"Excuse me, lady, I-"

She cuts me off. "No. You're good, but you're not that good. I was following you most of the time you were out there. I wasn't going to let them hurt you. I've been watching that farm for three days, though. I was going to get photographs of Tom Richardson meeting with that Eli and get images of their production facility. I had to drop that to keep you two from getting killed. You want to help, fine, but you're working for me, not with me. You do what I say, when I say."

Scowling, I start to protest. Alexis cuts me off.

"Fine. So what's the plan?"

"You work for him, right?" Jennifer asks, and sits on the cot again. "Work on his campaign."

"Yeah."

"You have access to his office?"

She shakes her head. "I do but only when he's in there. I can't go in there when he's not, and..."

"It's okay," Jennifer says, softly. "I have something you can use. You just need to get it into the house and get it on your wireless network-"

"We don't have Wi-Fi," I sigh. "I mean, he doesn't. He has his own Internet connection separate from the house line. It's part of his business thing."

"s.h.i.t," Jennifer barks. "Then you'd need to access his computer directly, right. d.a.m.n it. I'm not going to ask you go sneaking around when he might catch you."

"What is it you'd need me to do?"

"I'll give you a thumb drive with a little program on it. All it has to do is get on his computer and connect to ours over the internet. It would be five minutes in his office, tops."

"I can't," Alexis shudders. "As soon as I stick it in there he'll-"

"I'm not letting her do that," I say, calmly.

Jennifer gets up and paces, stopping to crouch and rub her calf.

"You okay?"

"Leg hurts, it's nothing," she sighs. "Old injury. You'd only need a couple of minutes. Is there a time you can think of when you know he'll be out of the house for a good while? Doing something important?"

"Not when I wouldn't be with him," Alexis says.

I scratch my head. "What about this rally?"

"Rally?" Jennifer looks at me, hard. "What rally?"

"He's holding a campaign event this coming weekend," Alexis says. "But we're all going to be there, even Hawk."

I nod. "n.o.body can just slip off. He'll have the house sealed up tight and have his eye on all of us."

"What if he was distracted, somehow?" Jennifer says. "What can you tell me about this thing?"

"Nothing yet," Alexis says, shrugging. "I'm going to be involved in setting it up, though. He won't do things like rent the fire hall himself. I always do that. I'll call people and setup itineraries, secretary stuff."

Jennifer nods, slowly. "Do you think you can slip off and give me some information about it while he's planning it? I don't need much, we just need to know where it is and what he has planned."

Alexis scrubs her hand through her hair, and plucks at her bandage. "I can do that. By phone?"

"In person. A couple of times a week."

Alexis nods. "Usual place?"

"Take your runs when you can. We'll be watching. You," Jennifer looks at me, "Keep an eye on her. Don't let her get into more trouble."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. Okay, time to go. You two need to get back home, and be careful."

I take Alexis' hand and we head outside. In the car, she takes a long, shaking breath, and sits back in the seat. I start it up and back around, and pull out onto the road. It's been almost three hours since we left.

"He'll be back by now," Alexis says, announcing my own thoughts. "How are we going to get back in?"

"Same way we got out. Climb up. I'll show you."

She nods, and yawns. "I feel like I've been awake for three days. All that stuff, did it happen today?"

"Yeah," I yawn, too.

Alexis curls up in the seat, turning to rest her forehead on my shoulder, and in a few minutes she's sleeping soundly, her breath tickling my arm. I shift and let her fall against me as I raise my arm and drape it over her shoulders. She murmurs something and nestles into my side as I rest my hand on her hip. I could get used to this.

When we reach Paradise Falls, Alexis sits up and yawns again, and rubs at her eyes the way she used to when she fell asleep on the bus on a field trip, smacks her lips the way she used to when she dozed off on the way to school. She could always sleep anywhere and any time, just close her eyes and pa.s.s out.

I never could, and when I was in the prime of my teenage years I'd stay awake all weekend and doze for a few hours for Monday. It never hit me until it was too late, how much I enjoy simply watching her sleep. She looks so serene and peaceful at rest, her soft lips parted as if expecting a kiss. I want to pull her to me and kiss her now, but I can see the tension quivering in her like a coiled spring, ready to pop.

"Can we make it back in?"

"Yeah. Hold on."

As I turn back on to our street, I click the lights off and slowly, very slowly, drive around behind the house and pull in to Alex's spot next to the carriage house, and step out, motioning for her to stay quiet.

Our biggest problem is that the backyard is well lit. Floodlights cast powerful beams a cross the yard. Even hiding along the fence won't matter. Alexis looks at me, and I lead her by the hand along the back of the carriage house. It means going under Lance's window, but we'll be the least exposed. I grab her hand and sprint to the porch and she follows me.

I grab her hips and boost her up as she climbs up the side of the porch, then put my hands on her backside and push her over. She turns around and kneels on the roof of the porch as I drag myself up and over, spreading out my weight by splaying out my arms and legs.

"Just like before," I whisper. "Up and over, to your window. Push it up and get inside. One at time. You first."

Alexis nods, and shimmies up the corner molding, using the rails as handholds, until she gingerly slips out onto the beam that travels the length of the house, clinging to the moldings for dear life. I hold my breath as she works her way across, inch by inch, until she reaches the window.

She slips and I freeze, watching her gingerly find her footing again as she grasps her windowsill and grunts, trying to push her window up. It doesn't budge, and I start to climb up, pulling myself past the foothold. I start to slip along the side of the house, clinging to it.

Then the light in Alexis' room flips on, the window sash flies up, and a pair of hands grab her wrists and pull her inside.

Alexis Now My foot slips and I have to stop, pushing panic back down into my guts. Every time I shift my toes, I feel like I'm going to fall and crash down on the porch roof, and break my leg or my neck. Inch by inch I make my way closer to the window, sighing when I can finally grasp the windowsill.

I lean too much and my foot goes out from under me. Panic shocks up from my knees to my throat and I bit my lip to keep from crying out as I feel for footing and get my foot back in place. Then, more slowly, I slide in front of the window, make sure my feet are planted and my grip is good, and push on the window sash.

It doesn't move.

I push again, and it won't budge. This must be why Hawk always tapped on my window. I know it's not locked, we left it open a couple of inches so we could pry it back open again. I set myself and push, and still it won't move.

Then the light flicks on, blinding in my eyes, and I feel myself start to slip. The window flies open and hands grab my wrists, and pull.

My feet slip off the molding and I kick my legs in the air, desperate for purchase, and cage a burning scream in my lungs, trying not to make a sound.

May leans over my bed, holding my wrists. As I try to get my feet back on the side of the house, she leans backwards and pulls me in, dragging me across the bed. We both end up in a heap on the floor, and I roll off of her, wincing. May sits up and stares at me.

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing?" I snap.

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing?" she hisses back.

Then, Hawk comes through the window at full clip, almost hurling himself into the room. He drags across the bed, yanking the bedclothes loose with his d.a.m.ned boots, and lands on the floor in between us, his ma.s.sively muscled chest moving with his heavy breathing. He looks over at May, then back at me, then at May again, rolls and leaps to his feet, and checks the bedroom door, finding it locked. He turns around, red-faced.

"You scared the s.h.i.t out of me," he snaps.

"Sorry," May folds her arms over her chest. "Alex was going to fall."

"Keep your voices down," I snap, rising to my feet. I do my best to straighten the bed, then flop on it and groan, covering my eyes with my hands. It's almost midnight. I don't need this.

"My head hurts," I whisper.

"What happened?" May demands. "Where did you go?"

"It's better if you don't know," I answer in a whisper. "Go back to your room."

"It's not fair."

I sit up a little and look at her. "It's not fair? Really? What are you, twelve?"

"We'll talk another time," Hawk pats her shoulder. "Thank you for getting the window open. Go back to your room."

May looks at me, then at Hawk, and smirks to herself as she cracks the door open, then slips across the hallway. I hear her door close softly, and Hawk locks my door again. I sit up, yawn, then stand and push the bed covers back into position as best I can.

Hawk's hands fall on the outsides of my thighs. I stand straight up as his hands slip up and squeeze my a.s.s. I grab his wrists and pull them away but he ignores my struggles, puts his hands on my hips, and pulls me against him. I relax as he breathes softly against my ear, then kisses my throat.

"Stop it, I'm all sweaty."

"I know. Come here."

I stifle a laugh as he turns me in his hands, and shoves my arm up, and pushes his face in my armpit and breathes in deep. It tickles, his breath on my side, even with the shirt. I have to choke down a laugh as I feebly struggle in his arms, not really trying to escape. He tugs at my shirt and then he must think better of it, because he puts his mouth on my side and I feel the wet heat of his tongue as it soaks through my shirt, and he starts working his way along the side of my breast, pushing me down onto the bed as he falls on top of me and pins me down, on my side.

His arms around my waist, he keeps me pinned down there and his mouth works along the side of my breast, and his fingers tickle my stomach. He sucks hard, pulling at my skin even through my shirt and the material of my bra.

"There's something in the way," he mumbles, and shoves my shirt up.

His hands are hot on my stomach and sides, tickle up the small of my back and tear a giggle out of my throat before I silence it with my hand. He pins me on my back and pushes my shirt up, and my arms with it, then traps them over my head, twisting the fabric in my hand. He reaches over and clicks the light off, and now I can't even see a dim outline through the shirt. Only my mouth sticks out from the collar of my shirt, and his lips press hot on mine, and he kisses me hard as he twists the fabric in his hand, trapping my arms.

I slip my legs up around him and squeeze his sides as he slides his tongue over mine, his breath tickling my lip. All at once he lifts up and turns me over onto my stomach, yanks the shirt loose and sweeps my hair away from my neck. The cool air is followed by the heat of his mouth on my neck and the tough touch of his hands on my ribs as I move my arms down and press into the bed, arching my back as he kisses a hot trail over my shoulder.

He goes so slow, like we have all the time in the world. My legs shake just thinking about a knock at the door, or worse, the crunch of something shoved into the lock to pick it open. We could be caught any second, and yet his mouth trails burning hot between my shoulder blades as he pops the clasp on my bra and pulls it apart, slips his hands under me and squeezes my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, his fingers slipping to lightly touch my nipples in slow circles as his mouth moves down the small of my back.

As he moves his fingers drag down my sides, stopping as he takes hold of my waistband and tugs my shorts down, my underwear too, and slides it down to my knees. Hawk's hand lands on my a.s.s, not hard enough to be a slap, but it sends a jolt through me. I quiver a little and he squeezes, and I hear him unzip his fly.

"You like that?" he says, softly.

"I... I did," I whisper. "Do it again. Harder."

His hand rises and falls, harder this time, and it sends a jolt through my body.

"Careful," I whisper. "Somebody will-"

Crack!

His hand slaps across my a.s.s and my head shoots up with a yelp. Why does that feel so good? He does it again with his left hand, hitting the other side, and I wriggle on the bed, biting my lip and egging him on with my look. He plants his lips on the red hand mark on my a.s.s cheek and kisses my b.u.t.t, and I burst our laughing, only stifle myself by biting my hand. Somebody is going to hear us.

Then he ducks down behind me and his tongue drags over my p.u.s.s.y lips. I moan even with the edge of my hand in my mouth, and bite down on the sheet instead.

The house is silent. I can hear my own heart beating, hear him breathing, hear the soft wet sound as his tongue slowly presses hard on my mound and slides over my entrance, pulls away leaving a brief cold, wet flash, and does it again, over and over, a little faster each time, until he buries his face against me and licks me over and over and over, squeezing my a.s.s in his hands. I grip the sheets and bit down on the blanket to keep myself quiet, tension quivering in my stomach.

Someone will hear us. I groan anyway as Hawk rises to his knees behind me. He takes my wrists and pulls my arms behind my back, folding them like they're tied together, gripping my arms, digging his fingers into my skin. A surge of excitement floods my body as I feel the tip of his c.o.c.k pressing at my body, teasing me. I can almost feel his pulse.

The pressure grows and Hawk enters me slowly, and I moan around the makeshift gag of sheets I've stuffed in my own mouth. He holds my arms and sinks into me slowly, slowly, until I feel his stomach press against my a.s.s and a single sharp thrust buries him deep inside me, filling me. He starts to thrust slowly, holding my arms to pull me into him, my feet rising from the floor as the pleasure makes the muscles in my legs bunch, my toes curl. He leans forward and runs his fingers through my hair, tickles my cheek with his thumb. I spit out the sheets and let out a soft moan, then bite them again, filling my mouth, moaning into the improvised gag.

He lets go of my arms and grabs my hips, plants his feet and stands up, pulling me up with him. I lean my hands on the bed and clench the sheet in my mouth and he starts to pump faster, pulling me against him with every thrust, his c.o.c.k driving hard into my body as our flesh meets with a soft slap at every touch.

One hand on my back, the other rises and smack, a jolt pa.s.ses through me from his hand leaving another red mark on my a.s.s. I arch and wriggle against him, driving back. He holds still as I press into him and wriggle my hips in a slow circle, feeling his shaft shift inside me as I grind on him. The look on his face drives me wild.

His hands seize my hips, and Hawk lifts me up, pushes me forward. My legs go out straight behind me as he presses into the bed, his chest against my back, and wraps his arms around me. He buries his face in my hair and thrusts roll through his whole body, pinning me to the bed, driving deep inside me. Straddling me, he uses his thighs to squeeze my legs together, my feet wriggling in the air as my body clenches tight around him, and I feel every movement, every subtle shift of his rod inside me.

I squeak into the sheet as I feel a hint of his teeth on my shoulder. He doesn't bite me as hard as I bit him before, but he grazes his teeth over my skin and sucks my throat, nipping my skin a little as he thrusts harder, driving deep. His arms tighten around me as heat floods my body, spreading in flooding waves from between my legs, tightening my muscles as I writhe under him, turning into a nest of coiled cables as my body clenches on him.

Hawk nips my earlobe and I groan into the sheet, and he buries himself deep. I feel him throbbing, his excitement building with mine, ready to explode inside me. My eyes squeeze shut and I bite the sheet until my teeth hurt to quiet myself as a burst of pleasure rips through my body in an unstoppable wave. Hawk grunts softly in my ear and shakes all over as he reaches his peak, and I can feel his pleasure somehow aching through my own as it builds and builds, bursting through my skin in hot, radiant light.

Hawk lays on top of me, in me, as I shudder around him, until I let the sheets fall out of my mouth and shift just enough to turn and look over my shoulder at him, a goofy smile on my face. Slowly he turns on his side and I shift with him, pressing against him so his c.o.c.k doesn't draw out of my body. His arms tighten around me, pinning mine to my sides, and he breathes into my hair.

"Alex," he whispers.

"Yeah."

"I love you."

I suck in a breath, startled.

He takes a deep breath, drawing in my scent.