Pros & Cons Ch. 03

"Get in the car," Axel ordered. He pointed in the direction of our lone spectator. "I'll take care of peeping Tom."

Oh, shit. I turned to face the attendant, who - upon closer inspection - I realised couldn't be that old. Maybe late twenties, early thirties. Cute, if you were into tall, lean bodies like his. He was still standing there in shock, blinking every couple of seconds at each of us in turn.

"Maybe I should suck his cock to keep him silent."

Axel's hands curled into fists and the look of furious jealousy on his face made me giggle. He frowned deeply and growled low, as if daring the younger man to approach me. Amused as hell, I grabbed my coat and purse, then nodded towards the car.

"Keys?"

"Car's open," he said, advancing on the attendant. I left them alone, secure in the knowledge that Axel wouldn't beat up someone for watching us fuck. We were, after all, in a public place.

After I'd settled in my seat, the inside of my coat soaking up the cum that leaked out of me, Axel opened his door and slid in beside me. He was silent for a beat, then met my gaze squarely.

"You okay?"

I smiled, then leaned forward to kiss him. Just once, on the bit of cheek I could see. I patted his thigh and replied, "I'm fantastic, bear. Let's get outta here. Food will spoil."

With a roll of his eyes, he fired up the engine and reversed with expert skill. I leaned back in my seat and curled my fingers around his thigh as a feeling of contentment settled over me.

***

Fuck, is this what heaven felt like?

I stretched my arms above my head, releasing a deep sigh of satisfaction. My shoulder blades hurt a little, and my pussy was just a little sore from the sex marathon we'd decided to indulge in when we arrived.

I glanced over at Axel, a smile tugging the corners of my lips upwards. A strange giddiness rushed through me at the sight of him sleeping, and I couldn't resist brushing the hair off his face with my fingers.

Oh, but he was beautiful.

I let the tip of my thumb caress the solidity of his forehead, the temples where his eyes creased when he smiled. Then I traced the perfect thickness of his eyebrows, the long lashes that rested on his high cheekbones. I bit my lip when I trailed my thumb over his beard, recalling how it had felt to have that coarse hair between my thighs. The memory of his lips on my tits, teeth nicking and tongue tasting...

I pulled back when I thought of that look in his eyes from yesterday, the anxiety that had swirled around my gut when I read the note on the table. If I'd seen it before brunch, I might have brushed it off. But Cam had planted a seed of doubt in my head, suggesting that Axel might be up to something especially nefarious.

"You don't think it's weird that the man doesn't exist on paper? Call me paranoid, but that's not fucking normal, Cici."

I curled my fingers into a fist and pulled away from him, gently enough that it wouldn't rouse him from sleep. Slowly, I got out of bed and looked around for my stuff... Oh, right. We hadn't taken anything out of the car.

I freshened up as best I could - rinsing my mouth and wiping the dry cum from between my legs - then ventured back into the bedroom. I fished out a pair of black boxers and one of Axel's t-shirts from the closet, then wandered into the kitchen seeking sustenance.

While I heated up the chicken parmesan I'd made around midnight, I looked around the large cabin and wondered how he could afford the place. I mean, it was obvious he was well-off - none of the cars I'd seen him drive were cheap - but I was curious what he did that brought in this much income. Maybe I needed to switch professions.

I removed the bowl from the microwave when the appliance beeped, careful to touch only two fingers around the top of the bowl to keep from burning. I eased the door shut with my elbow, grabbed two forks and tip-toed back to the bedroom. I found Axel awake, slipping into a pair of fresh jeans.

He pushed his hair off his face when I entered, then walked over to - first - kiss me on the cheek, and - second - smack my ass. Then, as if realising I had a large bowl of food in my hands, he swiped it out of my grasp.

"Mean."

"Sit," he said, adjusting the sheets so I had space to do just that. Then, he handed me the bowl and sat down in front of me. We ate silently, because Axel wasn't very chatty during meal times. Curious as shit at this point, I broke the silence when I asked, "So, what exactly is it that you do?"

He met my gaze through the fan of his long lashes, his eyes sparking with amusement. "Have you been holding that one in so you don't sound like a golddigger?"

My jaw dropped, my brows knitting together with complete indignation. "I was... I would never go after a guy because he had money! What do you take me for?"

He arched an inquisitive brow. "So you don't want a man with money?"

I mean... "I'm not so shallow that I would base an entire relationship on money, Axel. Which isn't to say that I wouldn't appreciate a man who-"

I rolled my eyes when that grin of his made an appearance, folding my arms over my chest. He poked me with one of his fingers in the tit, silently trying to get my attention. "You're so fucking cute when you get flustered like this, you know. And I'm teasing. Obviously."

He returned his attention to the meal, leaving me with more questions than before. Determined to learn something about him, I repeated, "So what do you do?"

"Cars," he replied nonchalantly.

"What... What kind? Racing? Or do you like, sell them or-"

"Procurement, remodelling and then reselling them. Mostly the classics. But I have dealerships that buy and sell the newer shit too. Repair garages, body workshops, and all that other shit."

He kept eating, even while I stared at him in disbelief. "And that pays you enough to have several garages, a bunch of accommodations and multiple cars?"

He grinned, speared a bit of pasta and meat on his fork before feeding it to me. "You'd be surprised."

I chewed slowly, my brain working a million miles an hour while I processed all that information.

"So you can fix anything?"

"Pretty much."

"That can't really be true. What if-"

"Your car, for instance. Two of your wheels need pumping, and your pressure plate is two seconds away from failing you. Also, you don't change your oil as often as you should. Your gear teeth are wearing out faster, which is what's causing that whining sound. I'm happy to poke around once we get back, maybe have you bring it in so I can fix it before you end up in a ditch somewhere."

He fed me more food and I was happy to chew on that and everything else he'd just told me. Evolution might have changed a lot over the last thousand years, but there was much we still shared with our less-developed ancestors. There would always be a part of us that would be attracted to the more powerful men - the criteria had changed over the years, admittedly - but the effect was still the same.

"Does the fact that I know how to fix cars turn you on?"

Very much. "No."

A smirk. "The idea of my sweaty body bent over the hood of your car, hands dirty with grease and oil while I tinker around in your engine doesn't get you wet?"

My toes curled.

"Nor does the thought of my greasy hands running up and down your milky thighs? My fingers digging into your tits while I ravage your wet little pussy?"

I pressed my thighs together, my breath catching in my throat. He fed me more food, and watched my mouth while I chewed.

He leaned over, his thumb wiping the sauce off the corner of my mouth. My heart fluttered and my walls clenched when he put his finger in his mouth and sucked the sauce off his finger.

"Maybe just a little bit."

He grinned.

For the shortest fraction of a second, his gaze flicked over my shoulder before returning to my face. And then, just as quickly, darted back to the window. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get a word out-

"GET DOWN!"

This extremely inadequate warning is followed by Axel's hands closing around my shoulders and yanking me unceremoniously towards him. I managed a startled scream, arms flailing as he tossed me off the bed. Flashlights probed through the curtains right after Axel fell on top of me.

Okay, not really.

He managed to at least land on his elbows, his hairy, gigantic ass legs trapping me to the floor. I opened my mouth to scream, but Axel covered half my face with his large hand, staring down at me with narrowed eyes.

"I need you to get your bag and the keys to my car. Stay low and do not let them see you."

WHAT?!?

He let up, removing his hand from my mouth. My eyes wide with fear, I shook my head and yelled, "Axel, what the fuck-"

Footsteps outside the windows, the unquestionable sound of a gun being cocked and the safety being turned off. But it's the oh-shit-we're-going-to-die look on his face that made me think that we might be in serious danger. Axel cursed, the set line of his mouth confirming my deepest fears.

"Do as I say, Sienna. Now."

"What? Fuck no! Do you know these people?" I snapped, my whisper containing every bit of the fear and confusion and anger I felt. He eased off me as the footsteps seemingly increased in numbers, grabbing the car keys and handing them to me. He got my purse off the floor with the other hand, and risked lifting his head to check what was going on.

I screamed both of my lungs out when a gun went off, peppering the room with bullets. I covered my head with both hands and curled into a little ball against the bed's large base, doing my best to shrink into the safety of the earth.

Oh, God... Is this how I die? At the hands of mystery men in the early hours of the morning?

"Sienna! I need you to move."

No. Hell no. I think the fuck not!

Axel's arm wrapped around my waist, so he held me flush against his bare chest, then settled me and the purse and key behind the bedside cabinet. Fear lurched when he let go, and I almost braved the bullets to reach for him.

The shooting stopped long enough for me to peer around the bedroom for Axel, which looked every bit as bad as a room that's been shot up would. My eyes widened when I saw him prop the bed on its side, using it to shield him while he searched the wooden floor blindly for-

He lifted what looked like a hatch, and held his hand out for me to take. Without a moment's hesitation, I took the purse and keys in one hand, and crawled to him on my knees, closing my palm over three of his fingers.

"You go first. You'll have to crawl ahead for a bit before you reach the other door. Do not open it until I tell you to. Do you hear me?"

I shook my head. "No. No no no. What? Axel, please. Don't leave me."

A fresh volley of bullets assaulted the room. Axel wrapped both arms around me and flattened me to the ground, shielding me from the bullets. I hooked my legs around his waist, wrapped my arm around his neck as tightly as I could to keep him from getting shot in the head. My bag was clutched in my grasp, his keys digging painfully into my palm, my limbs bare to the dangers of shrapnel.

"What the fuck is going on?" I yelled, my face inches from his. He buried my face in his neck when the shooting got worse, and growled, "We don't have time for your hysterics. They're going to burst through the fucking door any second now, and I can't defend myself if I have to worry about your ass as well. Crawl to the end. Wait for my signal. Three shots. Then you get in the car and fucking wait for me."

I flinched at his sharp tone, the impatience in his voice. I unhooked both legs from around his waist when the firing paused again, and he lifted up just enough to place me inside the hole in the floor.

"You have the keys?" he growled, glancing nervously at the bedroom door. We could both hear the shattering of a window somewhere in the house, and I knew we were out of time. I took a deep breath, hoping it would calm my racing heartbeat and stop my hands from shaking.

"Yeah, and the purse."

He nodded, then leaned close to kiss my forehead. I didn't have a chance to return the gesture, because a second later he pulled back and closed the hatch, locking it. The bed fell back onto the floor, and I could hear the pounding of his feet as he hurried around the room.

"Go now."

Please don't die, bear.

I crawled as quickly as I could in the small, dirty space. I had my eyes shut to keep the dust from blinding me, which slowed my progress some. Once or twice, I lost my balance and fell flat on my face, but I got back up and continued. I noticed that the further I went, the colder the narrow space became. Maybe the path led outside, but I couldn't see or hear anything as I crept onwards.

I dropped to the floor when I heard distant voices a few minutes later, and cautiously opened my eyes to look around. A bit of light seeped in from above, fluorescent and bright.

"...can't get out this way? "

"The others are in the house now. It won't be long before they have them."

What in the actual fuck was going on?

A loud bang from the house had me flat on the cold ground, hands covering my head. The men in the garage above me hurried towards it, abandoning their post. I wriggled low to get to the end of the crawlspace, and then the door Axel had mentioned.

He had told me to wait. That he would tell me when to get out. I got to my knees, tucked the purse under my right arm and held the key in my hand. With the left, I felt around above me for a handle like the one I'd seen in the bedroom. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found it unlocked, but I didn't dare lift the wooden door just yet.

Come on, Axel. Please please please...

Then it came. Three, consecutive, loud-as-hell bangs from a shotgun. And close too. I pushed the latch open and peeked around the garage, finding it empty. I pushed out of the hole from the back of the space, and quietly dropped the door.

The garage doors were behind the car, the side door on the right, a few feet from the front of the Corvette. I didn't see anyone in the doorway, and hoping the noise from the shotgun had drawn them away, I hurried to the driver's side.

I could've cried when I managed to slide the key into the lock, and quickly turned it with a trembling hand. It took only a few seconds to sneak inside the car and get myself situated in the seat, but it felt like an eternity at the time. I reached for the door and slammed it shut.

The sound was so goddamn loud it echoed in the garage, and alerted the one guard that was still outside the building. He walked in slowly, lifting his rifle and pointing it directly at me. I swallowed in terror, my heart pounding in my chest. The tall blonde closed in on the car, so he had a better shot at me. I lifted both hands when he commanded it, and he smirked, clearly enjoying the trepidation on my face.

"Get out of the car and give me the keys."

I didn't want to. But the alternative was getting shot in the head. Fuck, if I'd known I'd be running for my life this early in the morning, I would have worn a bra.

"Do it. Or you die."

I opened my mouth, ready to mutter sweet nothings in order to extend my life just a bit longer. But before I could, the guy's head snapped violently to the side, and the unmistakable sound of bone breaking echoed in the silence. Next thing I know, he's being flung backwards and tossed on the ground.

I covered my mouth with both hands to quiet the scream, my eyes wide with horror as I watched him approach. He opened the door, held out the shotgun for me to take, and I peeled one hand off my face to accept it. It was fucking heavy, and I had to carry it with me to the passenger side while Axel reclaimed his seat. He cast a look in my direction, assessing me quietly. Then he held out his hand and growled, "Give me the keys."

Okay... I am... torn.

There were pros and cons to consider in this situation.

On one hand, I was pretty sure we'd both get killed if we stayed here. Me and this man, who had just saved my life. This phenomenal beast of a person who had given me the best sex of my life and made me feel safe in a world full of bad people...

This stranger, who had effortlessly snapped a man's neck in front of me. Who was clearly the reason I was getting shot at, and was keeping a shit load of secrets that could actually get me killed.

Quietly, I dropped my hand from my mouth and handed him the keys. My hand still shook when he took the bunch from me, and he pushed the key into the ignition and fired up the car.

"Stay down. Don't try to shoot anyone. I don't want you dislocating your shoulder."

With that, he pressed down on the gas and reversed out of the garage like the hounds of hell were chasing us, taking the thin wooden doors off their hinges. I was thrown about in the car a bunch, then scrunched down as I'd been told, keeping the muzzle pointed out my window so I wouldn't accidentally shoot Axel. The tires revved, burning hot and acrid on the dirt before the car jerked and slid haphazardly about.

Axel turned the wheel and his foot slammed on the clutch, hand working the gear into first. He punched the gas again and we narrowly avoided hitting one of the trees in the driveway. Hands on the wheel, he swerved the Corvette and drove off in a cloud of dust.

Another shot rang out, the bullet breaking the back window in a waterfall of glass, the shards sprinkled over the back seat. I screamed, but I stayed low and kept my head down. Sitting up would be the difference between life and death, and no way I would die like this.

Axel led us away from the house, taking a road nobody could have followed if they didn't know it was there. I was expecting them to follow, so I stayed folded in the seat until he whispered, "Sit up. We're safe now."

I sat up, my breathing heavy and unsteady. My grasp tightened around the gun, my nails digging painfully into the metal. I blinked a few times, then glanced over at the man in my front seat.

"I'm only going to ask you this once," I said, aiming the shotgun at him, my hand closing around the stock familiarly. "And if you lie to me, I swear I'll blow your fucking brains out."

I couldn't get the shouldering right in such an enclosed space, but I made sure the flat backend was tucked securely in the pocket of my shoulder. Lifted my arms. Pumped the slide backwards. Then forwards. Pushed the muzzle into his temple.

My voice shaking with barely suppressed rage, I asked, "Who the fuck are you?"