M.I.A. Read online

Brian looked uneasy about the idea, but then he downed the rest of his coffee. He then refilled the cup, dropped an ice cube in it, and downed half of it in one big gulp.

  Jane raised her eyebrows.

  “So, are we good to get out of here?” she asked.

  Brian nodded.

  After throwing on their jackets, they were on their way.

  Chapter 17

  Brian’s house was totally trashed, even worse than Jane’s. The damage done was overwhelming. Entire walls had been smashed out with a sledge hammer, leaving nothing behind but a few of the studs standing like trees on a mountainside just ravaged by a forest fire. All of the mirrors had not only been smashed, but the glass shards tossed around the rooms.

  As they walked through what had been Brian’s house, Jane started to feel like they were on some kind of ride at Disney Land. The fear had worn off completely, it was almost like going to some super avant-garde art gallery. Touring such a scene of rage turned Jane on. She could tell that Brian was feeling much the same way. It made sense, that they would want each other while being in the eye of this new storm. Brian reached for Jane’s hand and pulled her in close beside him as they toured the remains of his home.

  When Jane turned to Brian their lips met in a long, unbroken kiss. Jane’s eyes filled up with tears as she was overtaken by emotion and lust. Jane reached down his pants and found him ready for her.

  Their lips still locked together, Jane unzipped Brian’s pants and slid her fingers along his lower back, sliding his jeans down over his firm round ass.

  They only removed the clothes that would get in the way of what they needed to do. Jane bent over, exposing herself fully to Brian. When he entered her, somewhat aggressively, she moaned with pleasure. He grabbed onto her hip bones and used his strength and power to control the thrusting. Jane’s hands were firmly planted on the wall and she arched her back, creating a nice deep angle for both of them to enjoy. Brian was a good lover, and that was something that she had always appreciated. But this was fucking, and she loved it.

  Jane was willing to give and take the lead, like dancing with a skilled partner. At the end of it, when Jane felt Brian getting close to orgasm, she came in a way that she’d never experienced before. Instead of coming down on her with the force of a waterfall, Jane felt as if there was a pure, energy filled light that welled up inside her. It centered around her clitoris, and spiraled out through her like a firework bursting in the air on the Fourth of July.

  After Brian had grunted and plunged into her for the last time, they lay panting against the wall. Brian buried his face in her hair and held her close.

  When he finally withdrew from her, he zipped up his pants and helped her pull hers up from around her ankles.

  She turned to kiss Brian and saw that he had turned white as a ghost. He shushed her by putting his finger to his lips. Then he motioned in little circles in front of him. Jane was so confused.

  “So, do you remember that fortune you got in your cookie?” He said. “When I sneaked the Chinese food into the hospital?”

  Jane realized that he wanted her to keep going with the conversation. As she talked, she tried to determine what Brian was worried about. Jane wondered if Brian’s imagination wasn’t getting away from him.

  But when she heard it too, her blood ran cold. She tried not to let her voice change or crack in fear. They both just stood there, in the dwindling light of the sun coming through the windows. Someone was in the house with them. They heard strange footsteps, one step, then a dragging sound. Then, every few steps, the sound of something else being dragged, something heavy. Jane and Brian looked at each other in shock and horror as the sound scraped its way across the entire basement, then started thumping up the stairs.

  “Jesus fucking Christ,” Jane whispered. “What the fuck is going on?”

  Brian looked at her with fear in his eyes and motioned for her to keep it down.

  “Whoever it is,” Brian barely whispered, “is coming.”

  The thumping continued up the stairs, slowly, but surely.

  Brian motioned for her to follow him and they both retreated to his den, or what was left of it. The scuttled under the big oak desk and huddled together there. Brian pulled the chair in as closely as he could, just in time.

  She peered through the wooden slats in the front of the desk. She could see someone shuffle to the middle of the room. Instead of bending at the knee the man’s entire leg stayed locked out and was dragged behind him.

  The thing he was dragging behind him was heavy. Jane could tell by the way the figure had to take a step, plant its foot, and twist its hips to get it to drag along the floor. At first, she thought she saw some kind of big ball, as if it were a mace or something like that. But then she realized that it was actually just a common sledge hammer. He was wheezing through a painting mask and his body was wrapped in a dark brown cloak.

  The slowly turned to survey the room. He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and pointing it at the ground, he examined the floor.

  Jane was starting to really get scared, and so was Brian, his hands were sweaty and shaking as they held hers. The figure started to trace their tracks back to the den. It wasn’t long before he was standing right in front of the desk.

  He stood there swaying, his face hidden beneath the hood of the cloak. He was snorting into his mask, and seemed to be having a hard time breathing. He coughed and hacked and clawed the mask off his face. Both Jane and Brian stood stalk still, peering out between little slits in the wood.

  Jane felt Brian’s body stiffen completely when the man passed in front of the desk. She felt Brian’s muscles tensing and quivering in anticipation. Fight or flight. She was biting her lip to keep from screaming. She peered out at the figure and as he turned, his eyes flashed in the light of the setting sun. Jane couldn’t believe the combination of relief and fear she felt as she realized that the eyes didn’t belong to Kyle.

  This man had a deep scar running down his jaw line. Along with his busted up leg, his one arm appeared to be dislocated, and dangling oddly beside his body.

  He moved out of view and they heard a rustling of papers in the corner of the room. But just when she relaxed enough to start breathing again, the man pulled the chair out from the desk, sending it clattering across the floor. The scarred face appeared in above them, his mouth hanging open at a grotesque angle, drool pooling around the corner of his mouth. There was something wrong with him, that much was certain, and it had nothing to do with his body and everything to do with his mind.

  For a moment, he stopped moving, stood stiff as stone, with only his eyes slowly rolling up and back as if he were looking up at the ceiling right above him. He stuck his tongue out, but just the tip, biting down on it hard as he listened. Could he not see them?

  Then Jane heard it to, and so did Brian. A car pulled into the driveway.

  The man jerked his wobbley-eyed gaze to the window and scurried off. They listened as his scraping and thumping steps carried him out of the house, slamming the back door behind him.

  Jane’s mind was spinning, and she thought that she was crying, but it was Brian. It was too much for him. Jane joined him, and she too cried. They stayed huddled, hiding under the desk until early morning, when the first rays of sun created window frame squares on the floor.

  Chapter 18

  On the way to the hotel they didn’t say anything.

  They headed to Jane’s room, and as soon as they stepped through and switched on the lights, special agent Tony’s voice greeted them.

  “I see you went back to Brian’s place for god knows what reasons” he said knowingly.

  Jane blushed, and Brian spoke up, “I was never told I couldn’t go to my own home.”

  “That’s not what’s important here right now. You now know that one of Kyle’s soldiers, is still very much alive. If we hadn’t shown up to scare him off, you’d both be dead.”

  “That was you?” Jane asked.

  “Don’t a
ct so smug,” Brian said. “If you knew that he was there, why didn’t you do anything?”

  Brian stopped talking and looked hard at Tony. The agent, seated on the edge of the bed, stubbed out his cigarette in an empty coffee mug.

  “I can’t believe you’re smoking in my room,” Jane said.

  “Sister, if that’s what you’re worried about then you’ve got your priorities all fucked up. Clearly that man is stalking you two. We are watching his moves, hoping he will lead us to Kyle. That is why we didn’t intervene.” Tony said.

  Brian swore under his breath. “Listen, we don’t know for sure if that man has anything to do with Kyle,” he said.

  Jane sat down on the bed and looked at Tony, then back at Brian.

  Brian shook his head. “That man is crazy and he would’ve killed us” he said angrily.

  “We were fully prepared to engage if that happened.”

  “Sure, you were.” Brian said.

  “Don’t go anywhere. That’s an order. We are following the one-legged freak-show and when we take him down, we will let know. Only then will it be safe for you to leave here.”

  With that the agent left, and they were left alone with each other. Jane crawled into bed and Brian snuggled in beside her. Right now, all they wanted was to be with each other, to feel each other breathe. It was something beautiful, and as they were learning again and again, something precious.

  Chapter 19

  Jane awoke in a cold sweat. She had dreamt that the scarred man was attacking Brian with the sledgehammer. He had tied her up and forced her to watch while he bludgeoned her lover to death.

  She peeled the sheets from her sweat soaked body and padded off to the bathroom to get a glass of water. Was it withdrawal? Is that why she was having these horrible dreams? Or, was it the fact that a man was actively trying to kill her?

  She leaned over and spat some water into the sink, relieving her dry mouth. She splashed some water on her face and examined her reflection in the mirror. She was a ghost of what she had once been. Her face looked sallow and her eyes sunken and hollow. She looked as though she had aged ten years in the last one.

  She tiptoed back into the room and was comforted by Brian’s soft breathing. He had been so amazing to her this past year. She truly loved him, it wasn’t the drugs, it wasn’t the situation that they had been thrust into. She loved him. Full stop. He had saved her life in more ways than one. As she watched him sleep, she knew what she had to do.

  She slipped her jeans on over her undies and threw on a gray t-shirt over her bra-less breasts. She shoved her bare feet into her running shoes and grabbed Brian’s gun, shoving it into the back of her pants. She slipped out of the room without a sound.

  She hobbled to her house. If this lunatic were stalking her, at least she would have a home turf advantage in her own home. She was slightly out of breath as she strode onto her front porch. The graffiti had been painted over, but anyone could clearly see the word ‘whore’ still emblazoned on the side of the building. She sat directly in front of the red spray painted graffiti and waited.

  She didn’t have to wait long before she heard the familiar slide and thunk of the footfall of the scarred man. This time she wasn’t scared. This scenario had one of two options: she was going to die, or she was going to live. She was fine with either.

  He didn’t have the mask on this time. His eyes searched wildly across the porch and when they met hers, she saw him smirk.

  She stood up and held her hands up in the air.

  “I just want to talk.”

  “Maybe we should just fuck, you seem to be good at that.” He growled.

  Jane took a chance and peeled the t-shirt off her body, exposing her perky breasts to the night air.

  The man took two quick steps back.

  “What’s the matter, tough guy? Can’t put your words where your mouth is?”

  “Pppput your shirt back on. Kyle, I’m so sorry. I didn’t look. I swear that I didn’t look.” He stammered as he looked wildly around.

  He was clearly experiencing some kind of mental break and Jane temporarily felt sorry for the man. He needed help, but she needed him out of her life.

  “Hi Kyle.” Jane said and waved to the air beside scar chin.

  He whirled around and screamed at the air, “Don’t you talk to that whore. Remember how she betrayed you? With your own brother?”

  “I love you Kyle and I miss you.” Jane whispered at the emptiness, and she really meant it. She hadn’t ever really said goodbye to him. “I’m sorry.” She felt the big tears rolling down her face.

  “Don’t you dare listen to her. I came back to kill the whore for you.” His rant increased in volume as his level of agitation rose. “I don’t care if you loved her and if you’re okay with her being with your brother. Stop saving her. She’s not worth it. I’m sorry my friend, I have to kill this bitc…”

  As he took a step towards her a shot rang out and the man stumbled, falling backwards to the floorboards of the porch. Jane side stepped out of the way of the pool of blood that was forming underneath him. Her hands were shaky as she dropped the gun and fell to the ground crying.

  She saw a folded piece of paper in his front coat pocket and recognized the writing. It was Kyle’s. She slid it out of the man’s pocket and held it in her hand without opening it. She fell to her knees and curled up in a ball on the ground beside the bleeding and unconscious man.

  She heard sirens in the distance as her brain raced with everything the crazy man had said. She shouldn’t have shot him. He was the only one who could give her closure, the only one who could tell her what had happened to Kyle.

  Chapter 20

  The scar chin man had survived the gunshot wound. He was delirious, but once calmed with sedatives he revealed that his name was Brad. He was a young soldier who had been under Kyle’s command. He had defected after they were attacked on the road. Kyle had almost escaped from the ambush, only to drive the Humvee over a landmine.

  He had idolized Kyle and was suffering from PTSD so badly that he believed that Kyle was with him and instructing him to find his wife to tell her that he loved her. When he saw Jane with Brian he was so deeply disturbed that it sent him off the deep end.

  Whenever the sedative started to wear off Brad would scream for Kyle. He was belligerent and angry and swore that Kyle was still alive and that everyone would pay for writing him off as dead.

  The doctors had recommended that Brad be committed to a mental institution for further evaluation.

  When Jane awoke, she found herself in the hospital still clutching the paper that she had plucked from Brad’s pocket. With shaking hands, she flattened out the faded paper and smiled at the familiarity of the handwriting:

  Dear Jane,

  If you’re reading this, it means that I will never see you again. I want you to know that I love you and I’m sorry for leaving you for this horrible mission. Do not cry for me baby. I love you and will watch over you forever. Move on, find someone to love and take care of you. Please live a happy life so that my death in this war won’t be in vain. Tell Brian that I love him too.

  Yours forever,

  K.

  “Jane, I don’t know what to say” Brian said as he slid into the hospital bed beside her. His eyes were brimming with tears as he read his brother’s words over her shoulder.

  “There’s nothing to say” Jane replied holding the paper to her heart. “He wanted me to be happy, and I can’t imagine being happy with anyone other than you. I feel like he would approve of us being together.”

  “You’re sure that you’re not just trying to replace Kyle with the closest possible thing to him?”

  “I wondered that at first, but no. You may be Kyle’s brother, but you will never take his place. You have a completely new place in my heart. I love you Brian.”

  Brian leaned in to kiss Jane on the lips but stopped short. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

  “Marry me.”

 
“Yes” Jane’s voice wavered as she leaned in to Brian and pressed her lips to his.

  They held each other closely in a tight embrace, Jane’s head on Brian’s solid chest, listening to the thump of his heartbeat. Just as Jane was about to drift off to sleep, she sat bolt upright in bed. Everything seemed like it was wrapped up in a bow, except for the fact that someone dragged her out of the woods. She was sure in her heart of heart that it was Kyle.

  She sank back into the pillows and smiled. Months ago, this revelation would’ve sent her into a tailspin, but now, she was at peace. He was alive, and she’d never see him again. She also knew, in her heart, that Kyle wanted her to be with Brian.

  The End.

  BONUS BOOKS

  BLIND DATE WITH THE PRESIDENT

  CHAPTER ONE

  There wasn’t much that Jackson wanted for in his life. That being said Jackson knew that his life was much different from the lives most other ‘normal’ people led. Most people worked nine to five jobs and worried about paying off their student loan debt. But not Jackson. He had led a different life. He’d joined up with the Rough Riders a long time ago. Thinking back on it now it seemed like a lifetime, but he knew that it wasn’t. Jackson was only twenty-eight years old, and he had a lot of life left ahead of him. And, right now, he was at the top of the biker MC world.

  He had recently ascended to leader of the Rough Riders, something that he had always wanted; but there was something missing in his life. He’d tried to tell himself that it was just an empty feeling, that he didn’t need a woman around to make him happy. Besides that, where was he going to meet a woman that he would get along with anyway? Sure, there were plenty of whores that hung around the clubhouse, and Jackson hadn’t been above using them for his voracious needs. But now, he was looking for something more, a real connection.

  The nearby town of Ames, Iowa, held one of the nation’s top party schools, but he didn’t think it was a good idea to try to source his next old lady by sifting through the throngs of elitist Uggs wearing girls of the university.