Heavy breathing filled the air, the moisture coated the windows making them fog up. Sweat coated their bodies as they laid there clinging to each other. She panted as she laid there against his chest. They finally had sex after all this time, after eight months of dating she finally gave herself to him. It felt right though because she loved him and she was damn sure he loved her back even though they haven’t said I love you to each other.
She heard Cody murmur something to her but she didn’t understand him because she was almost asleep. She’d ask him tomorrow what he had said. She fell deeper into sleep as she felt his hand caressing her thigh.
On the ride to her house things weren’t exactly awkward, there was tension and she didn’t know why. Last night was nice, so why was she feeling this way?
Cody hasn’t looked at her since they got their clothes on. She had a bad feeling that something was going to happen and she didn’t like it. Her heart started racing as he drove, he turned onto her street and if she wasn’t wrong the tension was even worse.
He parked in front of her house and the silence filled the car, talk about awkward. Bailey wanted to ask what was wrong but was afraid of the answer he was going to give her.
They sat there for about three minutes; Bailey kept looking at her watch wondering how long things were going to stay like this. She couldn’t stand it anymore. She sighed and unbuckled her seat belt and then turned her body so she was facing him.
She looked down at her hands as her thumbs rubbed together. “Just say it,” she softly told him, her chest tightened, call it woman’s intuition but she knew what was about to happen and she couldn’t believe it.
She moved her gaze from her hands to his body and heard him sigh as he unbuckled his seat belt. He propped his elbow against the window and rubbed his jaw as he looked out the drivers’ side window.
“Bailey, yesterday I took you out for a reason. I….I’m leaving in three days.”
Leaving? “What do you mean your leaving?” she asked, she was confused.
Surely he didn’t mean leaving her; he promised he would stay near her after he graduated.
“I leave for boot camp,” he sighed.
Boot camp? Oh God, he joined the military. “I’ll wait for you, I’ll wait for you to come back.” She would wait, she loved him.
“I don’t want you waiting for me,” he told her harshly. “Bailey last night wasn’t supposed to happen, last night was a mistake.”
Bailey’s chest tightened, her heart raced and her throat became thick with emotion as her eyes began to burn. A mistake?
“You don’t mean that,” she managed to tell him; her tears were on the verge of falling.
She stared at him, watched him as he glanced out the window, he was serious, no emotion whatsoever, as he just sat there. He was breaking her heart and he didn’t even care.
“I mean it; this relationship shouldn’t have lasted eight months. I should have broke things off months ago.”
Months ago? Why was he doing this?
“How can you say that? I gave you everything!” she cried.
“You don’t mean it,” she sobbed. He couldn’t, he loved her, she told herself.
Cody sighed as he turned his head to look at her, still no emotion as he stared at her crying. Did he truly not feel anything for her?
“I’m not good enough for you, is that what this is about? Because I’m not a stupid blond cheerleader?” she yelled at him as she sobbed.
Bailey wasn’t what Cody went after, she didn’t even know why he even bothered with her, and she wondered how he even noticed her to begin with especially since they weren’t in the same grade. She wasn’t blond like most of the girls he went out with and he only dated cheerleaders and she was neither.
“Why did you even bother with me?” she questioned him.
“Because your beautiful but that doesn’t matter now, I’ve made up my mind and when I come back theirs not going to be us, we’re done Bailey.”
“You promised me,” she pointed out.
“I once meant that promise but not anymore,” he softly said as he turned his attention back to his window.
“Don’t do this please, I-,” I love you is what she was going to say before Cody interrupted her.
“Don’t say you love me, please,” he whispered.
“But I-,”
“Bay, don’t do this, your just going to make things harder on yourself. You don’t love me; you only think you love me. You’re just infatuated with me that is all it is. You’ll get over me.” His voice was harsh as he told her and Bailey didn’t know why he was being so mean to her.
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, infatuated!
“I’m not trying to fight with you, please, just accept this. Let it be Bailey.”
Let it be? Just accept this? How the hell was she supposed to do that? How? When she hurt this bad? She no longer felt whole.
Accept it, accept it Bailey, accept that he doesn’t care about you, accept that he doesn’t want you, and accept that you’re not what he wants.
She turned her head away from him and wiped her tears away, and then she wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve. She took a deep breath to compose herself; she bet she looked pathetic right now.
“Ok,” she whispered.
“Ok?” he softly asked, confused.
“Yes,” she turned her head and met his blue pain filled eyes. At least she wasn’t the only one hurting.
“I-,” she took a deep breath and looked down at her hands in her lap.
Bailey heard him move; felt him closer to her body but she didn’t look up.
What do you say now? She needed to get out of this van before she lost it again.
Bailey felt his finger beneath her chin, he gently tried easing her head up only she wasn’t budging.
Instead of doing that again his finger slid along her jaw line and then his hand cupped the side of her face, forcing her head to budge.
When Bailey’s head lifted her lips were greeted with his, only she didn’t kiss him back.
Cody brushed his lips against hers and planted another kiss on her lips.
He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered, “Kiss me back Bay, one last time.”
He moved his lips back towards her and kissed her gently, still nothing. She felt his hot breath against hers.
“Kiss me bay,” it was more a plea than anything.
Do it Bailey, this might be the last time you kiss the boy you love. The impulse was there but she couldn’t, she wouldn’t. She didn’t want to remember the way his lips felt against hers, it would be too much.
“Can I change your mind?” she whispered against his lips.
“No, Bailey.”
“Then I can’t,” she very much wanted to.
“Bay, please, just one more,” Cody kissed her once more.
She closed her eyes, the ache and need to kiss him back was there but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Instead her lips trembled and she whispered, “Good bye Cody.” She opened her eyes and pushed him back, making his hand fall from her face. He opened his eyes and Bailey lost it, she cried as she saw the agonizing look on his face, she felt the urge to comfort him but ignored it as she opened the door. She slid off the seat and closed the door, not looking back she ran across the concrete path that led to her front door.
She ran into a hard body, she looked up and saw her brother’s angry face. She knew that look; he was going to beat the shit out of Cody.
“Blake don’t,” she cried as she wrapped her arms around him. She rubbed her face against his chest as she cried; she immediately felt her brother’s tight embrace.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered against her head as he pulled her the rest of the way into their house. She didn’t turn around to see if Cody was still parked there.
She should have listened to her brother. He told her to be careful, he told her that Cody was going to break her heart and she didn’t listen. She hoped she would never lay eyes on him again.
Part One
Eight years later
For the past week Bailey’s felt watched, she couldn’t explain the feeling. Of course she was watched every night as the job she obtained required that but this watching felt different, it made her feel scared. But currently she felt as ease as she sat there at the bar and watched her really hot coworker clean up for the night.
She slumped against the bar top and sighed heavily, “When is it time to leave?” she whined.
Matty laughed at her as he cleaned the marble counter with a blue wash cloth and spray.
“I told you five minutes ago,” he told her as he laid the cloth against his shoulder.
“You realize your laying bleach against your black shirt?” she laughed.
“Fuck, forgot. Thanks for telling me after I laid it on my shirt,” he sighed as he took it off and starting rubbing the area where a light spot was appearing.
“Sorry,” she laughed.
She sat up and started moving the chair from side to side like she used to do when she was younger. She loved these kind of chairs, every time she sat on one and started moving them, it reminder her of all the times her mother took her to the diner in town.
“I can really feel the apology,” he said as he watched her move in her chair, her smile falling.
“What’s wrong Bailey?” he asked her as he began to organize the bottles of liquor.
“Just thinking,” she murmured.
“About,” he pushed.
“My mother,” she sighed.
“I’m sorry,” he sadly sighed.
The only memories she had of her parents where when she was fourteen, she didn’t remember the last eight years of her life and she didn’t want to think about that right now.
“No big deal.” She simply said, she looked up at him and smiled, he didn’t smile in return which kind of made her smile falter.
“It is, with them dying last year and you not remembering.” He told her.
Bailey hid her shock the best she could as she saw Matty’s jaw tightened. She never mentioned her parents dying last year, she mentioned losing her memory but that was it.
“I guess,” she sighed. She watched him relax a little, his jaw loosing a bit. Maybe he thought that she didn’t notice his slip? She’d go along with it.
She stared at him, Matty was quite handsome. He had nice tan skin, a smile that melted girl’s hearts and teal green eyes. They were more of a sea green but Bailey stuck with teal. Matty was well stacked to, he had nice broad shoulder that Bailey liked to watch as he worked, and she liked watching his huge biceps as well. She hasn’t seen his abs, though she didn’t need to. If he was ripped on his biceps then he was ripped there as well.
Matty was tall as well, made her look shorter when she didn’t wear her stilettos. He had gorgeous black hair that the girls loved. They were really busy on ladies night thanks to him of course, though he wouldn’t even admit that.
“So, how many numbers did you get tonight?” she asked as she watched him rinse the last two shot glasses.
Matty turned his head towards her and smirked, “I don’t even know”.
“Are you going to call them?” she said with a hint of distaste in her tone.
Matty arched his brow as he dried the glasses. “Jealous?” He said as his lips quirked into a small smile.
Bailey snorted, “Not at all,” she said as she waved her hand in the air.
She actually was jealous, just a tiny bit. She was starting to have a crush on Matty.
“No need honey, you know I only have eyes for you,” he joked.
Bailey snorted once more, “Right eyes for a stripper.”
The smirk disappeared as he looked at her. “You’re more then that and you know it. So I don’t ever want to hear you say that again.”
Jesus, he sounded like her brother; he looked like him right about now, with that serious look on his face.
“You remind me of my brother,” she whispered, again she saw his jaw tighten just a bit.
“How so?” he questioned her.
“That look and what you just told me. He’s that way with me now; well not sure if now is ok to put it since I don’t remember him. But lately he’s been that way and he’s been stricter.”
“How so?” he asked.
“When I put myself down he gets pissed and he’s firm with me and I can tell he’s not telling me the whole truth about my old life.” She sighed.
“Like what per say?”
“I’m not sure but when ever I ask him about certain things he changes the subject and I know he does it on purpose. He’s only told me that I served four years in the Army and that’s how I lost my memory. He won’t tell me much else. A lot of things aren’t making sense.”
She realized how Matty was hanging on her every word. Strange, she thought.
“It’s time to go” he said.
Bailey looked up at the clock, it was ten minutes past the time they were suppose to close.
“So it is,” she sighed as she eased off.
“I’ll meet you at the front; I got to go turn in the money.” Matty told her as he emptied the cash register. “Stay inside the club please and wait, don’t go outside.” He told her.
It sounded more like an order but Bailey was fine with that, she didn’t want to go outside.
“Ok, hurry up.” She told him as they started walking in different directions.
In some ways Matty was more like a brother to her and she didn’t know how she felt about that. He seemed familiar to her, at times she got a glimpse of a memory and he was in it along with her brother and as soon as she saw it, it was gone. She knew him though, she just didn’t know how well. Their must have been some level of trust they once had if he was friends with Blake.
Blake didn’t just make anybody his friend, he trusted some and that was it. Even that trust only went so far and if Matty had some trust with her brother that meant they had some as well.
She only waited what seemed like five minutes before she felt Matty behind her. She could easy identify it was him by the way his feet sounded as it hit against the ground. She turned around and hid her shock as she saw him barely descending the stairs. She felt him close by even though he wasn’t close by.
She didn’t know how to explain that, she’s been noticing stuff she shouldn’t be noticing. Like how she noticed Matty’s slip and his jaw tightening.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Snapping her out of her thoughts she looked up at him and was met with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
He held the door open for her as she walked out side. She felt him behind her as she continued walking towards her bike.
“Don’t need a ride home?” he said as they walked closer to her bike.
“Nope,” she smiled.
Her smile faltered as she felt that uneasy feeling again. She was being watched again, she stopped herself from looking around. She couldn’t give it away, that she knew.
“What are you doing tonight?” she asked as they stopped in front of her bike, it was still covered. She should still check it though, she thought.
She listened as Matty talked, she eased the cover off and inspected it, running her fingers along the nice the paint job she just had done a month ago. There wasn’t anything on her bike so it was safe to ride it.
“That sounds nice,” she told him as she stood up.
She grabbed her bike helmet and then threw her leg over her bike and straddled it.
“Where you going tonight?” he asked her suddenly.
“Just home no where special, I’m actually really tired.” She told him as she eased her helmet on.
“Ok, drive safe. Will you?” he told her in a serious tone.
“Of course, see you tomorrow.” She told him as she kicked the stand and turned on the bike, she loved the sound, it reminded her of a satisfied cat to her, the way it purred.
She eased back and felt the uneasiness even more. She looked at the incoming traffic and eased out right behind silver Honda Civic.
It clicked in her head as soon as her bike got on the main street; she was going to be followed. The light turned red making her stop, she tried not to panic.
She needed to focus, a memory surfaced. She remembered Blake telling her if she were ever followed it would be a silver or black car with dark tinted windows. She looked in her review mirrors and noticed four black cars behind her no silver at all, except for the one right next to her.
She sat up and turned her head to look at it. Silver Honda Civic with dark tinted windows. She tried not to panic as it fit the description.
It was just a coincidence, she told herself. Horns blared behind her; she slowly eased forward and waited till the civic rode ahead. She rode behind it, watching to see what it was going to do; she didn’t expect it to turn right. That wasn’t the car which meant there was another one and it was behind her.
She looked in the review mirrors and only saw a black BMW. She made a sudden right turn and watched as it made a sudden right turn. Oh God!
Take notes she told herself, Blake would ask her what the car looked like but how was she going to do that? She couldn’t, not now; the car was speeding up behind her. Car following didn’t work that way? They usually wanted to be unseen but that wasn’t the case right now.
It was hard keeping an eye and driving but she was glad she managed because she was watching the side passenger window roll down and….dear lord there was a gun pointed at her.
Bailey made another short turn and took them by surprise. She needed to lose them; they were trying to kill her. She made to more sharp turns, the last one she thought she wasn’t going to make it but she did and she saw a parking structure up ahead. She could hide and wait in there.
She looked behind her and around making sure there wasn’t anybody around her and then she eased into the parking structure and rode all the way to the top.
She parked next to a red sports car and got off the bike. She took off her helmet and dropped it as she walked to the railing. She braced herself on the railing as she panted and began to cry. Why was somebody trying to kill her?
She needed to calm herself before she called Blake.
Blake sat in the make shift control room looking over files, making sure he wasn’t missing any detail, any detail missed and it could cost one of the lives of his men. He hasn’t lost one yet and he wasn’t going to lose one now. In four days time they were going to move in on a drug lord and he needed everything, details, maps, the outlines of where he was and his men were all looking at those as well at this very moment.
“Sir, you have an incoming call.” Whitman told him.
Blake looked up and saw the soldier looking at him, his face serious. Blake didn’t know what cause it. “Who is it?”
“Bailey, sir.”
Blake cursed, Bailey never called him. Even when he was away she never called him, something was wrong.
“I want everyone quiet now!” he shouted. He watched as everybody dropped everything and looked at him with serious faces. He understood he rarely shouted at them and when he did it was serious business.
“Whitman put her through the intercom now!” he commanded.
“Right away sir,” Whitman said in a grave tone.
He stood up and braced himself on the edge of the rounded table and waited for her to come through. He looked around and saw look of his men’s faces as they waited to. They knew it was Bailey and they were just as concerned about her as he was, they loved her like family and they were just as protective of her as he was.
The room was no longer silent as they all heard panting and soft cries. Bailey sounded like a wreck.
“Bailey, talk to me.” Blake calmly told her.
“I was just followed,” she breathed out. “Blake they had a gun on me.”
Curses filled the room as they all looked up at him. “”Bailey where are you?”
“That new parking structure down the street from the diner,” she took another deep breath.
“What did the car look like?” he questioned.
“I didn’t get a good look; all I know is that it was a black BMW.” She told him.
Her voice was still shaky; he could tell she was beyond scared. Such a new Bailey compared to the last one he once knew. The old bailey would have shot back and probably would have killed them. This one didn’t know what to do, he hated her defenseless.
“Ok, that’s good enough.” He would get the rest of the details from Stiles.
“Where the fuck was Stiles,” Richmond shouted.
“Now’s not the time for that,” Blake commanded.
“B-Blake,” she cried. “They just pulled into the parking structure.”
More curses filled the room; everybody was now on the edge of their chairs as they stared at the intercom.
“Whitman hack into the cameras now,” he shouted.
“Bailey listen to me this is very important, your very life might depend on this.” He said in a dead tone.
“Ok, I’m listening but Blake please hurry.” She said in a shaky voice.
“Do you have your ear piece?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Where’s my footage?” he yelled.
Blake pushed his chair back and heard it hit the wall as he walked over the row of computers. He watched as Whitman’s hands flowed over the computer, and in no time he had footage of Bailey.
“Bailey how many floors?” he asked her then. “Whitman I want footage on the car at all times.”
“Yes, sir.” Whitman’s hands glided over the keyboard and then he brought up the footage of the car.
“Give me everything you can on the car.” He told him. “Bailey,” he yelled. “I need you to focus, how many levels?”
“Twelve, but only one, two, three, five and ten have cars. The others are pretty much empty” she breathed out.
“You have the ear piece on?”
“Yes.”
“Are their stairs?” he suddenly asked her.
“Yes, but what about my bike Blake?” she asked him, her voice saddened.
“Don’t worry about your fucking bike; I’ll buy you a new one. Get you ass down those stairs, now.”
“Ok,”
Blake watched as she started running towards the door that marked exit. She opened it and then he watched her disappear. He needed to time this just right or she was gone.
“Whitman I want the stairs and the lower ones I need to know if they have one coming up.”
Blake had video on Bailey and watched as she descended the stairs and almost tripped.
“Bailey watch your feet, I won’t lose you to a flight of stairs.”
“Whitman what level is the car on?”
“Five, sir. There moving slowly, their looking for her.”
Blake felt his men behind him now, huddled around the computers as they watched Bailey, her heavy breathing and foots step filling the room.
Bailey was on level six now and the man coming up the stairs was on three. They were getting too close.
“Status on the car,” he demanded as he watched Bailey.
“Going on level ten, their moving fast now, sir,” Whitman said.
“Whose watching level five?” he asked as Bailey got closer to that level, he needed her off the stairs and quick before the guy saw her, she was unarmed.
“Young security guard,” Richmond said.
“Bailey, stop on level five.” He watched as she stopped dead in front of the door that marked Level Five.
“Take off your leather jacket and put on your stilettos.” He told her.
He watched as she slipped off her back pack and then her leather jacket, she opened her back packet and pulled out her stilettos and switched them with boots and then stuffed her leather jacket in the back pack.
“Bailey there’s a young security guard, your going to have to seduce him.” He slowly told her.
“Whitman, the car.” He demanded as he watched Bailey fluff out her hair and adjust her corset.
“Coming down on level eight,” Richmond said.
“Whitman, get out of the fucking chair and let Richmond handle this.”
The young soldier didn’t have time to argue; he was gripped by the collar and pulled out of the chair.
“The guy coming up on level five, she needs to move now, sir,” Richmond demanded.
“Bailey you need to knock him out, grab his gun and grab keys, find a car with tinted windows. Now you have less then five minutes.”
He watched as Bailey quickly opened the Level Five door, the footage immediately changing, keeping an eye on her. He watched as Bailey dropped her back pack and quickly walked around the small office that was there.
She walked in and immediately the security guard stood up and walked over to her, his eyes roaming over her body, they lingered a bit by her breasts.
Blake watched as Bailey talked to him and watched as the security guards eyes lit up a bit. In no time Bailey had him up against the glass window, his hands going to her body. He moved his hands down her waist and cupped her butt. Bailey kissed him on the neck and slapped his hand away as he tried untying her corset from the back.
If this situation was different his men would have laughed, he would have laughed but it wasn’t a time for that. What happened next was all to fast; Bailey kneed him right between his legs and slammed her head against his, making his bounce back from the glass, Bailey stepped back and they both watched as he slumped to the ground.
She grabbed his gun from his belt and then ran to grab keys. When she thought she had enough she ran out of the office and start pushing buttons.
“Car on level six sir,” Richmond said in a grave tone.
They were getting to close. Bailey had seconds left.
“Guy is on his way back down sir, looks like he’s going to meet the car on five.”
Curses filled the room, he was damn pissed that Bailey took out the ear piece.
He watched as she took off her stilettos and picked up her backpack and ran. She stopped at a dark blue mustang and opened the door and threw her back pack in as she started to close the door.
“Rounding the corner sir,” Richmond said with a sigh of relief.
“She’s not out yet,” he reminded them all.
She got in the car though just in time, after she closed the door; the car rounded the corner and stopped as the Level five door opened. They all watched as the large guy got in and then the car was on the move again. She wouldn’t have stood a chance if she went head to head with that guy.
“Keep eyes on that BMW,” he said as he took a seat. Where was he going to send her? All his men were with him, all but two, one being Stiles and the other Morell. He would have to watch her till he got back. That might be too long, he wasn’t going to be back in the states for another week, and he didn’t think Bailey would survive that longs with out help, she was vulnerable in so many ways.
“Their out of the structure, there was another car waiting for it sir, a silver Honda Civic.”
“Send the details to Stiles.” He demanded.
“No,” Richmond told him. “If he did what you order Bailey wouldn’t have almost died tonight, you can’t trust him with her life,” he pointed out as he stood.
“Sit your ass down,” he ordered.
Richmond hesitated but sat down. “Stiles will track the car; I’m sending her to Morell.”
“What?” Richmond exclaimed. “You can’t!”
“It’s my fucking decision, who else would protect her?” he questioned.
Richmond was pushing this, questioning his orders. Everybody else stood there trying to mask there shock.
“He’s right, he knows he’s the only one who would give their life for hers, and he’d do anything and everything to keep her alive.” Noah Morell stepped in beside Richmond. “I know my cousin and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her.”
“That’s the problem,” Richmond pointed out.
“Let it go Richmond,” Blake told him, he wasn’t going to deal with this.
He knew exactly why Richmond was questioning this. He and Bailey dated briefly a couple of years ago and he wanted more, he wanted her out of the Army and she chose the Army instead. Having Bailey protected by Morell meant having a person who loved her deeply, protecting her. It was the best he could do, for now till he got back.
“You had your chance with her and she chose to stay in the army, don’t let your feelings get in the way of this. Her life is on the line, what are you going to do about it, huh? You’re here and she’s over there.”
“Let Morell watch her and then I’ll take over after we get back to the states.”
“That’s an order,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Richmond muttered.
Shit, he forgot about Bailey. Fuck that meant she just heard everything if she had her ear piece back on.
“Bailey, honey are you there?” he asked as he braced himself on the rounded table.
“I’m here, where do I go?” she whispered.
“I’ll give you the address in a text message. You go straight there don’t go home for anything, you’re going to be staying there till I get back home,” he calmly told her.
“Ok,” she breathed out.
“Bailey don’t worry, you’ll be safe I promise whether I get back there in time or not, you’ll be safe.” He could hear her breathing pick up as he told her. “You’ll be safe, now go, and drive safely.”
He pushed a button on the intercom and then heard the dial tone.
He turned around and looked at his men. “Let’s hurry up with this,” he told them. Each anger face nodded, he couldn’t blame them, and he knew exactly how they felt. Bailey was alone, in danger and she couldn’t remember how to defend herself. They were out of the states, they couldn’t drop everything and head back, he had orders as well and he couldn’t disobey.
Bailey pulled up to extremely nice condos, she wondered who lived here. Would this be the Morell guy or was he just going to take her somewhere else. She remembered what her brother said this man would protect her till he got back, she needed to trust him if she wanted to stay alive.
She parked the mustang and didn’t bother with putting her stilettos back on, she got out and started walking up the path that led up to a small set of stairs, she stepped on the first step and watch as the front door opened suddenly.
A gorgeous man stood in the door way, the light coming from inside the house showed off his huge body. Bailey paid more attention to his face then his body for some reason.
He had short dark brown hair, his eyes were a blue, a light blue and there was a crinkle between his brows as he stared down at her and talked on the phone.
“She’s here now, I’ll keep in touch,” he said right before he closed the phone and stuck it into his pocket.
He looked at her, the crinkle between his brow disappearing as his eyes roamed over her body. He stepped out of the house and walked closer to her, Bailey walked the last steps and was just a couple of feet away from him, she felt a stirring running through her body and she had no idea what it was. She didn’t even now this man.
“Cody Morell,” he softly told her as he extended his arm.
“Bailey Summers,” Bailey whispered, she extended her arm and noticed how shaky it was. He still gripped her hand though and softly shook it, her hand felt small in his large ones.
“Nice to meet you Ms. Summers,” he smiled.