Freedom (Blackstone Series Book 3) Read online

  Keith: Can’t sleep, kicked the guys inside, having a drink on the deck. Join me?

  Mike: Yeah.

  It bothered me that Keith wasn’t always a part of Blackstone since Frank had him working on the admin side of Dusk. We knew it was only temporary, so when we had the opportunity to hang out, we took it. I was pleased to hear he would be joining us for our next mission. It wasn’t the same vibe when he wasn’t there.

  I slipped into some shorts, skipped the shirt, and joined him outside. Dusk reminded me a lot of Shadows in that it looked out over a lake and was nestled deep in the woods. Though we weren’t surrounded by the Montana mountains, it still resembled home. The house was just as big, if not a little larger, and had an indoor pool and a giant gym. The only difference was it didn’t have the same family feel. Time would develop that, but Keith and I often found ourselves reminiscing about home.

  Once I hit the main floor, my bladder screamed at me. I rushed to the restroom, dropped my zipper, and moaned at how good it felt to…

  “Fuck!” I jumped and shot piss straight up the wall.

  “I like to watch,” the little stuffed Furby monster chirped at me as its eyes moved up my front.

  “Lopez!” I boomed, and a roar of laughter spread throughout the house.

  “I swear to God.” I closed my eyes and tried to calm my nerves. If only Olivia knew what her toy was being used for.

  I smiled as my dicky side took over. I grabbed the fucking creature and hurried up to his room, held down the button and recorded, “What’s another set?” I stuck a sewing needle in its hand and sat it in his drawer next to his condoms. I spread a few of them around its lap and feet.

  I hurried down the steps and spotted Crawford still laughing. “There’s a mess in the bathroom.”

  His face dropped, and he groaned as he went to grab the mop. It was a dick thing to do to make him clean it, but he was on bitch duty this week since he’d ignored a rule and gotten our team into trouble.

  With a deep breath, I pushed back the urge to smoke Mark in the head, but I knew that would only give him the satisfaction that he’d gotten me, so instead, I would play it cool.

  “Hey.” Mark waved at me and went back to his phone call with Mia. I knew she’d been missing him, and the twins were quite a handful.

  “Lexi left for Shadows tonight.” Keith handed me a drink. “She and B will stay there for a week.”

  “Should be fun.” I took a seat and propped my feet up on the unlit fire pit.

  “I pity Olivia.” He laughed, but I knew he hated it when they left. Little Brandon barely left his father’s side, and Keith loved it.

  “She’s a Logan. She’ll have them in line soon enough,” I said and laughed.

  Mark ended his call, and we all sat in silence mulling over the fact that we were a YouTube sensation tonight. There were already 1.2 million views, and every hour it grew. Thankfully, the rain marred our war paint, so our faces were a blur. I was concerned that one of my tattoos was visible when I carried Martina on my back. No one said it, but we knew it would make me more of a target the next time I stepped over the border.

  Mark plucked his drink from the table and started to mouth the straw. I glanced at him and shook my head, but he went on like a dummy trying to move the plastic into his mouth.

  No man should use a straw while drinking an alcoholic beverage. Ever.

  “You should have seen him with the Chapstick the other night at the bar.” Keith slapped Mark’s shoulder. “He fisted the length of it and proceeded to rub it in a circular motion over and over.”

  “What?” He grinned, happy he got a rise out of Keith. “I like to moisturize.”

  “I can’t with you.” I held up a hand and closed my eyes for a moment to keep my laughter in. If you gave Mark an inch, he’d run a mile and then some.

  Keith’s phone lit up, and we all stared at it, our stomachs tightened in case Cole told us to gear up and leave. Though we were clear to stay home, things could change at any time. Elena could surface, and minutes could make the difference between life and death.

  I set my untouched drink down and stood while Keith read whatever it was.

  “What the hell?” He tossed his phone on the table and covered his eyes like something just stung him. “I’m going to be sick!”

  Mark snatched the phone, and to my surprise, he broke out laughing. Not just a little laugh but a full-out hoot which brought on tears.

  “What?” I looked at both men, completely lost. Mark tossed me the phone. It took me roughly a full minute of staring at it to realize what I had read.

  A dirty text from Nan.

  Ruth: Wear the tight white slacks I got you for Christmas. They always make me feel moist. Hot damn! The outline of those is something to be desired.

  Suddenly, Keith ripped back his phone and called her. He pointed to Mark, who was about to open his mouth.

  “I will straight-up nut punch you, Lopez, if you make one comment. It’s bad enough I have to address this behavior.”

  Mark pressed his lips together and eyed me like it took every ounce of his willpower not to go there.

  Oh, this was awesome.

  “Seriously, Nan!” Keith shouted while Mark and I crumpled over with laughter. “Don’t yell at me. You were the one—” He paused and went red in the face. “No, you need to check who you send that stuff to, and who was it that you were—” Again, he was cut off, which only made the situation that much better. There was nothing like seeing a grown-ass man get manhandled by a seventy-some-year-old grandma with a set of brass balls.

  “She used the word ‘moist.’” Mark laughed through a hiccup. “Oh, shit, Savannah is gonna love this one!”

  Thankfully, that made our night turn around, and we laughed into the wee hours of the morning, drunk on the word moist. Laughter really was the key to our survival.

  ***

  I pulled into the parking lot, took my normal spot, and eased out with my bag in hand. The bell on the door rang, and Tom granted me a nod.

  “Morning, Irons.”

  “Morning, Tom.” I set three ammo boxes on the counter. “How are you today?”

  “Thoroughly entertained, actually.”

  “Oh, yeah? How so?”

  “Blue Water just dropped off a team of seven soldiers, and, well, they got a treat.” He pointed out the window where I spied Catalina in the center of the group.

  I wanted to be a fly on the wall out there, as I was sure she was giving them all shit on their form.

  “You know her?”

  “I do.”

  “She’s a trip. Definitely a nice change from the normal riffraff that walk in here.” He laughed, pointing his comment at me.

  “Agreed.” I chuckled.

  It was true. This was mostly a military range, and not many locals came around. Mountain Ridge Shooting Range was where most of us went to shoot. Tom had these jet engines and water machines that he turned on so we could practice working in the different elements. You could never be too prepared.

  I signed the bill and waved him off, and the warmth of the sun hit my face as I stepped out onto the gravel and made my way around the corner.

  Jesus.

  Catalina stood by the bench in army boots and black jean shorts with a camo tank. Her hair swirled around in the breeze. It was like a soldier’s wet dream. Two men were trying to get her attention, and she was giving them shit right back. She really fit in well with men. She could hold her own for being such a tiny little thing.

  When she spotted me, she pulled her aviators forward and raked her gorgeous eyes down my front before she turned her smile into a sexy grin. I had the opposite on, black t-shirt and camo pants, my normal getup when I went shooting.

  With my bag flipped over my shoulder, I headed in her direction and dropped it heavily at her feet.

  “Morning, solider.” She beamed up at me while the men moved closer. “Ready to get your ass kicked?”

  I couldn’t help but drop
my gaze down to her breasts, and I saw my mark. I was pleased she hadn’t tried to cover it with make-up.

  I wanted the vultures to know she was with me, but I reined in my alpha tendencies for the moment.

  “Hey,” she flicked her head, “eyes up here, Irons.”

  I licked my lips and tried to behave, but my head and my erection had very different ideas.

  “My apologies, Mendez. I see you made some friends.”

  “I did.” She shrugged. “Taught them a few things too.”

  “That she has.” One of them laughed and elbowed his buddy.

  “Like how Smith, here,” she pointed to the guy, “flinches every time he shoots, so he pulls to the left.”

  “Ohhh.” The other guys hit his shoulder playfully.

  “Got a bad hand,” he said, trying to make an excuse.

  “Well, let’s see what you got.” I ignored them and pulled my gun free and started to load its clip.

  She waited for me to get into position and lined up on the bench when I did.

  “Ready?” I asked once as I adjusted to the wind speed.

  “Yes.”

  Pop! Pop!

  I hit the center, and so did she, to my utter shock.

  “Again.” I nodded as I lined up my eye.

  Pop! Pop!

  Again, we both hit the bullseye.

  Damn, that’s sexy!

  I glanced over my shoulder and eyed the men who were watching us, and they all separated and went back to their drill.

  “Pull the rifle into your shoulder with your forward hand.” She tried to do it but struggled. “Here.” I stood and went to show her, and I caught sight of part of her ass hanging out of her shorts.

  She’s killing me.

  She looked over her shoulder to see where I went. “Problem?”

  I huffed out a breath and shook my head. I was stronger than that. I could do this.

  Using my hands to draw her backward into me, I tapped her legs to spread a little farther. “Hold the gun like this. I wrapped my body around hers and tried to touch as much of her as possible. She wiggled when I set my hand low on her stomach. “Hold your core tight.”

  “Okay,” she nearly moaned, and it hit right in the heart of my erection.

  “Breathe in.” I waited for her to do so. “Exhale, start to take up the slack in the trigger.” I paused then started to count. “One, two, three.”

  Pop! Pop!

  She nailed the bullseye.

  “Perfect.”

  “You doubted me, Irons?” She laughed, and I pulled the gun out of her hand and removed the clip. “What are you doing?”

  “I want to take you to my spot.”

  I grabbed my bag and took her hand so we could get away from the gawking men. Down a hill and through the shrubs, I showed her the hidden hut that was used for long distance shooting. I pulled back the little door and waved her to go ahead. Once inside the tiny shack, there was enough space for two people to either stand or lie down and shoot.

  “Welcome to my thinking place.” I set my bag down and watched her squint at the target that was three hundred and sixty yards away.

  “You can hit that?” She bent over to finger the mat we used to lie on.

  “I can.”

  She studied me. “That’s pretty impressive.”

  “So are you.” I folded my arms so I wouldn’t reach out and touch her.

  “My father taught me how to shoot when I was younger. He said it’s better to know how than not to.”

  “He had a point.”

  “Mmm,” she agreed while in thought.

  “Have you had to point a gun at anyone before?” I felt like there was a lot more to her story then she was sharing.

  “I have.”

  “Did you pull the trigger?”

  “I did.” She rubbed her arm. “It was the first and last time I ever missed.”

  “What happened next?”

  She shot me a quick glance before she flipped her hair back out of her face with a sigh. “Have you ever missed?”

  “No.”

  “Never once?” She stepped a little closer, and I dropped my arms.

  “No.”

  “You never get distracted and miss your target?” She slid her arms up my chest and over my shoulders while I closed my eyes with a gasp. “Your mind never slips back to a dirty thought or feeling?”

  “Not when I have a gun in my hand.”

  Her head tilted flirtatiously. “Are you thinking a dirty thought now?”

  I nodded, and she smirked before she leaned in and hovered over my lips.

  “Show me.”

  I slipped my hands around her waist and down to the bottom of her ass that peeked out of her shorts. I gave it a good squeeze before I lifted her up into the air and placed her on the table.

  Hooking her shirt, I pulled it down and popped out her breast. I played with her nipple and watched as her face pinkened. She had the plumpest pair that begged to be fondled. I did the same to her other breast so both nipples were puckered and alert. I licked the hard nubs and gave them a little suck. Her hands were on my back, dragging her nails across my skin.

  I kissed her neck and whispered, “You’re a goddamn tease with those shorts.” I kissed up to her jaw. “I wanted to throat punch those guys out there for looking at you.”

  “You’re pretty protective.”

  I leaned back and studied her eyes before I cupped her face and leaned in. “You…” I paused. “You make me protective. Something about you stirs up every single alpha gene in me, and it comes out all at once when you’re near.”

  “Why is that?” She moved her hands over my chest, needing to touch me as much as I did her.

  “I don’t know.” I squinted and tried to find the answer in her chocolate eyes. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”

  “Well,” her hand fell forward out of my grasp, “I like it.”

  Something inside me shifted, like I had the green light to be me.

  “Catalina,” I lifted her chin, “I really like you, so know that about me, okay?”

  “I like you too, Mike,” her hands stroked down my arms and back up again, “even if we shouldn’t.”

  When I started to ask her what she meant, she lifted her head.

  “You know, you promised me something when we were under the dock.”

  “I did?” I tried to think back, but all I could remember was how good she felt in my arms.

  “Banner?” She grinned.

  Right.

  “I was a big, scary kid, and no one would play with me. My mother called me Banner, like Bruce Banner the Hulk, to show me that my size could be used for good. That I wasn’t scary, my size was a gift, and if I worked hard enough, I could be a superhero too.”

  “Oh.” Her tone held no pity but sounded more amazed that a parent could be so kind.

  “She would buy me these ugly troll dolls, and we’d play with them together.”

  “Troll dolls?” She grinned. “Is that why you have this?” She held up my arm and ran a finger over the troll tattoo.

  “Yeah. She told me that no matter how crappy my day was, my friends would always be here.” I let a smile escape from the memory. “She promised me that someday I would find my people. Joining the Army was the best thing I ever did.”

  “You were lucky to have a mother like that.” I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness with her statement, but she quickly shook it off. “Do the guys know about them?”

  “Just one, but he’s a vault so…”

  “Do you still have the trolls?”

  “Maybe.”

  She moved in for a kiss. “Would you ever show me sometime?”

  “Maybe.”

  “I would like to see them.”

  I eyed her more for show and pressed my lips together like I was thinking, when really, I just liked to watch her squirm. “It’s a secret you’ll have to take to the grave.”

  She laughed lightly. “I can safely s
ay I can keep a secret.” She brushed her fingers through my hair. “How can you have hair like this, a scruffy beard, and a body full of tattoos when you’re in the Army? I thought that was a huge no-no.”

  She had asked this before, but I knew she was looking for a better answer.

  “I only had a few when I joined, and now I’m not on active duty. I’m in a special forces division and sometimes go undercover, so I have to look different.” She nodded like she was satisfied with that answer. Her hands continued to roam. “Do you not like it?

  “I do. I am not trying to be nosy. I’m just curious about you.” She sighed happily, and I loved how at ease she made me. I didn’t have to try like I did with Lizzy. Catalina saw me for who I was, and that was good enough. It was beyond refreshing. “So,” she leaned back to look me in the eyes, “you brought me to your thinking spot?”

  “Sometimes I need to clear my head, and this is where I do it.”

  “Ever had a girl in here?”

  “Nope.”

  “So, this is a first for you.”

  “It is.”

  She grinned like she liked that answer too, then pushed past me to sit where I lay to shoot. “You lay right here?” I nodded. “Like this?” She wiggled onto the mat and sprawled out with her arms above her head. I nodded again and dug my heels into the floor to stop my impulse to jump her. “Will you promise me something?” Her breasts, which were now tucked back into place, nearly spilled out of her shirt. “The next time you’re here, all alone and ready to shoot, think of me like this, under you.” She grinned devilishly.

  I bent down and grasped her bent knees and hauled her to me. I hovered over her, careful not to crush her with my weight, and stroked her hair back off her face. Her legs hiked up and crisscrossed around my waist.

  “That, I can promise.”

  We spent the next hour shooting. I loved that we had that in common and that we both liked silence to think.

  A few times, she flipped her hair out of her way, and I had to hold my breath because her perfume drove me wild. It didn’t help that her outfit left nothing to the imagination.

  We were both hungry, so we left the range, and I helped her into my truck. We were ravenous by the time we spotted the taco truck. She had told me she’d never eaten here before, so we had to stop.