Underground Secrets (The Underground #1) (34 page)

I put on the last of my makeup and go in search of Gemma. Wes has been in his office all morning working. He was up before me and was as happy as can be. Wide awake and alert.

Lucky bastard.

If only I could have some of his morning pep, I wouldn’t have to keep love-tapping my face every five minutes to keep my eyes from drooping shut. Its days like today that I wish I liked coffee.

I walk into the room Gemma has been occupying for the weekend and see her sitting on her bed, bent over, and slipping her feet into a pair of red pumps.

“Hey, you about ready?”

She stands up and turns towards me, smoothing down her beige pencil skirt. “Yep, I believe so.”

The Gemma standing in front of me is a confident one. Unlike the one she used to be when we were younger. She used to be so worried about getting caught or getting in trouble. She would beg me not to do the things I was doing and for the most part, she only cared about academics. It’s almost like we have switched rolls. After college, she loosened up not only a little, but a lot. Some days I don’t even recognize the Gemma in front of me. She loves men and loves to party, but at the same time, she is still the same girl I first met on the bicycle.

I envy her.

I walk towards the window and look at the beautiful escape that is before me. I’m having trouble leaving the safety of Wes’ home, but I am not a quitter. I will not cower down spending my last days hiding. Though, I fear my end is nearing, I can’t let it consume me. Even if Wes tells me there are other ways and we’ll figure it out.

Hope. That’s what I need, but I can’t seem to find it.

“You okay, chick?”

I sigh and rest my head against the window. “Not really.” If there is anyone I can be honest with, it’s Gemma. She knows everything after all, and even though she seems to be their target as of right now, she has to know that the only end to this is me.

She places a hand on my shoulder, “Things will work out. You have to believe that.”

Hope.

There’s that idea again. Everyone seems to have it, but me.

I turn around and hug her. I hug her tight, while silently wishing for some of that hope to rub off on me. “How can you be so confident that it will all work out?”

“I’m not, but I have to think positive and so do you.” She sighs and pulls away from our embrace, “I know the situation isn’t ideal.” Ha! Ideal is not the word I would use to describe the situation. “But you have to think of the good things that are going on right now.”

“Like what Gemma? There is nothing I see being good lately. Nothing.”

She shakes her head at me, “Of course there is. How about Wes? I don’t know about you, but seeing you with him, I can tell you are happy. You have spent two years avoiding men completely. You had closed off your heart and now… well, now you’ve opened it up and you can’t even think about him without smiling.”

She’s right, but that seems to be the only thing. My dad is dead and I believe in everything in me, that it wasn’t just a heart attack. Gemma is a hit and now we can’t even go home to sleep because it isn’t safe. So yeah, Wes may be something good that has happened, but he is the only good that has happened.

“The timing sucks, though.”

“Does it? I mean, he seemed to have showed up at the right time in your life in my opinion.”

“How so?”

“Because, what if you wouldn’t have met Wes? Carter still would have gotten out early. I still would be a hit, but Wes wouldn’t be around to help. I’d say he’s your knight in shining armor if you ask me. Because we wouldn’t have somewhere to stay and we sure as hell wouldn’t have two assassins around to protect us.”

She’s right, if Wes and Jesse weren’t around, there wouldn’t even be a chance for her and I. Wes can protect us, he has the skills do so and I believe him when he says we’ll find a way out of it.

Hope.

I love how Gemma can put things into a better perspective, because in this crazy world that we’re living in and the situation, I have now found some hope.

We make our way down the stairs and run into Jenner. “Good morning, Jenner.”

“Good morning Marlie, Gemma. I have your truck pulled up to the front for when you two are ready to leave.”

“Thanks,” we say in unison.

The other night, Wes told me all about Jenner. I was curious and had asked him more about his role in his life. He had told me that Jenner, though not a killer, is more than capable to protect us as well. If anyone were to come to Wes’ house uninvited while Wes was gone, then Jenner could handle it. He also told me Jenner has been with Wes for a long time and knows everything. Well, not everything. He knows about his dad and what he has done, but doesn’t know the details. For some reason, finding this out about Jenner, made me like him even more. The way he has looked after Wes shows and it makes me happy. Even if Wes doesn’t see it, I do. Jenner is like a father figure to him or at least better than his own father was. Wes’ mother is still around, but he has nothing to do with her.

“Oh and Marlie,” Jenner says as I walk towards the kitchen.

“Yes?”

“I put extra protection in your glove box.” He gives me a warm smile and nods towards my purse that I am holding tight. The gun Wes gave me is in my purse.

I return his smile, “I appreciate it.”

It’s nice knowing I have people all around looking out for me. It makes this day that I am dreading a little less nerve wracking now.

In the kitchen, I am placing my empty mug into the sink when Wes and Jesse walk in. They have been in his office all morning preparing for a board meeting they have later on. Jesse walks right up to Gemma, grabs her hand and pulls her out of the kitchen. I catch a glimpse of her facial expression on their way out. She’s got an evil look on her face and I can only imagine what they are getting ready to do.

I have never seen her so… happy with a man. She is definitely hard to please and gets bored easily with men. She always finds something wrong with the man she’s dating and ends it almost as quickly as it began. So to see her like this makes me think that maybe she might have found someone that can keep up with her demands and will stick around for a while.

I like Jesse. Though, he comes off as cocky and a smartass, he has a good heart and seems to care for Gemma. I haven’t had much of a chance to really talk to him, but I can tell he’s a good guy. Aside from what he does in his spare time with Wes of course.

“Morning beautiful.”

I smile up at him and I can feel my uneasiness slip away momentarily, “Back at ya.”

Wes smiles so big, it reaches his eye. “Awe, you think I’m beautiful?” he asks, making his eyelashes flutter a mile a minute.

“No, you are damn fine and godly looking, but I don’t need to tell you that. You already know you’re hot as hell.”

He comes up to me and lifts me onto the counter. He runs his hands slowly from my knees to my thighs, stopping just before my hips with a squeeze and then parts my legs so he can stand between them. I start to trail my fingers from his nape down to his belt, when I see movement from the corner of my eye.

Jenner.

I really like the guy, but he just walked in at the wrong time. I pull back and smile at Jenner. Wes turns around and gives him a hard look. Jenner shakes his head at him I see look on his face that says something is up and he needs Wes. I don’t like that look at all. Not one bit.

Welcome uneasiness, oh how I haven’t missed you.

Wes leans in and gives me a kiss, “I’ll see you tonight.” Then he pulls away and walks out of the room.

I sigh, jumping off the counter and check my phone. It’s about time to leave. I grab my purse and walk towards the entry way. I text Gemma real quick not wanting to go and find her. The last thing I want to do is walk in on her and Jesse screwing. Especially when I wasn’t able to even have a little fun with Wes myself this morning.

I laugh to myself thinking about how needy and sex craved I have become since Wes and I finally did the deed. It seems like it has been all we have done this past weekend. I never knew sex could be so good. I mean, my only other sexual partner was Carter and it was good with him. Really good actually. But with Wes, its mind blowing. He gives me all I need and then some. I can be demanding in the sex department and he challenges that, making me want him to do things beyond my limits.

I grab at my throat and think about last night with a smile and yearning and how I had asked him to choke me. I’m not into being tortured, I just like the feel of the pressure you get from it and the roughness I get from being pushed passed my limits. Wes hesitated when I had asked. Not because he didn’t want to, believe me, he likes that sort of shit just as much as I do, but because of Carter and how the last time I was choked, wasn’t because of some kinky fuckery. It almost pissed me off. Will Wes always hesitate with stuff like that with me? I sure as hell hope not. I want him to make me forget, not remind me of it.

I hop into the truck and wait for Gemma. I sit patiently I might add, because it’s been five minutes and she still hasn’t walked out the front door.

During that time, I have had time to do a little thinking. I have agreed to stay with Wes while we come up with a plan to rid Carter and Olin from my life completely. Murder is definitely out. I don’t care how good Wes is at it or how evil Carter and Olin are, I can’t have Wes going on a killing spree. Even if he could get away with it.

I might have enjoyed being a bad bitch when I was younger, but I am not that person any longer. Though, some of the dark thoughts and feelings still linger every now and then, they don’t consume me like they used to. It disgusts me when I think about how watching people get hurt used to excite me. I would justify my happiness for as they deserved it, because they were bad people, but so was I. So, we have to think of something and think of it quickly, because I promised Wes I wouldn’t go to the race. I want to live more than ever now and if I don’t go, they will come after us. All of us. I feel so helpless. But I have now have hope and I believe we can figure something out.

The sad thing is, I am kind of relieved that Olin left Carter to deal with me. Even though Carter is a monster and from seeing him the other day, I know that hasn’t changed. If anything, he appears to be worse than ever, but I hope that the old him might still linger somewhere inside his evil, vindictive mind, and would at least go easy on me, but I have very little faith in that. Either way, dealing with Carter and his revenge on me is one-hundred percent better than dealing with his uncle.

I swear Olin is the Devil himself. I don’t think that man was born with even a sliver of humanity in him. I shudder just thinking about him and the things he has done. He had me beat to within an inch of my life by his men last summer and the only reason he didn’t let his men finish me off is because he said Carter gets the pleasure of that.

I shake the thoughts from my head when I hear the front door shut and see Gemma wearing her famous Gemma-watt smile, while practically skipping down the steps. Yep, she got laid alright.

Probably twice.

Lucky bitch.

She gets in the truck still wearing that smile and I arch a brow at her.

“What?”

“Have a good time did ya?”

She giggles while flipping the visor down to look into the mirror to touch up her makeup, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t and by the way, you might want to consider wearing a scarf to work today.”

She flips the visor back up and looks at me confused, “Why?”

“Because Jesse clearly gave you a hickey.”

“That Asshole!” she squeals, while pulling the visor back down again to look. “I told him to stay away from my neck!” She’s practically having a panic attack.

I reach over and flip the visor back up and start to laugh my ass off.

“You’re messing with me aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I sure am. That’s what happens when I have to wait twenty plus minutes for you to finish screwing.” I am laughing so hard my eyes start to water.

“Well, you kind of owe me, you bitch. I remember when I got a certain text asking for me to not come home, because someone was getting it in!”

“You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t resist.”

She smiles even bigger now and we drive the rest of the way to work talking about what we want to get done today and completely avoiding the subject of Carter and the dangers we are now both avoiding. We are both in a really good mood and it’s like we silently agree to not discuss the things that would ruin it.

We pull into a spot across from the shop and our home and it’s then I remember what Jenner had told us this morning. “Hey, open up the glove box.” I tell Gemma. She pulls it open and moves some things around. Sure enough, there’s another gun. Just like the one I have in my purse. I nod at her and she closes it back up.

“Did Jesse give you one to have on you?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t want it. I know nothing about guns. I wouldn’t even know what to do with it.”

“But you accepted it didn’t you?”

“Yeah, only after he showed me at least where the safety was.” she says sounding defeated. Gemma hates violence and hates guns too. Which, is kind of why I am surprised she as in to Jesse as she is.

“That’s good, but you should probably have him give you a lesson or two.”

She agrees and I look around scanning for the guys Wes said would be around to ensure our safety. He had them do a sweep of the store and our apartment sometime late last night to make sure no one was lurking in the shadows waiting for us. I notice two cars and one guy sitting on a bench with a book, but he’s not reading. He’s observing the crowd of people that fill the streets and sidewalks. One of the two cars is parked on the Corner and I know he must be one of the guys Wes has looking out for us, because we make eye contact and he lifts his hand to wave, giving me a knowing smile. I wave back at him and then look into the review mirror at the white Tahoe parked right behind me. I think that is the other guy. I can’t be for sure, because the windows are blacked out. Wes, said at least three men, so who knows.