“None of us do,” Dallas said. “But the fact is, we don’t have a choice now. A lot of family members have to clean up their relatives’ messes before they can enjoy a life of their own. Let’s get that dustpan out and sweep up enough to make everything neat and tidy, at least cover our tracks a little better than before. With a Texas herd here, livestock buyers will be coming in from all over the place. It’ll be too easy for the Feds to get in here and take a look around now.”
“And even easier for them to find justifiable cause for a warrant.”
“Yep, that’s right, but we can’t run from the past now, Zak. We can’t keep hiding it and praying no one will snoop around and find what it is we don’t want anyone to find. We gotta deal with this and we need to deal with it quickly.”
“You don’t understand. No one can afford the kind of stock we have except the mob.”
“So we sell to them. Look at us. We’re not little fellas, Zak. They have more to fear from us than the other way around. We’re the ones with the guns, remember. I say we make the transactions, contact the cartel, the mafia, and whoever else we need to tell. Then we’re out and it’s over. One last deal.”
That was just it. Brandon had been saying those very words for several months and there was no end in sight. One last deal should’ve been several transactions ago. Unfortunately, they kept uncovering more stock and the shipments kept coming in. They had inherited a business that couldn’t be sold. They were in an industry they couldn’t easily leave.
He often wondered if that’s why his mother and Nate had lost their lives. They’d tried to get out and had discovered quitting the business was not an option.
Chapter Two
Zak was worn down to a frazzle by the time they finished their honest day’s work. Brandon hadn’t even made it upstairs. He was snoring on the couch. The others were dragging ass, slowly moving through the kitchen as they grumbled about aching muscles and tired bones.
If Zak had thought he could make it to Drina’s, he would’ve already called and asked her if she felt like going somewhere for a nightcap but the fact was, he didn’t have the energy to walk much farther than the shower. He took the stairs one at a time, slowly moving over the twenty-five steps as he unbuttoned his dirty shirt and shot it down the hallway laundry chute in passing.
“Farming,” he grumbled, entering his room and stripping off his jeans and underwear. Leaving them in the laundry basket, he walked in the bathroom, turned on the water, and nearly fell asleep on his feet before the water temperature rose and he stepped in the shower. He’d never been so exhausted in his life.
A few minutes later, he stood in front of the sink brushing his teeth. He paused a minute, swearing he could’ve heard his bedroom door open and close. When he didn’t hear anything more, he continued with his ritual, scrubbing his teeth, flossing, and debating on a shave.
“Nay,” he muttered. He’d clean up his rough face in the morning.
He turned off the light and made his way to bed. Catching a scent he recognized well, he tilted his head and inhaled the vanilla and lilac fragrance.
For a split second, he thought he was just plain crazy about a woman, so mad about her that he imagined her sweet scent, her perfume filling his room even when she wasn’t there, but then he caught sight of her shapely silhouette in the moonlight, the natural curve of her body outlined in the darkness. He sat on the edge of the bed, deciding to play this game of hers. He’d pretend she wasn’t there, waiting on him.
After all, she started this little game and at one time he was a player who knew how to play. At least memory served him well in situations like this. The excitement of the unfolding evening gave his libido a swift kick and he caught his second wind. He dropped his towel and sat on the edge of the bed, cradling his balls and fondling his erection.
How long had he waited for her? How many months had they been taking things slow?
He gripped his dick and stroked. He still remembered the first time he saw her. They had been at Paddles and Picnics, a fetish club on the old highway. He hadn’t expected to meet his better half that evening, but as she’d danced for the crowd, he’d quickly reached a decision.
He was going to love her.
That nig
ht Drina gained the audience’s attention and Zak’s outright devotion. And even though he loved her, he hadn’t made love to her. They’d agreed to wait.
Well tonight, tired or not, he planned to tease a woman.
Tired or not, he should’ve stopped what he was doing and called her.
She’d waited for him, dressed for him, and he hadn’t even called to say good night. Yet there he was in the moonlight, sitting on the side of his bed with his head dropped, his hand at work, and Drina suspected if she stayed real quiet, her name would soon slip from his lips.
He propped up on his left side. His leg hung off the bed from the knee down and his right leg was bent, his foot flat against the mattress. Her mouth watered at the sight of him, that muscular leg bent, the way he stroked himself as he used his foot for balance and pushed himself up and down, going after some relief.
She remained still beside him, wondering how he could’ve missed her lying there. He should’ve known she was there right next to him. Then again, he’d sat on the bed with his back to her and he seemed distracted as he haphazardly searched through his phone.
A ragged breath fell from his lips and he grunted. “Fuck.” He stopped pumping that enticing cock of his and opened the drawer on his bedside table. A minute later he ripped a packet with his teeth.
She swallowed. The knowledge of the forthcoming sounds would leave her pussy damp with desire and she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from taking what she’d wanted from him, what she now desperately needed.
One squirt resounded. He bathed his cock in lube and the up-and-down motions quickened as he oiled his shaft and lathered his dick in a fruity scented lubricant that made her mouth water all the more.
An inner debate began. Should she crawl over and surprise him? Should she clear her throat and let him know she was there or perhaps just…he paused and her thoughts went on standby for a moment.