Closer (The Unit #1) Read online

  He had left her alone with her thoughts for a few hours and in those hours her mind started wondering. She realized, after the adrenaline had subsided, that she was frightened at what was about to come. They still had to use her as bait to lure out the terrorist cell.

  “Why can’t we call Homeland Security and give them the address?” she questioned Michael as he sat next to her on the bed.

  “Rob received a phone call from the terrorist cell while we were working on a plan,” he said to her.

  Emma sat up straight, “What did they say,” she asked with baited breath.

  Michael told her of the new requirements. He explained how they would have to sneak out her field notes and prototype in order to save Lizzie. Her eyes glistened and tears streamed down her face. She was so sick of crying. She didn’t want to feel so hopeless and so selfish at the same time. She allowed her work to define her for the past two years. Now she had to give it up to save someone’s life. Not to be misunderstood, she told Michael she would gladly retrieve every last bit of information to save Lizzie. But she couldn’t help but wonder what that meant for her identity. If she wasn’t the one to develop and complete Project Hummingbird, then who was she?

  “What if we get Homeland Security involved? Can’t they help?” she begged Michael.

  “Emma, I know that sounds easy, but remember someone with knowledge of your project gave it to a man who was supposed to kill you. We don’t know who we can trust and because of that, we trust no one,” he assured her. “I am not going to let anything happen to you ever again. And that means we do this on our own. You can trust my brothers. I have known them for six years. We have been in some serious shit together and have always had each other’s backs. They will protect you with their dying breath; the same way I will protect Lizzie with mine,” he continued to explain, as she looked into his deep, sincere eyes.

  He would die for Lizzie, the same way he would die for her. She knew he would. Her gut refused to allow her head to argue.

  She scooted down on the bed until she was lying down staring up at the ceiling with new worries to think about.

  “Get undressed,” he commanded because he didn’t want anything between them tonight. Tonight was about reassuring her she was his: his to protect and his to love. She crawled off of the bed and watched his eyes as she slowly undressed for him. Knowing he was getting turned on watching her do something as simple as undress, was a powerful feeling. She moved on her hands and knees, back to the lying position she had been in before ridding herself of her clothing. It was Michael’s turn. He stood and locked eyes with hers as he removed his shirt. She stared unabashedly at his body. He removed his pants and his underwear while she appreciated his true beauty.

  “You’re the beautiful one, Michael,” she boldly stated as he climbed into bed beside her. He pulled the covers over their bodies.

  “Roll over. I want to feel that ass pressed against me tonight,” he said to her as she complied and rolled onto her side.

  She backed up against him until she felt his firm chest against her back, until she felt his stiff erection against her buttocks. He ran his fingers up and down her thigh and leg before bringing his arm to cuddle around her middle. He pulled her closer still careful of her bruises. He tucked her head under his chin and inhaled her earthy, lavender scent, which calmed and relaxed him until he drifted off into sweet dreamland with her safely in his arms.

  « Chapter Fifteen »

  The curtains were drawn tight keeping the sunlight from peering into the room. With a smile, she wriggled her hips against Michael’s semi-hard erection. Michael opened his eyes and found her in the exact same position as the previous night.

  “Good morning,” he said sleepily into her hair.

  “Good morning, yourself,” she responded pressing her ass up against his now hard member.

  He ran his hand up to touch her breast. A moan escaped her smiling lips. She wanted him now. She didn’t want to wait because waiting was the worst possible thing they could do with each other right now. Who knew what the future held? Would she even be alive at this time tomorrow? No, she had to seize the day as it came. She was liking this newfound freedom, and she owed it all to the man who held her in a protective cocoon.

  Michael continued rolling her nipple, tugging it lightly with his fingertips while he nibbled at the back of her neck. A zing of tingles made their way through her body igniting her core. She instantly felt herself moisten as he continued to bite and then kiss the back of her neck. She especially liked the way his hot breath felt against her bare body. He rolled her over and braced himself on top of her. He lowered his head and pulled a taught nipple into his mouth. He sucked at her breast causing her back to arch under his ministrations. She ran her hands down to his stiff cock and began stroking it. He moved to her other breast paying it the same attention. While he sucked, she fisted his member. She was so wet from the attention her breasts were getting. She never knew it could feel so good.

  “I need to get a condom,” Michael told her.

  “I’m on the pill,” was all she said, expecting him to know that she trusted him with her life. She definitely didn’t want him to move from his current position.

  He lay on his side and she rolled over. He pulled her back against his chest. She lifted her leg and placed it on his. He took full advantage of the new position as his cock fell against her opening. He grabbed ahold of her hip and gently thrust his hips forward entering her warm, dripping core from behind. They both moaned at the feeling of his thick cock entering her. The way her body responded to his, dripping wet at the smallest of touches, would never cease to amaze him. He continued rocking his hips back and forth against her ass as he rubbed her clit. His hand left her clit and traveled up to her breast. He pinched her nipple hard and pain quickly dissolved to pleasure that shot through her body as he slammed into her core. She felt a renewed sense of arousal. She began to move her hips in rhythm with his, pushing her ass back as he thrust his cock forward. He was going to take his time this morning. He pinched her nipple again before trailing his fingers back down to find her clit. He rubbed her as she began to buck wildly against his hips. He knew she was close so he increased his pressure on her clit and thrust into her harder and quicker. She screamed out his name as he pressed her clit hard allowing her to ride out her orgasm on his cock. He loved the way her pussy clenched him when she came. It was enough to be his undoing, but not this morning.

  “Get on your knees,” he commanded and she got onto her hands and knees.

  He did what he had been dying to do since he met her. He grabbed ahold of her hips and thrust deeply into her body. He used his hands to pull her hips back against his forward thrust. He thrust into her again and again bringing himself closer and closer to his own climax. She raised onto her knees, her back against his chest, and wrapped her arm around his neck. She turned her face so he could capture her mouth as he continued rocking in and out of her body. He deepened the kiss as he moved his hand down to her clit. He began rubbing it with his fingers as he swallowed her moan. She shattered, exploding into the universe around his throbbing, aching cock. With one more thrust his body went tense and he emptied himself into her. With each beat of his heart, he squirted his hot liquid deep into her core until she felt it running down her inner thigh. He ran his lips up and down her back before pulling out of her.

  “Stay there and I will clean you up,” he said walking into the bathroom.

  She heard the faucet turn on and then off. He returned with a warm washcloth and gently cleaned the come that had dripped between her thighs.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked, bending over to kiss her.

  “I’m famished,” she responded, looking at the clock.

  “Let’s get showers and then find the guys,” he said, caressing her face.

  Michael steadied himself, content in the knowledge he would have her again. Right now he had to get down to business. They showered together keeping the touching and caressi
ng to a minimum. He dried her off, before drying himself off. They found clothes and dressed without words.

  He picked up the phone and dialed Rob’s room.

  “Ready to eat?” he asked Rob when he answered the phone. “Okay, see you in fifteen.”

  « Chapter Sixteen »

  They made their way into the coffee shop that the desk clerk recommended for breakfast. This time Emma ate every last bite that was on her plate. She probably could have eaten more, but didn’t want to make herself sick. They made small talk but all eyes were focused on Rob. He wasn’t doing so well.

  “What did you hear last night, man? Were they hurting Lizzie?” Michael asked as Rob met his gaze with sadness and determination.

  “They raped her man, while I was on the phone,” Rob confessed. He never kept anything from these guys.

  “Oh God,” Emma gasped covering her mouth with her hand in shock. Emma remembered how it felt to be violated. Ingrams had touched her despite her will and strength to resist him. She couldn’t imagine what would have happened to her if Michael hadn’t have found her.

  What kind of monsters were they dealing with? She was now more determined than ever to get her notes and the prototype past security to save Lizzie.

  “She’s strong, ya know?” Rob said more to himself than the group. “She will make it through this. I just hope we can get to her before they do it again,” he said as his face turned a slight green color. He could feel the bile rising in his throat at the thought of what Lizzie was enduring. “I want them dead. No one survives,” Rob assured himself as he spoke aloud to the group. “We go in, mow down those motherfuckers, and get Lizzie,” he said, determination glinting in his eyes.

  “We’ll get her Rob. I promise. We’ve got your back. It’s just going to take time putting everything together, and we still have to make sure nothing happens to Emma,” Michael said to his best friend.

  “Emma’s here. She’s fine. We aren’t going to let anything happen to her,” Rob hissed, “but Lizzie, she’s in trouble, man. We have to go and get her. I am sick and tired of waiting.”

  “So we go back to Maine, we will drive straight through, and grab Emma’s field notes and prototype, because regardless of who they have, we still have to protect this country. We get the stuff, stash it somewhere safe, and then get Lizzie. Two days max,” Michael assured his best friend.

  “I know you’re right. I just can’t think logically or rationally. I could hear her man. I could hear what they were doing to her,” he blurted as he cast his eyes down so no one would see him cry.

  Emma wrapped an arm around Rob’s shoulders.

  “Look, I know I am here and not in any immediate danger. I just want to say thank you for coming to my rescue. And I want you to know, I will be there when we rescue Lizzie,” she said gently squeezing his shoulders.

  “You can’t be there, Emma,” Michael cautioned, as Emma continued to hold Rob while he cried.

  “Like hell I can’t. This directly relates to me. You said yourself you won’t let anything happen to me. So don’t. But I want to be there for Lizzie,” she challenged, rubbing Rob’s arm up and down in a reassuring manner.

  “He’s right, Emma,” Rob said. “It’s too dangerous for you. This whole thing could end up upside down and you could be sitting there, held prisoner, right along with Lizzie,” Rob continued forcing back the tears.

  “This is not open for debate, gentlemen,” Emma concluded. “I am going. I will be there for Lizzie; she is going to need a woman to look after her. I will stay out of the way. Hell, give me a gun if you have to. I want to shoot them myself,” she said smiling, hoping to lighten the gravity of the situation.

  “Do you even know how to use a gun?” Rob questioned, raising his eyebrows in speculation.

  “As a matter of fact, my father is a big gun buff, so I grew up around them. I have shot everything from a 22 to a 457,” she stated matter-of-factly for the men at the table.

  “Fine, you want to go, you go. But you go in armed, and you stay the hell out of the way. If anyone comes at you, any one at all, you shoot first and ask questions later,” Michael stuttered through the words stuck in his throat.

  He couldn’t believe he was agreeing to this. She was his to protect. He would just have to keep her by his side at all times. It probably was safer to be by his side than to be left in a car or hotel room somewhere. Just then a gnawing started at the back of his throat. He felt the pit in his stomach grow. He was getting one of his famous gut feelings, and this one was screaming at him that this whole situation was going to end badly.

  They paid their checks and got to their feet, slipping on their coats before heading to their cars. They were already packed and had checked out of the Best Western. Now they made the long, thirteen hour drive back to Emma’s lab.

  They arrived in Lewiston around 2100. It was already dark and everyone who worked at the lab had all gone for the evening. Emma hadn’t been to work in a few days and had to come up with a viable reason quickly. She knew Paul would be expecting one.

  “I will tell Paul that I have been sick, but am feeling better now, and that I need to get back to work on the project,” Emma said to the men as they stood huddled in a circle a few blocks down from her office building. “I just don’t know how I am going to sneak everything out. That is the whole reason we have to leave our belongings at the security desk,” she pondered aloud.

  “How long has Paul been working here,” Michael asked.

  “Longer than I have, and I have been here for three years,” Emma explained shivering against the biting cold. How these men were unaffected by the weather was a mystery to her.

  “Then he trusts you, right,” Steve ventured.

  “Yes, I suppose he does,” she responded.

  “That’s good. We’ll use that trust to get everything out. How many notebooks do you have?” Michael asked.

  “Three spiral notebooks, plus two full mini-cassette tapes,” she answered.

  “How big is the Hummingbird,” Michael wondered aloud.

  “It can fit into my palm,” she said through chattering teeth.

  “Okay, so here is what you’re going to do. You stuff the notebooks in the back of your pants here,” he said pulling on the back waist of her jeans. “You put the cassette tapes in your front pockets, and you keep the Hummingbird in the palm of your left hand,” Michael continued.

  “But won’t Paul notice?” she said with serious doubts about this plan.

  “He won’t be looking for anything suspicious because he trusts you. We have to use that trust,” Michael explained, rubbing Emma’s shoulders to provide heat.

  “What if I give it away?” she asked. “What if I get nervous, choke, and expose the notebooks or worse, drop the Hummingbird?” she asked Michael with fear in her eyes.

  “You won’t. Just remember the reasons you are doing this. Someone wants what you know. We have to make sure that knowledge disappears, and we save Lizzie in the process,” Michael cajoled kissing her lips quickly. “Now get a move on and don’t let anything stop you,” Michael said with a smile as he spanked her rear. She smiled back even though this was a precarious situation.

  She approached Paul at the security desk like she did every day for the last three years. She asked about his family and made small talk while she handed over her phone and purse to be put in lockup.

  She explained away her absence and Paul said, “I hope you are feeling better, Emma.”

  “I’m starting to. Thank you, Paul,” she said as she made her way to the stairs.

  She took the stairs because she did not want anything to appear out of the ordinary, other than it being 9:00 pm and her being at the office. She would need to spend at least an hour there to keep Paul from becoming suspicious.

  After an hour’s time, she gathered her notebooks and placed them in the back of her pants hiding the tops of the notebooks under her shirt. She stuffed the two cassette tapes into her jean’s pockets and firmly wra
pped her left fingers around the Hummingbird. She took the stairs back down to the security desk and tried her best to remain nonchalant about the evening. She told Paul she did what she needed to do and was going to head to her apartment in the city for the night. He handed her purse and cell phone to her, which she took with her right hand. She struggled to place her cell phone in her purse without giving away the fact that she had the Hummingbird wrapped tightly in her left hand, but she managed to do it. She smiled at Paul and made her way causally to the front doors.

  As soon as she was outside, she began walking quickly the few blocks to reach the men. She had highly classified information with her and could not afford to be stopped or confronted. She rounded the corner and saw the men waiting exactly where she left them.

  “I did it,” she beamed proudly at them.

  But before they could respond, a black van, much like the one waiting in the warehouse, pulled up beside her and two men jumped out. The men grabbed Emma and forced her into the already moving van. Michael immediately rounded the car and got behind the wheel. As the van sped away, Michael and his brothers followed close behind. The van attempted to lose Michael several times with sharp turns, but Michael was able to keep up. He was not letting her out of his sight.

  The van turned down an alleyway and Michael made the same right turn. He chanced a look in his rearview mirror and saw his brothers were still behind him.

  “Who is it?” Rob asked Michael as he held onto the dashboard in front of him while Michael increased his speed. The van sped away on a stretch of I95 with Michael close behind.

  “It’s either the terrorists or the CIA. At this point, I have no fucking idea,” Michael said as he closed the distance between his vehicle and the van.

  The van got into the left lane and Michael stayed behind the van. The van must not have known there were two cars following him because he moved into the middle lane in an attempt to outmaneuver Michael. Michael and Steve over took the Van, boxing it in from both sides. The man at the wheel of the van began firing shots at Michael’s car and busted out the passenger window. Rob ducked just in time. Michael slowed down a little so the driver couldn’t get a clean shot.