Rescuing Maria Page 6

  She fake pouts and brings her lips down to his own. His calloused hands run along the sides of her body and a tingle travels up her spine. She breaks the kiss long enough to say, "I need you, Rhett. I'm a woman starved and only you can cure my hunger."

  Without another word, he flips her off of his body and her back slams down onto the bed. Her screams and moans get tangled together as intensely feasts on her paying special attention to her clit like he's the one starved. She stops counting the orgasms as each one hits her body and she completely lets the waves wash over her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rhett

  The sun is shining through the windows. They completely forgot to close the curtains last night, but that's perfectly fine with Rhett. Maria is fast asleep and he's spent the last ten minutes just watching her. Not in a creepy, I want to wear your skin kind of way, just an appreciative I can't believe I spent the entire night next to this beautiful woman kind of way.

  Sometime after round number two they both passed out wrapped up in each other's arms and woke up exactly the same way. Something about Maria calls to him and he was serious when he said he wasn't going to let her get away a second time. He doesn't know what this is between them, but he's never felt a connection like this with any other woman and he's not letting distance be the reason why they don't explore it further.

  A small sigh falls from her lips as she rolls over in his arms and opens her eyes. She smiles up at him and he can't help but feel like the luckiest guy in the world knowing that she's aiming her happiness at him.

  He doesn't know what time it is, but he knows he has to get out of bed and start showering at some point. The whole reason for coming out here was for Jax and Erin's wedding, which is today. He doesn't have to be a genius to know he probably has at least a handful of missing calls and text messages wondering where the hell he went last night. Since his tux is over at Jax's hotel room he'll have to make his way over there as well.

  Just thinking about the wedding gives him an idea that he can't decide is either brilliant or the stupidest thing he's ever thought of, but he decides to ask anyway. "This might be forward of me to ask, but do you want to go to a wedding with me today?" When she doesn't respond he starts second-guessing himself and backtracks. "Forget I asked, that's probably really weird."

  That megawatt smile takes over her face again and she puts him out of his misery when she replies, "No, it's not weird. I'd love to go with you."

  "So, it's a date."

  She nods her head with the biggest smile on her face and says, "It's a date. I just need to go back to my apartment to take a shower and make myself look a little more presentable."

  "The clothes you had are fine."

  "Do you really think your friends would be fine with your date showing up in short shorts and an oversized t-shirt with no bra?"

  She has a point there. He honestly doesn't care what she's wearing, but this isn't his wedding and he would never do something like that to Erin. Nodding his head, he says, "Well I know Jax wouldn't care, but…yeah…Erin would definitely care. Do you want me to go with you?"

  "I've lived in Vegas my entire life, I'll be fine heading home for a couple of hours and back here again. Don't worry about me."

  "Yeah, yeah. You can take care of yourself, I remember. Independent woman and all of that."

  The unease on her face is palpable as she tries to roll away from him. "If we're going to go to the wedding together, there's something I have to tell you."

  "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I promise I won't judge you, be mad at you, or whatever it is you're telling yourself right now about my reaction."

  "I'm scared to say it out loud."

  He squeezes her tighter to him and says, "Then save it for later. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable telling me anything and whatever it is can wait." She relaxes into him and he holds her there for a moment before bringing his hand down to her side and tickling her.

  She giggles and rolls out of his embrace and starts gathering her clothes from the floor. Whatever anxiety was holding her before it quickly forgotten. She smiles seductively at him as she sexily bends down to pick up each item as slowly as possible and with the same pace stands back up. As she reaches for her t-shirt she shakes her ass from side to side and Rhett groans in frustration. She is going to be the death of him and she knows it.

  He hops up out of the bed and Maria licks her lips as she glances down his body and focuses in on his already growing erection. He slowly stalks toward her and her back hits the door. He leans down and places his lips on her own. She lets out a small moan and he runs his hands down her body and settles on her hips. He forcefully tightens his grip and pulls her body toward him. Just one fucking kiss and he's already hard as a rock. No woman has ever done that to him.

  Only Maria.

  There's a gleam in her eyes as she says, "Well it would be irresponsible for me to leave you like this."

  Without another word, she drops to her knees and thoroughly works him over until he's yelling out her name over and over again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Maria

  The Las Vegas sun already beats down on the strip and the heat engulfs her as Maria steps foot out of the hotel. She tosses her sunglasses on her face and music starts playing as one of the fountain shows get's started. She starts walking toward the street when she hears her name being called.

  "Hey, Maria."

  She turns toward the voice unsure of who she'll be met with. She's not really used to many people, men included, knowing her real name. If there's one thing she hasn't done is create any relationships when she came out here. And she purposely wanted to keep it that way.

  Her skin crawls as she sees the person standing in front of her, but she hides her true feelings through a plastered smile on her face. "Oh, hi Charles. I was just heading home. What are you doing up this early?"

  He steps closer to her and the overwhelming scent of rotten eggs surrounds her. His stringy blond hair is plastered to his forehead and it's obvious that he hasn't showered in days. No doubt he's spent a good portion of that time in the lab, hence his distinctive odor. He greets her with a sinister smile and his yellowed teeth are on full display.

  "Well I was out on my morning rounds and saw you coming out of this hotel and I thought to myself there's no way Maria could afford staying in a place like this. Not with how much you owe me. So, what are you doing some side work now and not letting me know about it?"

  She's suspected for a while now that he has someone tracking her and this pretty much confirms it. His lie is completely laughable and they both know it. What she needs is to find a way out of this situation and fast. Caught off guard by his line of questioning, she just starts talking, "No of course not. I would never do anything like that. I just…"

  "You just what?"

  Shit. She's never been much of a liar especially when it comes to making up something on the spot. If she has time and can think something through, she's been known to weave together insanely believable lies. But never impromptu.

  "I had to go to the bathroom."

  He grabs a hold of her arm and squeezes tightly. "You really expect me to believe that shit? That you just popped right in to use the bathroom? You've got to be a better liar than that Maria. Why don't we get in my car and we'll talk about this over breakfast? And we can also discuss the scene you made at the club last night. I don't like the stories I've been hearing."

  She nods her head slowly but can't help the terror that travels up her spine. Nothing good can come from her getting into this car right now and she honestly has no idea how to get out of it. Charles opens the back door of the black sedan and closes the door behind her. He stands there talking to his driver, no doubt giving him directions to someplace other than breakfast. Thinking quickly, she pulls her cell phone out of her purse and types out a quick text message to the only person she knows who can save her.

  Me: 911. Bellagio. Rm 29036.

  Rather than p
utting her phone back into her purse, she shoves it into her bra in hopes that it won't be as quickly discovered there. She doesn't know where she's being taken but she knows it's not out to breakfast. When Charles opens the back door and the driver climbs into the front seat, she knows she's out of time. After he closes the door he instantly reaches out for her purse and tosses it on the passenger seat in the front without a look or word in her direction. The car quickly starts driving toward the road and they instantly get swallowed up by the Las Vegas Strip.

  She tries paying attention to where they're going to at least have a location to text out when she's by herself, but Charles has other plans. He places his dirty hand on her face and turns her focus toward him. The tobacco smell on his fingertips is just barely recognizable through the overwhelming power of bleach. Her nostrils immediately start burning but she doesn't dare fight him.

  "If you're going to start whoring yourself out, maybe I should move you from the club to the streets. I know quite a few guys that would pay a pretty penny for you."

  Her stomach turns just imagining the kind of friends he could be talking about. Her voice wavers but she stays firm as she replies, "I would never do that."

  His grip tightens on her face and he pulls her closer toward him. He raises an eyebrow in question and asks, "Yeah? So, what would you call this morning?"

  "He didn't pay me. It wasn't like that."

  "Well, I can't have you giving the goods away for free. Now, can I?"

  The way he asks her that question has her skin crawling. He leans his face down to hers and their lips are just a breath apart. She forces herself to breathe through her mouth only as death comes spewing from his mouth. He releases her face but instantly starts sliding his hand up her thigh. As his hand gets dangerously close to comfort for her, she instantly tries to shut off all feeling. Maria closes her eyes and hopes that whatever he plans on doing he's done with quickly.

  His lips slam down on her own and she tightens her mouth shut as he tries to push his tongue through. Before she can react, he pushes a sharp object into the side of her neck and it only takes a few seconds and then everything starts fading. Charles continues running his hand up her thigh as the darkness starts to take over and she just hopes that wherever she's going someone will find her and soon.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rhett

  Steam wafts out of the bathroom as Rhett pulls open the door to the bedroom. He walks over toward the bed with the towel wrapped around his waist and takes a seat at the end. The sun is shining through the large windows overlooking the strip and he can't help but smile. He never expected he would ever step foot on a plane let alone venture out to Las Vegas. But here he is. It's a beautiful day outside and he's getting ready to go to his friend's wedding with a beautiful girl on his arm. He doesn't know how the day to could get any better at this point.

  There's a pounding at the hotel room door and he quickly jumps up from the bed. The heaviness against the door sounds much harder than what Maria could do. Besides, she hasn't been gone for very long and unless she lives in this hotel he doesn't think it would be possible that she could be back by now. He starts walking toward the door when he hears the familiar click of the lock and the door is pushed open.

  A guy walks through the door who is definitely not a hotel employee or a police officer. Although he holds himself in a similar fashion as his eyes comb over the room. When he sees Rhett standing there he immediately goes into defensive mode when he asks, "Who the fuck are you?"

  Not quite a warm welcome, but Rhett wasn't expecting one either. Planting his feet firmly on the carpet he squares his shoulders and replies, "I could ask you the same thing. You came barging into my hotel room like you own the place. So, who are you?"

  "What do you mean this is your hotel room? Did you stay the night here?"

  The line of questioning is really starting to piss Rhett off and since his questions aren't being answered, he decides to give a shit answer right back. "No, I always go into random hotel rooms and strip down to nothing but a towel. It's a favorite pastime of mine."

  The guy who still hasn't told Rhett who he is or what he's doing here doesn't crack a smile as he stands there continuing to watch Rhett.

  Obviously now is not the time for sarcasm. He clears his throat and says, "Yes I stayed here all night. I've got somewhere to be. So, if you'd like to tell me what this is all about I can try and help you out."

  "Were you alone?"

  That line of questioning instantly has alarms going off in Rhett's head. He was willing to humor the guy and his questioning but the fact that Maria hasn't even been gone an hour yet and now this guy shows up. Something is not adding up here. His jaw clenches as he asks, "Who the fuck are you?"

  The man looks bored as he replies, "My name is Ghost. Now were you alone?"

  Rhett starts to tell him to get out of his room and go fuck his questioning, but a nagging feeling in the back of his head tells him that something is wrong. This guy is way too professional and military like to be one of the thugs that work for Maria's boss. And if whoever this Ghost guy is knows something about Maria and maybe how to help her out of her situation at the strip club. He shakes his head and says, "No, I wasn't alone."

  Ghost doesn't pause before he whips another question out to Rhett. "Where did the woman go who staying in the room with you?"

  "She went home to get a change of clothes. Why what's going on?"

  That gets a response out of him, but not what Rhett is expecting at all. Ghosts entire body stiffens and he says, "Fuck this isn't good."

  "What do you mean? What the hell is going on? Where is Maria?"

  "What did you just say?" Ghost asks suddenly with his tone of voice changing like he suddenly heard something he wanted to.

  Rhett shrugs and says, "What the hell is going on?"

  "No, that last part."

  He has no idea what is going on here, but he repeats the last question he asked. "Where is Maria?"

  "She told you her name?"

  "What are you talking about? Why wouldn't she tell me her name?"

  "No, she told you her real name." When Rhett doesn't offer any sort of explanation he continues, "Everyone here in Las Vegas knows her as Angel Vasquez. But she told you her real name so obviously, she trusts you and sent me here for a reason."

  "You're not making any sense. Angel is just her stripper name, right? And what do you mean sent you here?"

  He crosses the room toward Rhett and stops directly in front of him. The seriousness in his eyes can't be questioned as the following words come out of his mouth, "Maria has been kidnapped. Angel is her stage name, but it's also her undercover name. She's been deep undercover for the past three years and I'm pretty sure her cover was just blown."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Maria

  Maria slowly opens her eyes and spider-like feeling all over her skin makes her want to throw up the empty contents of her stomach. Her head is screaming as she takes in the dirty room around her. By the looks of it, it could be a shed or a garage. She's not really sure but either way, she needs to find a way out of her and fast. Who knows when those guys will be back, but if one thing is for sure, she doesn't want to be around to find out when that will be. She rubs the back of her head where the pain is centralized and cringes at the feeling of matted up hair. The last thing she remembers is being in the car with Charles, but at some point, she must have gotten hit on the back of the head.

  The door in the corner slowly creaks open and she half closes her eyes to pretend like she's sleeping. She can barely see through her lashes, but just enough to see the faces as they pass by her. She doesn't recognize any of these men, but that doesn't mean anything. Charles has a lot of goons on his payroll and it wouldn't be hard to believe any of these greasy dudes are working for him. One of them forcefully kicks the mattress she's lying on and she involuntarily releases a moan. The pain in her side radiates throughout her entire body and she can't help but wonder if she has
a broken rib or two. It's hard to assess the damage that has been done to her body when it feels like the pain is coursing through her in every direction.

  There's some grumbling and then she distinctly hears, "We can't leave her laying on the mattress like this. Whatever Charles gave her has to be wearing off soon."

  Her body starts to tumble to the side as the mattress is lifted from the floor with her still on top of it. It shudders from side to side as it's carried across the room and she bounces as it's suddenly dropped again. It doesn't take her long to realize she was moved to a bed as the goons make quick work of tying her wrists and ankles to the bed frame. She only hopes they're not smart enough to know what they're doing so she can quickly undo their handy work once they leave the room.

  She knew she shouldn't have gotten into that car. Why did she go so willingly? She only has herself to blame for being in this damn situation. No. That's not right. Her damn piece of shit worthless father is the one to blame. If it weren't for his career choices she wouldn't have been recruited for this mission in the first place. She wouldn't be undercover risking her life every day infiltrating the organization. The last three years of her life have spent finding out way more about her father's life than she ever did while growing up with him and everything she's found out has been worse than she could have imagined.

  Of course, he had to up and get himself killed leaving her in the middle of everything. Who knows, maybe Charles thinks he can move himself up in the ranks now that the whole order of things are being moved around. The top dog is out of the picture and everyone is clamoring for his spot.

  She tenses up as the door creaks open behind her and she waits for whoever comes in to say something. Anything. The silence is deafening, and she struggles to stay silent when she finally asks, "What do you want with me, Charles?"