Rose Bk. 02 (The Novel)

"Is this?"

Lori nodded, "I brought it over seeing how close it was."

I sighed and glanced around at the ladies. Rose and the others were smiling, while Claire looked concerned.

"I... Think this should be taken care of sooner, rather than later." For a moment, I thought about it. "I'm going to walk. Take my ghillie suit and cut through the fields. Especially being so close, it'll be hard to get a vehicle in or out without being recognised."

"That's a fair idea," Jones nodded. "You'll be able to recon and the cops aren't likely to be called for you either."

I agreed and looked at Lori. She nodded, "I'll stay here. But I think Jones should go with you."

I met his eyes and saw the nod of his head. "Have-"

"I made him bring his stuff, it's in the car," Lori smirked.

"It'll take us about an hour to walk over if we're quick," I murmured.

"Longer if we do it properly," Jones nodded.

I agreed, and I turned to Claire, Rose and the others. "We're going to head off now. I should be back before morning."

"Be safe," Claire smiled softly.

I kissed her, then Rose, Tina, Joan and Heidi, before they all bunched together, earning an odd smile from Lori.

"Do me a favour and keep an eye on my future wife," I smiled. "She acts tough, but I think she's a bit of a softy inside."

"Future wife?" Lori asked, smiling. "I think we're in for another girls' night."

"Yay!" Rose and the others cheered. Claire just looked nervous.

I gathered up the things I would need. My ghillie suit went on with my HK strapped to my hip. My M4 went over my shoulder, but I made sure I hid it from casual observation. If we were spotted, it was a lot less likely for a swat team to show up if they didn't think we were armed. Fortunately, as Jones came in with his own ghillie suit, it was set up the same as mine and he wrapped his M4 up in camouflage.

"Here," Claire said, pressing a small pack into my arms. I glanced down and pondered. "It's a first aid kit. I won't be coming with you, but if the worst should happen."

I kissed her. She kissed back, and when I broke, I did the same to all the cows again. After waiting a few moments for Lori to stop kissing Jones, who looked equally shocked at her outburst, we were out the front door.

"Like old times," he mumbled as he passed through the first gate.

I shrugged, "Maybe. Who's in charge?"

Jones snorted and shook his head, "You. I've been retired too long."

I grinned and accepted my old CO's advice.

I had a fair idea of the landscape from the flyover. I knew there was a gulley that would take us part way over but it also took us a little out of the way. That was both good AND bad as it meant longer travel. But it meant we would come from a different approach. And that would make us harder to track back home. The trip out was rather dull though. Jones and I knew this wasn't the middle east, but we were used to travelling quietly on missions. The hills had eyes and ears if you weren't careful and loud voices were a dead giveaway when everything around you was stone and echoed.

When we emerged from the gully, we turned in the direction of the farm in question. It still took us another forty minutes to arrive at the property, and it pleasantly surprised me to see it was similar in makeup to our own. A fenced property littered with trees and roaming cattle. I looked over at Jones who nodded slowly. No matter who was in charge, it would have been me leading here. I usually took point and had a knack for this kind of thing. I bent down and found the pins that held up the wire for the fence. Using the butt of the rifle I knocked the wire, forcing the pin out. The wire was still tight, so it didn't move, but I could stretch it up and out of the way. Jones slipped onto his belly and crawled under, before he took the wire and I crawled under.

"Just like old times," he whispered.

I grinned and nodded in agreement. Now we were on the property, we started moving. We stayed low and crawled, making our way to the house as the afternoon sun got lower in the sky. The cattle moved around this side of the property as we reached the trees. The large animals paid us no mind as we got out of their way. We could see the house from this distance and Jones tapped my leg. Pausing, I glanced back and smiled as he took out a pair of binoculars. Slipping back to join him, Jones scanned the building ahead.

"Found her," he whispered. "She's doing housework."

"You sure it's a cow? I don't know if this guy is married."

"That or she's wearing heels," Jones shrugged softly. "The cows have a particular gait as they walk."

I nodded, thinking for a moment. And he was right. It wasn't quite natural, like they wore heels. "Let me check."

Jones put the binoculars in my hand, and I looked up towards the house. The woman I could see was young and looked rather nervous. She indeed seemed to have that familiar step to her as she moved around with what I could assume was a vacuum. I frowned as she flinched and a moment later the front door burst open as an older man stormed out.

"Fucking do it myself!" He shouted.

I handed the binoculars back to Jones and gestured for him to follow. The man headed over to their milking shed. It was larger than the one we had and that meant he probably had more cattle here. Not that it mattered. I pulled my face covering down, and we moved towards the shed. He came out after a while making noise with a bell and the cattle started heading in his direction. I put the idea aside for later. I wasn't a fan of the man already, but if the cattle could be trained to come for milking at the sound of a bell, that was to my benefit.

Jones and I had a slight moment of worry, when a group of cattle walked over us. I came close to being trodden on, but Jones made a noise. When I looked back, he was sucking the end of his pinkie finger with a grimace. He rolled his eyes at me and waved for me to continue onward. We were at the treeline when the front door opened. A younger man stepped out, and he went into the milking shed. There was some shouting before the young man came back out, shaking his head and clearly displeased about what was going on.

"You watch for the kid, I'll take the old man," I whispered.

"Got it."

As the door opened, we glimpsed the nervous cow in the doorway as the young man stepped inside. I hoped that the cow had a friend at least. If they both had issues with the old man, there might be an enemy of my enemy vibe. I gestured for Jones and we got to our feet. With the young man inside, Jones and I darted to the shed. I peeked inside and Jones followed me in. He took a position by the door as I approached where the older man was swearing as a cow kicked at him while he tried to get the machine into place.

"Fucking thing, hold still!" He snapped.

I quietly closed in as the old man got the uncooperative cow into position. And when he stood, it was to the sight of my M4 between his eyes.

"Oh shit," he held up his hands.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't shoot you," I said just loud enough to be heard over the cattle and the machinery.

The man frowned, "Kye?" I nodded, and he grimaced and shook his head. "Not my cow, shoot that worthless, thieving son of mine. Only reason I'm out here is I promised his mother to keep him safe. That bitch is probably cleaning out my bank accounts as we speak."

I nodded and stepped to the side, before gesturing for him to start moving. The man sighed and shook his head but started walking with his hands up. I patted his pockets as he walked past and other than a phone, which I confiscated, he was unarmed. Not even a set of keys. Moving him along, he froze as he spotted Jones.

"Look, you're not going to-OUCH!"

I knocked him to the ground. Jones and I pounced on him. He struggled for a moment, before Jones bound his hands with cable ties. I was glad to know he still carried them on missions. Doing the same to the man's ankles, we stuffed some rags that didn't smell great into his mouth and dumped him in the corner of the barn where a cow wouldn't tread on him. Now it was onto the house. We moved around to the front door, thinking it was the most obvious point of entry. His father used it, so us using it wouldn't be unexpected. We slipped into the house. I walked normally, while Jones did his best to remain silent. They set the house up as an actual house with the dining room and living room combo. It actually reminded me of the house where I rescued Claire, Heidi and Tina, it just lacked the internal garage and the sterile conditions. Shaking my head to clear the thoughts of that horrible place, I slipped into the hallway.

"Please!" A feminine voice cried, right before a sharp slap.

I growled and approached the door at the end. With a pat on my shoulder from Jones to tell me he was ready, I heaved up and kicked the handle. The door burst open with a splinter of wood and the two of us stormed in as the young man and...

"NO! MASTER!" The cow, a pretty, tanned skin brunette, shoved him to one side.

I watched as the pails of milk went everywhere as they scrambled to face us.

"GO AWAY!" The cow roared, climbing to her hooves, completely in the buff. The young man was trying desperately to grab her, but she was mad and I knew just how strong they were.

"Suzie, stop!" The man cried. "Please, they have guns, they'll hurt you!"

"I'LL! I'LL! NO!" The cow stepped forward as her chest heaved.

I knew we were moments from being attacked, and it would break my heart having to shoot her. This situation wasn't what I was expecting at all. Reaching out, I grabbed Jones's rifle and pointed it at the floor. He took the hint and stepped back out of the room as I lowered my gun. The young man was still hauling on the cow's arm and she was glaring death at me. That familiar heaving of her chest that told me she was about to charge. I raised my hand and uncovered my face.

"Alright, this isn't what I was expecting."

Chapter Four

This... Was unexpected. We sat around the small table, a cup of coffee for each of us. Dwayne glared at me from beside his son Matthew. All their hands were on the table, including Suzie's. Suzie was still glaring at me with open hostility, despite Matthew trying to calm her down.

"So, you bought her, and your son opened the crate. One thing led to another, she bonded and you're out here hiding from the authorities because your wife will leave you if he gets caught?"

"She's already left me," Dwayne shook his head. "Left me as soon as she found out about the cow. But she has enough financial interests in my other holdings that she could cripple me if I don't play nice. She said keep Matthew safe, that's what I'm doing."

"So this isn't altruism," I shook my head.

"You're not taking me from Master!" Suzie huffed.

I held up my hand, the other was resting on the stock of my still holstered HK. "I will not separate either of you. What I haven't decided yet, is if you're both staying here, or both coming with me."

"What about me?" Dwayne asked.

I shot him a glare, "You bought a slave. Despite how things turn out, you're the guilty party here and I've still half a mind to shoot you."

"Kye?" Matthew mumbled. "He's... He's an asshole, but he's still my dad."

I nodded in agreement. Despite the fact, he managed to raise a decent enough son that ended up with the best of intentions for his cow. "If I get up, turn around and leave, what happens next?"

"What, you'll just let us go?" Dwayne asked.

I shrugged, "I might come back. Maybe I'll just take a look, make sure things are going smoothly. Maybe I'll kick in the front door and finish what I was going to start today."

"So what's stopping us from leaving?"

I looked at Matthew and saw the nervousness in his features. "It would be in Matthew's best interests to remain where I can find him. Having to search for him might make it look like he's abusing-"

"HE DOESN'T!" Suzie jumped to her hooves.

"Suzie!" Matthew grabbed her arm.

"No!" She shook her head. "He's saying you do mean things to me! You don't. I even LIKE the spankings!"

"Suze!" Matthew whined, dragging the cow back into his lap. "He's not going to take you from me, right Kye?"

"Right," I agreed. "And Suzie, I don't think he's abusing you. But if he runs away and takes you with him, I'll need to find him again. Right now, I'm thinking I want to be friends. I have some cows you might want to meet."

Suzie blinked, then frowned, "You're tricking me."

"No," I smiled. "Really, I have four cows you can meet any time you want. We don't live far from here so you can visit, or they can come here."

I saw her twisted expression for a moment. These cows were tough, but part of me knew they were herd animals. She'd be fine with her master, but being around other cows would be an element to her life that would be beneficial.

"Suzie, would you like to meet other cows?" Matthew asked.

"No," she shook her head like a petulant child. "No, I want to stay here with you."

"What about, if I came with you? We could BOTH meet the cows?"

Suzie's lip trembled, and she turned in his lap to hug him. He held her close and the last few doubts about how he treated her vanished. She didn't hesitate in the slightest about giving or demanding affection from him. And she was hardly the only cow I knew that enjoyed a good spanking.

"So, you need my boy to stay here," Dwayne nodded. "What about me?"

I thought for a moment and wondered about future rescues. I'd have to be more careful now. Cows with good masters would be in for a horrible fate if I got trigger-happy. Cows with bad masters needed re-homing. Taking any more for myself wouldn't be in my best interests. Rose, Tina, Joan and now Heidi. Even with Claire's help, it would soon be a full-time job keeping them fucked and milked. Lori and Jones were talking about taking one one or two, but with Jones's business that would probably be their limit. I do not know how many more cows there are out there. Some for sure are getting picked up by the government. Hopefully, they can work out how to care for them. But I wasn't the government. I would go where they wouldn't, fight who they wouldn't and do what they can't. Consequences be damned.

"Matthew, do you know how to look after the cattle here?"

"Uhh, yeah?"

"I've been teaching him," Dwayne nodded.

Suzie blushed, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. But that wasn't my business so long as she was being looked after. "Alright," I nodded. "Dwayne, you teach your son to run this place. You set this place up for your son to stay long term, then I don't give a shit what you do as long as you keep your mouth shut."

"So I can leave?"

"You can leave as long as you make it so your son can stay. And know that anyone who comes for me and mine will be interrogated and if your name comes up..."

"Got it," Dwayne nodded. Then he turned to Matthew, "So-"

"Yes," Matthew nodded. "Yes, that's probably for the best and I'll keep mom off your back."

Dwayne nodded, "Agreed."

It was interesting seeing their interaction. Dwayne obviously had a chip on his shoulder about his son taking the cow. But he was still at least a somewhat competent parental figure.

"Alright," I nodded. "Well, before we go. Dwayne, I need a list of all your contacts including whoever gave you the information needed to buy Suzie."

Dwayne nervously smiled and nodded his head, "One second."

He got up from the table and made his way into one of the rooms we hadn't checked. But... If he was about to destroy evidence. Quickly standing, I marched over to the door and pulled it open to the sight of Dwayne clutching a black book to his chest. His eyes were wide, and it was clear that he was coming right back.

"Sorry," I stepped away. "I figured that this was your last chance to hide something."

"You'd have shot me if I did," Dwayne grumbled, offering me the book.

I took it gently and opened it. There were only a few dozen pages with information. But it included names, numbers and in some places brief descriptions of who and what they were. A few of the names were familiar, but others weren't. Lori would probably be best to take a look and I closed the book.

"Thank you."

Dwayne sighed and nodded, "Thanks for not shooting me."

"Day's not over yet," I smirked.

"So ummm, if that's all," Matthew murmured.

"It is," I agreed.

"Do you... I dunno, need a lift?"

I smirked and shook my head, "Thanks for the offer. I'm going to come back in a few days, if you're playing nice, I might bring my cows."

"Right," Matthew nodded.

"I think we're good here," I nodded at Jones.

He got up, and I made a last check of the house, before we both stepped outside. Heading in a different direction than the one we approached, we stayed silent until we were sure we were out of earshot.

"Think he'll keep his word?" Jones asked, opening his mouth for the first time since we'd met. With his face covered, he'd done the right thing and remained quiet. The fewer people knew about Jones, the better.

"I think it'll be fine when I visit next. But it'll be fifty-fifty the one after. I'll let him know what day I'll bring the cows over to meet Suzie. If he's got friends who want me, that'll be the day they'll show up."

"Sounds dangerous," Jones nodded.

I couldn't help but agree.

***

"So, how'd it go?" Lori asked as she opened the front door.

"Fine dear," Jones smiled, stepping ahead as he removed his face covering before pecking her lips.

"I don't see a cow?"

"We hit a snag," I smirked. "Turns out the asshole that bought her, had her delivered in a crate. His adult son opened her crate, and she imprinted on him instead."

"And the son's okay?"

"Suzie, his cow, was about one twitch of my finger away from fighting me herself."

Lori nodded and gestured for us to come in. "S'pose that's a good sign then."

"My thoughts exactly," I agreed.

Stepping inside, I smiled at the smells that filled the small house. Pasta, with a tomato-based sauce. Most likely spaghetti bolognaise, or at least what we Aussie's eat. Claire was stirring a large pot over the stove, while Rose was delicately cutting a blob of rather soft cheese. She glanced up at me and I could see the conflict in her eyes. I quickly made my way over and he smile widened. So it was obvious enough.

"Priorities, keep me fed, or greet me at the door, right?"

Rose moo'd softly as I stepped around the bench and kissed her. Her beaming smile was my answer before Claire cleared her throat.

"Oh, and where would I be without my wonderful bride?" I asked.

Claire accepted a kiss of her own.

"Heidi and Joan are milking the cows, but Tina is waiting in the shower."

I frowned, "Has she been in there this whole time?"

"No," Claire smirked. "She saw you through the window and ripped her own clothes off as she ran."

"Ah," I nodded. "Right."

"You've got twenty minutes," Lori snapped.

Nodding, I darted into the bathroom where Tina was indeed waiting. I barely took my shirt off before she yanked my pants down. As the small powerhouse dragged me under the shower, I laughed. I'd have yelped from the sudden burst of cold water that hit me, but I had a small cow climbing my torso. Instead, I turned and pushed her into the wall where she moo'd softly.

"Bad cow," I grumbled.

She nodded, "Uh, huh. I'm so horny master. I can't help it."

I smirked before seeing literal anguish on her face. She was as desperate for this as she was apologetic for being like this.

"Oh Tina," I crooned. "Don't worry your pretty little self."

Taking my cock, I lifted it to her entrance. Her legs being wrapped around my waist left nothing to prevent me spearing my cock into her. She gasped and clung to me with a twisted expression of satisfaction and guilt.