Drive

Pushing himself carefully to his feet, he pulled out his cell and called his handler.

"Report."

"Found Chet," Hal wheezed.

"He's dead," the man said with a sigh. It wasn't a question.

"He killed Lisa when I didn't show up when she expected. When I did arrive, he tried to kill me," Hal explained.

There was a pause. "Why didn't you arrive on time? To date, you've been a stickler for punctuality." The man sounded a little concerned. He didn't like deviations in Hal's behavior.

"I was on time. I just didn't arrive at the time she expected. I didn't come here to confront her about her infidelity. I came here to tell her I wanted a divorce. I didn't expect he'd kill her. She was just bait. He-he wasn't like me." Hal felt lightheaded. Talking was hard as he was having trouble breathing. Maybe it was internal bleeding. He told Karl the hotel's name, the floor, and the room numbers, then hung up.

He shuffled down the hall and picked up his other gun. He reloaded both, then slid them into the hidden pockets on his combat pants. Finally, he checked out Chet's luggage. He collected a t-shirt and a hoody. He peeled off his ripped t-shirt, the bulletproof vest he had on under it, and the second one he'd added as he'd learned of Chet's weapon of choice. Wearing two jackets had kept him alive, but the kinetic energy transferred from the large-caliber round still did a number on his ribs.

Chet's t-shirt was a little loose, and the hoody was bulkier still, but at least he wasn't covered in blood and bullet holes anymore. He left the room and made his way down to the lobby. All the way down in the elevator, his breathing became more and more shallow. He was in trouble.

As he made his way across the lobby, his vision was filled with the crazy smile of a beautiful woman; he desperately wanted to see that smile just one more time.

And that's where his handler found him, in the comfortable chair, bleeding into his lungs.

Chapter 11

Sam rushed through the hospital corridors. Her nerves were buzzing. She couldn't see anything that wasn't straight ahead of her, and she couldn't hear anything beyond the rapid beating of her heart.

When Hal missed his flight back, the charter pilot contacted Ben to ask if he should wait. That started the panicked activity.

Hal had been shot. That's all Sergeant Killcade had been able to get out of the man Hal was always calling.

When she got that news, the Sergeant put the US Army's resources on finding the hospital they'd taken him to. They said their goodbyes to Dan and Willow, and then Ben got the charter jet to pick them all up from Las Vegas to fly them to Los Angeles. She was stunned by his generosity, but his two bodyguards simply told her Ben made a promise to take care of her until Hal returned. He took the vows he made seriously.

They had a police escort to the hospital, even Ben couldn't explain where that came from, but she was grateful. They met the man on the phone, his name was Karl, and he told them Hal was still in surgery. He'd been wearing a vest, so the bullet didn't get through, but it had been a big gun, and it broke some ribs, and the fragments punctured his lungs. It was touch and go.

This morning she woke in the waiting room leaning against Ben's shoulder. He woke her to let her know someone finally came to tell them Hal had been moved to a recovery room sometime during the night. He gave her the number and floor, and here she was hunting for him.

When the correct room number finally appeared before her, she rushed right inside and saw Hal resting back against some pillows. She stopped herself from throwing herself on his chest and instead stepped up next to the bed and reached out to brush his hair back from his face. He had a hose blowing air into his nose.

Her touch must have awakened him, as his eyes fluttered open. She remembered his rule. "Hal? It's Sam. How are you feeling?"

"I-I've felt better." He took a breath. "I've felt worse." His eyes moved around the room. "Where am I?"

"A hospital in Los Angeles. Can you tell me what happened?" she asked.

He closed his eyes for a moment. "Probably shouldn't." His eyes opened. "I suppose I can say something. The man my wife chose to have sex with murdered her. He's also the one who shot me."

Sam held her hands over her mouth in her shock. Conflicting emotions of horror and joy rushed through her. Then she felt terrible for her moment of elation. It must have shown on her face as he smiled gently at her.

"Yes, it's okay. I understand completely. I went there to tell Lisa I wanted out of our marriage, and I was expecting a fight. That's not going to happen now. I'm free, as awful as it sounds for me to say that. I'm sad she died, and I'm sad about how she died, but none of it was under my control. Finally understanding that fact shines a terrible light on my entire marriage. She didn't love me. She loved the control she had over me, and she loved the idea of the chaos I have contained inside my mind. She wanted more than anything to control that."

"I'm sorry," Sam said softly.

He shook his head a little. "You... you've been completely open with me. I treasure that. Especially when I have to keep so many secrets to protect so many. But you make me so happy. I never thought I'd have so much joy in my life. I don't deserve it, but I treasure it, and you."

Sam's doe eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "Those aren't sad tears, are they?" he asked in concern.

"No, you silly man! I'm just so happy, too," she gushed.

"Then why aren't you kissing me?"

She snorted and leaned over to kiss him, gently holding his face in her hands.

Outside in the hallway, Ben glanced in once and turned away from the open door. He looked down at the small bearded man. He locked eyes with him. "You're taking over their protection duty until that nonsense with her ex gets settled, yes?" Karl nodded. "Good. Now, I have to say my goodbyes." He knocked on the door jamb and entered with a smile.

"Hi, I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm being pulled back to my own life, and I wanted to say goodbye and good luck," he said with a smile.

Sam turned and gave him a firm hug, which he returned. Then he shook Hal's hand. "You two take of yourselves and each other, okay?"

"Thank you for protecting Sam," Hal said.

Ben smiled. "It was my pleasure. Get better soon!" With a final wave, the big man left, joining his trio of ladies in the hall to head home.

Karl entered and frowned at the man in the bed. "You gave us a bit of a fright there."

Hal shrugged with a little smile.

"The doctor tells me you will be able to leave in a week. I think you've had enough of driving. We'll fly you back to Rochester­—"

"I'm not going back. Chet was based on the west coast, wasn't he? San Diego? I want his territory. I need a new home for Sam and me."

Sam squeaked in excitement and looked between the two men.

Karl sighed but knew he had to keep their best asset happy. Especially since he'd just eliminated their next best agent. The second best who'd gone rogue. He'd also been able to find and attack Hal because of the program's shoddy security. Karl nodded and endured the squeal and hug from the tall blonde. Getting hit in the face with her boobs was just an added treat. He struggled to regain his dignity and nodded to the couple. "I'll begin the preparations."

When Sam and Hal were alone again, he gave her a serious look. "I hope I wasn't presumptuous when I suggested you'd—"

"No! Of course I want to be with you!" she exclaimed.

He steeled himself as he needed to know. "My other side is permanent. I can't deny it. We're a matched set," he said hesitantly.

"I understand. I can't say I'll ever be comfortable with that side of you, but I love you and want to be with you forever!" Sam said tenderly.

He smiled as relief and joy spread throughout his body. Such a rare sensation, he cherished every second. He planned to make this woman his wife and get it right this time. This marriage would be based on love, not control.

"I love you, too."

Hal watched Sam's crazy smile light up her face, and he felt the bliss of true happiness fill his being once more. He'd do whatever it took to keep that smile on her beautiful face.

That was his new mission.

Epilogue:

Frank Capello checked into his hotel room in Positano, Italy.

He was a big brute of a man, but the efforts he'd made to get here had worn him down. He tossed his suitcase on the bed. The entirety of his worldly possessions and the remainder of his wealth were in that one small case.

Wearily, he walked to and opened the double doors to the Juliet balcony and leaned on the railing as he soaked in the beauty of the cliff-side village spread out before him. A slight breeze cooled the sweat on his flushed face.

His mind was still spinning over how quickly his fortune had changed.

Only six weeks ago, he was the top distributor for female sex slaves throughout the US and Mexico. Today, he had nothing but the money in his suitcase. One and a half million wasn't much to restart his human trafficking operation with.

All of this was the fault of that fucking blonde bitch!

He'd called in many favors to extricate himself from the fucking mess his business back in the states had collapsed into.

When the Feds captured the ship, the smugglers, and rescued the shipment of girls he was supposed to collect and distribute, they immediately started hunting for him. He had no choice but to leave everything behind and flee the country.

Now, he was going to have to start all over again. He still had a few of his old network connections who didn't want him dead, so once he established a new base with their help, he could start making money again. Once he had some stability, he was going to take care of his unfinished business with Sam.

He let a satisfied smile slip onto his lips.

Frank suddenly felt a presence behind him, but before he could turn, a knifepoint touched his neck at the base of his skull. He froze. The pain was sharp, so he tried to lean forward to avoid it, but the knife followed. He finally had to stop before he fell over the railing. The pain remained, and he grit his teeth against it.

"Cosa vuoi?" Frank stammered as he balanced against the railing. The pain was intensifying. He tried to think which of his enemies could have gotten to him so quickly. He was positive he'd covered his escape route flawlessly. The man behind him was obviously a pro.

"What do I want?"

Dread spiked through Frank as the voice behind him was cold, devoid of inflection, and quiet as a whisper.

"Nothing."

Frank began to panic. He glanced down and saw the drop would likely kill him if the knife didn't.

"Look! You can have the money in the suitcase! Take it! Just don't kill me!" He began to pant in terror as the knife pressed just a little harder.

"He said I could have you... for Sam."

Frank's bladder let go as his eyes widened. Sam? The bitch sent the assassin!?!

Unbidden, every slap, every punch, every abusive touch and word he'd inflicted upon Sam flashed through Frank's mind as the brutal reality of his imminent death loosened his control of his bowels.

A quick but savage jab drove the blade's tip between C1 and C2 vertebrae, slicing Frank's spinal cord. His muscles went limp.

Frank was unable to scream as he slumped forward over the railing to drop headfirst to the road's surface, thirty feet below. The tourist bus that rolled over the dying man's head performed the coup de grâce.

When the screaming tour group from China rushed from the bus, some stopped to take pictures. A few aimed their camera's up toward the open balcony, but there was nothing to see there but sheer curtains gently fluttering in the breeze.

The silent room beyond was empty except for an open suitcase on the bed displaying a collection of large dildos, a generous tub of lube, and a curious selection of fetish magazines involving kinks like pegging, fem-dom, scat play, nuns, golden showers, big hairy naked men, adult baby diapers, and most disturbing of all, My Little Pony.

The police were going to have an interesting time investigating this case.

-=-

Sam's whole body was tingling, and she felt like her skin was glowing. She'd spent the day at a fancy spa! So much pampering!

She'd had a full body massage until there wasn't a single tense muscle left.

Next, they did a facial, which made her feel like they'd lifted years from her face.

She'd had a manicure and pedicure with a lovely new polish applied, a sophisticated and delicate shade of pink, of course, but with sparkles!

Next, they washed and trimmed her hair, but no more than an inch, as Hal loved her long hair.

As an extra treatment, she'd had her pubic hair waxed to leave her smooth as a surprise for Hal.

The entire experience was something she'd always dreamed of but never thought she'd ever have.

She certainly never expected for it to happen in a top-end spa in Positano, Italy!

As the first stamp in her brand new passport, Italy had been pretty amazing so far!

Sam had stayed by Hal's side as he recovered from his injuries back in Los Angeles. He'd healed very quickly, and they'd finished the recovery period at a nice hotel while Hal's handler Karl Gunderman prepared their new living arrangements and new life on the west coast!

Then Hal surprised her with a passport, arranged by Karl, and first-class seats on a flight to Naples, Italy!

Hal seemed eager to get to their destination as they'd wasted no time driving a rental car to the beautiful cliff-side village of Positano. Then he checked them into a gorgeous luxury hotel. After a magical dinner on a patio overlooking the Mediterranean, they collapsed onto their bed, too exhausted for anything but cuddling. Her head was spinning at the whirlwind pace of the whole trip. He'd promised her they'd slow down the next day.

This morning, he surprised her again with the spa reservation. Just for her, as he'd said he couldn't tolerate strangers touching him.

She'd had such a wonderful day and couldn't wait to get back to their room to see her man!

That concept also sent tingles through her body. Hal was such a breath of fresh air compared to Frank! Thinking of her old boyfriend sent a chill through her, so she pushed that aside and concentrated on thinking about Hal, how good he made her feel, and how much she loved making him feel good. God! She was getting squishy, just thinking about his hard body.

Sam hustled down the last hallway to their suite and used her key card to enter. She walked into the open living space and saw Hal relaxing on a chaise lounge on their balcony. When he turned his head and smiled back at her, she trembled inside and felt her legs wobble slightly.

He stood and watched her approach with a smile on his face. "Hello, beautiful."

She leaped into his strong arms and kissed him deeply. When the kiss finally ended, he smiled and had her sit on the end of the lounge chair next to him.

"You enjoyed your day at the spa?" he asked.

"It was pure bliss, every part!" she purred, her gravelly voice adding emphasis to her contentment.

"Good! You deserve to be pampered," he insisted as he lifted her left hand to his lips. After a kiss that sent sparks to a tingly place, he admired her manicure. "Very pretty!"

"Thank you!" she sighed.

He raised an eyebrow as he looked more closely at her fingers. His expression changed as if something was bothering him. Sam watched him closely in concern.

"It's almost perfect, but there's one thing missing..." he sighed dramatically.

Sam was trying to think of what that might be as her concern increased. She wanted to be perfect for him.

"Ah! I know!" he suddenly exclaimed happily. Still holding her left hand in his right, he twisted his torso as he reached under the pillow behind him.

When he turned back, he slipped off the lounge chair to go to one knee before her. In his left hand was a small black leather box.

Sam felt a little faint as she watched him open the box, exposing the most beautiful ring she had ever set her eyes upon.

It had a huge, brilliantly clear diamond in the center with multiple small diamonds curving off from two sides like a galaxy's spiral arms. She couldn't breathe, it was so lovely. And that center diamond was so big!

"I need you, Sam. I can't live without you. You give my life purpose and balance, and both are essential for my sanity and heart. I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep you happy and safe as we grow old and gray together. Will you marry me?"

Her voice failed her as she saw the hope and love in Hal's eyes. She nodded quickly, and a huge, relieved smile spread across his face.

He took the ring from the box and gently slid it onto her trembling ring finger, the only finger, strangely enough, not currently sporting a ring. It fit!

"OHMYGODHAL!" she exclaimed as she stared at the incredible beauty of the glittering diamonds now on her slim finger. She'd never owned a diamond before, not even a chip.

Her entire body was shaking, so he moved to sit next to her again and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I love you so much!" she cried.

"I love you, too!" he said.

After she settled down, she leaned her head against his and just stared in shock at the ring.

"Wha—when did you have time to get this?" she gasped.

He shrugged gently. "While you were at the spa, I went for a walk, then I did a little shopping."

She couldn't get over the size of that main stone. "Is... is it real?"

Hal snorted in amusement. "Yes, I confirmed all the diamonds are real, and the center one is ten carats. I wouldn't spend three hundred thousand for a cubic zirconium ring."

Sam jolted as she heard the price, and she pulled back to look at him in shock again.

Hal was immediately embarrassed. "Damn, that was tacky, wasn't it. I shouldn't have mentioned the price. I'm sorry."

She continued to stare, wide-eyed. "Hal! You shouldn't spend that kind of money on me!"

"Don't be silly! Of course I should! Didn't you hear the bit about my needing and loving you? You mean more to me than some stupid money! I'll understand if you don't like the design. I don't know how to choose jewelry. I just asked them to show me their most beautiful ring." He looked down and admired it on her lovely hand. "Personally, I think it suits you."

Sam pulled his face to hers once more and kissed him again and again. She was smiling crazily with tears in her eyes when she pulled back. She suddenly tugged her costume jewelry from the fingers on either side of the new ring. She left the rings on her index finger and thumb as those were favorites. She looked up at Hal. "The new ring needed a little room. The others were crowding it."

"Maybe we could get some earrings to match?" Hal hinted and grinned as her eyes lit up.

She shook her head. "Wait! I can't allow you to spend your savings on me like this!"

He smiled and shook his head. "I'm not touching my savings. I recently came into some money that needed repurposing. Now it can be used for worthy goals like making you happy. I want to make you very happy! I crave your smile."

She gently pushed him down on the lounge chair to stretch her body over his. "Silly man, you don't need to spend money to make me happy! I can think of many ways you can do that," she purred as she rubbed her tits across his chest. She smiled as she saw his eyes go a little unfocused with lust. Something hard began pressing up against her most deliciously.

She knew she was going to enjoy how happy he was about to make her.

Sam was looking forward to making him happy, too, for the rest of their days.