course," Orin told her.

Mace moved his hand away from her cheek and to her waist. He pulled her close and led her away from the tree and closer to the others.

"I don't think this is such a great idea. Me getting involved with all of you, like this," she said and her cheeks turned a nice shade of red.

Galvin stepped closer. He looked her over and ran his hand up and down her arm.

"You're a beautiful, capable, independent woman. We get that. This is a very dangerous, scary time in your life. We get that, too, but this attraction we're all feeling is something none of us are used to."

"Well I'm not used to it either. I just don't think I can look at this fairly and with an open mind right now, when I'm having trust issues, and most importantly, while there's a good chance I'm going to die."

Mace clenched his teeth and Galvin became serious.

He moved his hand from her arm to her shoulder and Mace released her to Galvin.

"We're not going to let anything happen to you."