Oak, Sophie - Found in Bliss [Nights in Bliss, Colorado 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (12 page)

Finally the truck started to slow, but only to seventy. Gravity was still at work. She had no idea what the incline was this low on the mountain, but it was still steep. And she couldn’t see around the curve.

Her heart drummed inside her chest. Her brain played through a million scenarios. She could die right here on the mountain, and she would regret so fucking much. She would regret not trying. She would regret all the years she let slip by because it was easier than fighting and losing. As the curve barreled toward her, all she knew was that nothing, nothing was more important than the fight. The outcome didn’t matter. She could lose everything, and it would have been worth it to fight for what she needed.

Why did she only figure that out when death was staring her down?

And why the fuck was she giving up again?

The emergency brake. It was a long shot. She would probably still lose control, but it was all she had.

She pushed the brake in. Just like its sister, it went straight to the floor.

And then she saw the sign for the TER. Truck escape ramp. She tightened her hands on the steering wheel. She just had to hold on. The TER had only been in place for a few months, and it was meant to slow down eighteen wheelers that were out of control, but maybe it would work for her, too. The long offshoot of gravel would surely slow her down some. It had to.

At least it gave her a place to go before she hit that curve.

She hit the TER going almost eighty. Between the thick gravel and the level ground of the ramp, she immediately felt the truck begin to ease down.

By the time she’d reached half the distance of the TER, she’d slowed the truck to the point that she was sure she would survive. She rolled gently along until she hit the rail with a thud.

She put her head in her hands and finally cried, happy to be alive and to have another shot at just about everything.

* * * *

Alexei took the only seat available in the small office off the garage. The whole place smelled of motor oil, but that didn’t bother Alexei. He liked the cozy little work space. But the chair needed some work. It hadn’t been made for a large man. He wiggled a little, testing the sturdiness. It didn’t feel like it would fall apart.

Roger, who was indeed bald, had pictures of himself and his wife, Liz Two, that showed off his formerly long, flowing hair. He took the seat behind the desk. “So you’re that fellow who nearly blew up Bliss?”

His reputation was not exactly sterling. And thanks to the news reports, everyone knew his story. “Oh, no, no blowing up. I did not set a single charge while in Bliss. I merely shot many peoples.”

Long-Haired Roger’s eyes went wide, and he leaned forward. “Many?”

And he wasn’t helping his reputation along at all. “Well, not too many. Four or five, perhaps. And all of them were very bad peoples. They took over sheriff’s department and were going to kill women. I could not allow them to kill women.”

In all his time in the mob, he’d never hurt a woman. He’d never struck one in anger or in anything but an erotic fashion. He’d met several women who enjoyed spanking, and he liked it, too, but he’d never treated a single woman with any less respect than he would demand for himself. It had hurt him in his rise in the organization, but there had been things even he could not do for revenge. In the end, his inability to harm a woman had cost him his revenge and helped him regain his soul.

“I had heard that you saved a bunch of women. And Logan Green, too, though I doubt he thanks you for it.”

The deputy was one of the men he owed in this town. Logan Green had taken a beating that almost killed him, and Alexei had been forced to allow it in order to save them all. He’d been outnumbered and outgunned and he’d hated it, but he would sacrifice the young man again if it meant saving Holly and Jennifer. He was going to have to find a way to deal with Logan if he was going to live in this town.

“I am very deeply sorry for what happen to deputy. I could not help him without giving myself away, and then we would all be dead.” It was a lame excuse. Sometimes at night he came up with a hundred scenarios in which he spared Logan Green from his fate, but at the time he’d gone with the safest course of action.

“That would have been much worse. I don’t know what poor Teeny would do without her boy. She and Marie dote on him. He’ll be fine. He’s got two mommas to look after him. You know, everyone in these parts talked about how you let yourself get all shot up to save Holly. Holly’s a sweet girl, and she’s just about the best waitress in the county. The sheriff speaks very highly of you, too,” Long-Haired Roger said. “I really like Nate Wright even though he’s a cranky son of a bitch. He says you saved Callie and Jen, so you’re all right with me.”

Alexei tried to relax. Maybe this would go better than he’d expected. He was surprised to find himself so nervous. He hadn’t been thinking about finding a legitimate job all those years before when he’d thrown away the majority of his youth to pursue revenge. Now he had to pay for all the years he should have been in college or starting a career. He had to find a way to make a living in the legitimate world.

“Gene tell me you are looking for good worker.” Perhaps once he got settled in, he would find some training school and learn a trade that went beyond racketeering.

Long-Haired Roger’s bald head nodded. “Yep. I need a new mechanic because my last guy ran off to join the pro-wrestling circuit. I don’t think that’s going to work out for him, but he wouldn’t listen to me. You don’t happen to watch wrestling, do you?”

He asked the question with a serious look on his face, as though the answer to the question would affect Alexei’s ability to be hired. Alexei decided to go with honesty. “No.”

He preferred hockey. One day he would sit in his own home with a big-screen television and watch hockey games with his friends. And Holly. Hopefully she liked hockey because he didn’t think he would allow her out of his lap once he had her there.

Long-Haired Roger sat back, seemingly satisfied with his answer. “Good. Because I don’t need to lose another mechanic to that. Now, do you have experience with cars?”

His brother had taught him much about cars. Mikhail had been forced to learn how to fix his car because they couldn’t afford a mechanic. His brother had been armed with only a how-to book and their father’s tool kit. After Mikhail had been killed, Alexei had found working on cars to be soothing.

“I am self-taught, but I know what I am doing,” Alexei explained. “I will take whatever test you like.”

“Do you know about brakes?”

He spoke without really thinking, the words rolling from his mouth. He’d spent so many years hiding his true feelings that now he often said far too much. “Oh, yes. I have worked with many brake systems. I know how to cut the brake lines of many different types of vehicles. And I was forced to learn how to blow up many mobsters’ vehicles. I always studied the different models to know where to place bomb.”

Long-Haired Roger’s eyes got really wide, and he sat back up straight again. “What?”

Alexei pushed on. He wasn’t going to hide his past. Honesty was what worked in America. “It is very important to know how to blow up car and only take out intended target. I was best in Russia. Ten cars blown and not a single innocent victim.”

“You just blew up cars without anyone in them?”

Alexei shook his head. “
Nyet
. No innocent victims. I did, however, manage to take out some of worst criminals in Russia. Luckily they had pissed off my boss, and that gave me shot at taking them out. They were drug pushers and slave traders. There are many slave traders in Europe and Asia. They look to sell womens to brothels. These womens do not want to go to brothels.”

“I can see why not. That sounds like something out of television. And you blew up these fellows’ vehicles?”

“Yes, it is best way to take out a person if you do not wish to shoot them. Shooting can get messy, and sometimes people need a bigger demonstration to make them believe you will do what it takes. An exploding car will get many people’s attention. But I am careful and always use a device I can control because I do not want the ignition to be turned by innocent person and then they get killed. Only the bad person. My partner make fun of me for spending many nights hiding in bushes waiting for my target, but I say it is better to have bad back than bad soul.”

Long-Haired Roger’s fingers drummed nervously on his desk. “Uhm, I can see you were a very thoughtful assassin. What does your partner think about you now that you’ve come to the States?”

Ivan had always thought Alexei was an idiot, but then Ivan had been a hard-boiled killer. Ivan had never been his friend. “He does not think at all. He was one of the peoples I killed to save the women of Bliss.”

“Okay, then.” Long-Haired Roger’s face took on a pained expression. “I think you might be overqualified for this job. I really think you should look for something bigger.”

Alexei sat forward. “Oh, no. I like small business. I work very hard.”

“I…I just don’t think you have quite the level of experience I was looking for. Sorry. I really hope you don’t blow up my car.”

Alexei left with a heavy heart and the sad knowledge that his job hunt was not going to go well.

Chapter Five

Caleb winced as the phone rang, wondering why the landlines couldn’t be as crappy as cell service was here in Bliss. The phone just kept ringing. Why wasn’t a man allowed to drown in his misery in relative peace and quiet?

“And why do I have to be the only doctor?” Caleb asked the only other living thing in the building. Yep. He was now talking to a plant. That was how pathetic his life had become. He was talking to an ivy instead of laying Holly out on his exam table and proving just how thorough he could be.

He could still feel that soft, curvy body pressed against his. He could feel the roundness of her breasts crushed to his chest. If he’d had a little more time, he would have been able to get his hands on them. He would have eased her on to the exam table and pushed her clothes off. The table was a nice height. He could have spread her legs and finally gotten a taste of her pussy. Sweet. She would be sweet with a just a hint of tangy bite to her cream. That was his Holly. Sweet with just enough sass to make it all interesting. He would eat that pussy. How long had it been since he’d enjoyed a woman that way? And he wanted Holly. He wanted her so bad his cock was in a constant state of need.

When he’d eaten his fill, when she’d come all over his tongue, he’d take her. He’d spread her legs and let his cock have its way. He’d fuck her until he didn’t have an ounce of cum left in his body. Then and only then would he be satisfied. And not for long.

The phone started up again, an annoying insect that wouldn’t let up. It was just going to keep ringing. With a growl of frustration, he picked up. “Bliss County Clinic. Who’s dying?”

“Caleb?”

Caleb froze at the sound of his brother’s voice. “Eli?”

“It’s good to talk to you, brother.”

He closed his eyes and forced himself not to hang up the phone. He hadn’t hidden his location from his family. He’d just assumed Eli would know he didn’t want to talk to him. “What do you need, Eli?”

He could practically hear his brother’s frown. He would be tense, his brows coming together. The older he got, the more Eli looked like their father. Damn, sometimes Caleb missed his father with an ache that seemed endless. And sometimes he was happy his father had died before he could see what had become of his middle son.

“Do I have to need something to want to talk to my brother?” Eli asked.

“You know damn well we have nothing to say to each other.”

“Damn it, Caleb, you have to forgive me at some point. You have to talk to me at some point. I know I fucked up, but I don’t want to lose my brother, too.”

Then maybe Eli shouldn’t have fucked his wife. Caleb held the words in. Arguing with Eli wouldn’t do a lick of good. “I’m still alive, Eli. Don’t be such a drama queen. I’ve been gone for over a year and you haven’t needed to talk to me. You know you were the one who asked me to leave.”