Center of Gravity (Marauders Book 3) (33 page)

“Oh fucking hell,” he muttered, but he didn’t move. “Give me a sec.”

“That’s good,” I said, because it felt amazing. I didn’t know if it was that we were in water, or if it was just that he didn’t have a condom, but it felt amazing. Closer, somehow. “How did we miss this the first time?”

“I have no fucking idea,” he groaned and finally pulled out before gently pressing back inside. “Fuck, Anna. That’s… oh, shit.”

I turned my head, and he gave me a long kiss while he kept moving carefully. His fingers started to play over my clit, but I took his hand.

“Careful,” I smiled against his lips. “I want to last.”

“Okay,” he laughed. “Think I’m just scared I’ll shoot off prematurely, because this is fucking fantastic.”

“Are you in a hurry somewhere?” I asked.

“No?”

“Then we have all night.”

He shook his head. “Got a lot longer than just tonight, babe, ‘cause I ain’t using a condom with you again. Ever.”

I moved forward until he slipped out and then turned around. I held his eyes as I wrapped my legs around him and took him inside again. He was right, it was amazing, and I didn’t ever want to use a condom again. I ran my fingers through his beard and kept holding his almost-black eyes with mine.

“I love you,” I said, and he hugged me as close as my belly would let him.

“Again,” he smiled.

-o0o-

The fire was still burning, and Mitch was sitting between my legs, massaging the bad leg.

“Why don’t you talk to Irina about a job?” he asked me. “I’ll ask around, too, if you want me to, but hasn’t she already offered you one?”

For the first time since the accident, I’d actually considered it. I honestly thought I’d be able to work at the ballet. I even wanted to, because I was missing it, and I’d have liked to be a part of it even if it wasn’t as a dancer. Lately I’d started missing the ballet in a different way than I had before. It wasn’t the crippling missing, but more of a longing to be part of it again, even if it wasn’t as a dancer. Earlier it had more been that I missed dancing, but now it was other things, more basic things. I even missed the damn smell of the ballet, and the sounds—just the general feeling of being in the middle of it.

“She offered to look into it. Maybe I should ask her again.”

“Think you’d be okay with it?”

“I think so.” I thought about it some more. “Think I’d be more okay with it if you went with me to the ballet again.”

He laughed. “Think that’s the kind of thing you do for people when you love them.”

“I’ll come with you to some bike convention or something,” I offered, and he laughed again.

“I’ll hold you to that.” He leaned down and gave Sprout a kiss. “How’s the leg now?”

“A lot better. Thank you.” I pulled him down next to me. “I feel a lot better in general. Thank you for ignoring what I said.”

“Oh, Gimp, I’m so gonna remind you about that,” he laughed. “Wanna stay here for a while longer?”

“Yeah. I do,” I said. He pulled a blanket over us and held me tight. “Promise me we’ll do this again, soon.”

“All you have to do is ask, Gimp. I’ll take you skinny dipping every fucking night if you want to.”

-o0o-

He woke me up before the sun came up, and we had sex again. It truly was different, and he loved it as much as I did.

He dropped me off at home, since he was going directly to work, and I found Irina in the kitchen.

“Hey,” she said, and looked surprised. “Why are you coming home now?”

“We spent the night outside, and he was going to work.” I sat down in front of her. “Listen, my boss is becoming something of a problem, and I was wondering if you could maybe look into something at the ballet. Anything really. Or… anything you think I could do.”

Her smile became impossibly big. “I’d love to. I don’t know of anything right now, but I’ll let them know you’re interested.”

“I don’t really have any qualifications.”

“Honey, you know as well as I do that you’re qualified for a lot of the jobs there simply for having been a dancer. There are some things only dancers understand.”

She was right about that, but I highly doubted I’d be able to train anyone, but I still hoped it would work out somehow, because the more I thought about it, the more I wanted back.

“I talked to Mitch the other day about moving,” Irina continued.

“Oh… And?”

“He said it was pretty much up to you, but we also said that we’d look into doing it in about a month.”

“So how does that mean it’s up to me?” I asked. “Sounds like you’ve already decided.”

“We kind of did,” she admitted. “But you need to get this place ready before Sprout arrives. You don’t want to be in the middle of renovations when she’s born.”

“Okay. I think we should do it in about a month.” Since that was what they’d obviously already decided, I might as well go with it.

“Good.” Irina stood up. “I need to get to work, and it looks like you need some sleep.”

I did, and after a cup of tea I went to my room. Which I assumed wouldn’t be my room for much longer. I wasn’t angry, I knew I had a tendency to push things ahead of me, and I’d been worried about setting a date. It seemed so definitive, which, in all honesty, was the point. We needed to decide and get things done. Mitch and Irina were the same in that aspect, and I didn’t even want to know how much planning they did over my head, because I had a feeling it was quite a lot—at least when it came to the moving. I did pick up my phone to call Mitch, though.

“Miss me already
?”

“No. Just calling to let you know I’m on to you and Irina. You’re making plans without me.”

He just laughed
. “Yeah, but I know you’re perfectly comfortable telling me to go to hell if I step over the line.
”

“I am, but I think about a month is a good thing. And she’s looking into a job for me, too.”

“Great. Let me know what she says. I’m going to have a word with your boss, though, and don’t even try to stop me.”

“I’m gonna try, but I have a feeling it won’t matter. Just keep in mind it might just get worse.”

“It really won’t. I can guarantee it won’t. Get some sleep, baby.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Yup. My place tonight. I wanna test sex without a condom in a bed. I think it might be good.”

“I’m sure it’ll be good.”

“Shit. Gotta go. Love you.”

He hung up before I had time to answer, which was just as good because his ‘love you’ threw me off a little. It wasn’t that I didn’t like it, but it felt a little strange. Like we’d gotten to the point where we said ‘love you’ instead of ‘goodbye’ really fast. But then we’d done everything fast, and I just hoped we weren’t going
too
fast. It didn’t feel like we were, but I was still worried. I seemed to be the only one worrying, though. Everyone else seemed to think it was all good, so maybe I should just go with that, too.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Take Me Home

-o0o-

“Think Vi could do a wall painting at the new place?” Mitch asked Mac. “We’re starting the repainting next week, and Anna said one or two wall paintings would be okay.”

“Sure.”

“We can pay her.”

“Don’t think she’ll accept the money, but you can ask her. Did you decide on the other colors?” Mac asked.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Brick said, “but would you like some cranberry juice to go with that discussion?”

Mitch and Mac closed their mouth and shook their heads in unison.

“Good,” Brick continued. “Since we’re done with the pussy talk, maybe we can get this meeting going? There are some things we need to go through. The first shipment is going out from New York on August 12
th
. Bear and I are leaving for Amsterdam a week later.” He looked at Mitch. “Means I’m missing your birthday, but I think you’ll survive.”

“I’m pretty sure I will,” he agreed.

More than anything, he was glad he didn’t have to go with them, since they were closing in on Sprout’s due date by then. That in combination with him still being really worried about Hump mean he didn’t want to leave Greenville unless absolutely necessary. Since Patricia’s murder, Hump was gone again. No sign of him what so ever, but then the only signs of him had been when he popped out to kill someone, so Mitch wasn’t that surprised about it anymore. It still haunted him, but he wasn’t surprised.

Either way, he didn’t want to leave Anna behind. He knew she had protection at all times, but he still felt a need to be the one who kept an eye on her. It might just be that he still was at the stage where he wanted to be close to her all the fucking time.

“How often do you think they’ll want someone from us to go over there?” Sisco asked.

“Don’t think they’ll make any demands,” Bear answered. “Us going there this time was more of an invite to show us their routes and shit like that, but I’d say we still should go now and then, as a sign of good faith. But I’m guessing most of you wouldn’t mind going pretty fucking often anyway, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“No we wouldn’t,” Bull said with a scary smile. “But everything is go, then? Cartel got their shit down, too?”

“Yeah. They’re really eager,” Brick answered. “And I always get worried when they’re eager. I’m just hoping it’s not going to end up being our problem.”

“That what ends up being our problem?” Tommy asked.

“Not sure, yet, to be honest. Might just be that I’m on edge. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Mitch was fairly sure Brick had a plan for that bridge, and any other bridge they might bump into, but he had questions that were a bit more imminent problems.

“What’s happening with the trucks?” Mitch asked.

Once the cargo was over the border, it would be packed and hidden in containers, ready for shipping, and they needed trucks to transport it. In general, Mitch liked the layout, since it meant the stuff was packed by the cartel and was never repacked or changed anywhere along the road by the Marauders. One of the Marauders would be there for the packing of the containers, to oversee the work and to be able to see what was in the shipments. None of this was because they necessarily thought that anyone was trying to trick them, but simply a way to make sure everyone felt comfortable with the arrangements.

“Our own trucks are still running clean, but the US Ghouls have found a few,” Brick said and looked at Mitch and Mech. “Now, those fuckers I don’t trust any further than I can throw them, and they’re a bunch of fat fuckers, so I want you two to check those trucks. See where they come from. Which leads us to the next thing I wanted to bring up—The US Ghouls.”

There was a collective sigh around the table.

“What about them?” Mace wondered with a crooked smile.

“We need to start looking at what friends we have between any of our border crossings and Portland. I’ll talk to Russ. I know he’s got a lot of contacts out west, and I’m sure some of the other Nomads have, too. They ride that stretch pretty often.” Brick sighed. “I know some of you don’t like the idea of what we’re doing here,” he was looking at Bull when he said it, but Mitch knew that Mace didn’t like it either, “but I’m actually more worried about the state of the US Ghouls and what working with them would really mean.”

“I might not like it, but I see what you’re seeing,” Bull said with a nod. “I’ll follow you lead, and I’ll do it without reservations.”

Mitch hadn’t thought anything else. Bull was crazy as fuck, but completely loyal, especially to Brick.

“Any input from Russ on this?” Bear asked.

“I didn’t fill him in. He’ll be here before the shipment. I’ll talk to him then.”

“Did he have anything on Hump?” Mitch asked.

Brick shook his head. “Sorry, kid.”

Mitch hadn’t expected it, but he still felt like shit. It also seemed like it was the only thing he could think about. Luckily, he wasn’t that important to the Dutch operation at the moment, and they all understood. No one blamed him.

“I got a something I just want to bring up quickly,” Dawg said. He was usually a pretty quiet guy at meetings, simply since he didn’t have an area of expertise other than being a really fucking good soldier, and that he knew pretty much everyone in the club, since his dad had been an original member and the first Marauder president. “It’s just regarding Wrench. I don’t know about you guys, but I think he’s doing really well.”

All of them, and Bull especially, nodded. Bull wasn’t an easy guy to impress, but Wrench was the kind of guy he liked—borderline psycho—and Mitch had a hunch Bull felt he’d missed an opportunity when he didn’t step up and took Wrench on as his prospect.

“You think he’s ready for runs?” Brick smiled.

“I think he is,” Dawg confirmed. “I also happen to know he’s licensed to drive trucks, so I think we should make use of him, because I don’t think there’s anyone of us who really questions that he’ll make his prospecting period. And you all know I don’t say that lightly.”

“No you don’t,” Brick nodded. “You’re usually really fucking tough on them. Alright, anyone oppose Wrench working runs?”

There was a unison ‘no’ around the table, and just like that, Wrench was in on the runs.

When they left the chapel, Mitch was surprised to see Anna by the bar, and she didn’t look happy.

“Hey, Gimp. What are you doing here?”

“Your goon wouldn’t drop me off at your place since I’d be alone there,” she muttered and pointed at Wrench who just shrugged. He didn’t look apologetic at all. Not that Mitch had expected him to; Wrench did what he was told. “I told him that he better just take me here then. I honestly didn’t think he would.”

Mitch laughed and looked at Wrench again and gave him a nod as thanks. Initially, the sweetbutts had thought Wrench was ‘the cutest ever,’ but these days they held a healthy fear of him. He wasn’t the kind of guy who hurt them or was into all that freaky stuff, there was just an unnerving air around him that they didn’t like. Mitch kind of understood what they meant. Wrench constantly looked like he at any moment might pull out a knife and slit your throat.

“Thanks, man,” he said to Wrench who gave him another shrug and a nod. Mitch put an arm around Anna. “Wanna stay here for the night?”

She turned around and looked at the party starting around them. “No. Definitely not.”

He chuckled and leaned closer. “What have we learned today?”

“What?” she asked.

“The prospects are always gonna be more scared of me than of you, so follow their lead.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She gave him a kiss. “Take me home.”

The prospect of getting her naked into his bed in less than twenty minutes made him hurry up. He might’ve thought sex with her was good, but fucking her bare was beyond anything, and she was still so fucking horny. The big belly meant some positions was out of the question, but there was still plenty to chose from—all of them awesome.

-o0o-

A few days later, they were at Mac’s place to celebrate his 29
th
birthday. Anna soon sneaked away to some corner with Vi, but Mitch quite liked it. It meant a lot to him that Anna was close to his brother’s wife, because he liked being close to Mac, and if Anna liked Vi that was so much easier.

“Your girlfriend just offered Mel ballet tickets,” Brick muttered and pulled Mitch towards the backdoor. “I need a smoke.”

“You think she’s gonna ask you to go with her?” Mitch laughed.

“I think my wife knows me better than that.”

“I’m only speculating here, but I know Mel is big on lace lingerie—“ he didn’t get to finish, though.

“How the fuck do you know that?”

“Come on, Dad. Everyone knows that. Also, she brings Eliza to the shops.”

“What’s your point?”

“I think she’ll be capable of persuading you to go if she made an effort.” He smiled as he lit his smoke and gave his dad the lighter. “I could say something encouraging about how it’s not so bad and pretty good, but it would mean I’m lying to my dad, and I don’t lie to my dad.”

“That bad?”

“Yup.”

They sat down and kept quiet for a while, but Brick soon started to giggle.

“Imagine the hours of ballet you’re gonna have to watch when your girl is born.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“You know you’re gonna carry her tutu.”

“Not gonna happen, and if it does, it won’t be in front of you or any of the other guys.”

“I bet you a hundred bucks I’m gonna catch you carrying a pink tutu.”

Mitch knew he sooner or later would be carrying Sprout’s tutu, regardless of its color, but he was gonna make damn sure no one from the club caught him doing it. It was a matter of principle, so he was willing to take that bet.

“Deal,” he muttered, and they shook hands. “On the other hand. It’s you grandkid. You’re gonna have to watch her dance, too, so you might as well follow Mel to the ballet.”

“I’m not going to the ballet. I have balls, so I’m not doing that. If my granddaughter’s in a ballet, that’s one thing, but watching a bunch of faggots in tights tossing skinny women into the air—not doing that.”

Brick was a stubborn bastard at times, so Mitch knew it would be tough for Mel to convince him, but she knew her husband and probably knew exactly were all his buttons were. She’d be able to convince him if she made an effort. He was pretty sure a part of the deal would be that no one found out, though, and there was no doubt in his mind that Brick would hate every second of it.

“How are you holding up, kid?” Brick suddenly asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s getting to me.”

“Just keep in mind that that’s what he wants. I get that it’s hard for you, but we’re gonna make sure nothing happens to Anna.”

“I slightly less smart person would probably believe you, but I know that anything can happen.”

“You can’t think like that. It’ll drive you nuts.”

“That’s kind of what’s happening, Dad.” He shook his head. “I just don’t get why we can’t find any traces of him, and I know he has to be close. He can’t be that far away, because he’s keeping an eye on us somehow.”

Mitch had gone through everything he could think of. He’d done searches on everyone even remotely connected to the club, and he’d done it more than once. There was nothing there, nothing to find, and he knew it, but he still couldn’t stop checking. He needed to keep making sure because it would kill him if he realized later on that it was something he should’ve noticed—that he’d missed something—and that Anna or someone else he cared about was hurt because of it.

“Everyone in the entire club is on this. We’ll find him.”

Mitch would feel slightly more confident if it hadn’t been for the fact that everyone in the club had been on it for over six months, but he didn’t mention that. He just nodded.

-o0o-

Later that night, he was in his bed holding the sleeping Anna close to him. He stroked her side and moved further down to rest his hand on Sprout. These days he could feel her all the time. Whenever Anna settled down and stayed still, Sprout woke up and started kicking, and she had hiccups all the time. It drove Anna insane, because apparently it felt just as if she was having them herself, and there was nothing she could do about it. He loved the hiccups, but he’d made sure to not say that to Anna. It was nice to lie next to his girl and feel his baby girl jump inside of her. There was just something so humane with hiccups, and if fascinated him that Anna had a person inside of her who had them.

But for once, both Sprout and Anna were still, and he couldn’t sleep. Even if he’d never been much of a sleeper it had been worse than usual lately. Every time he closed his eyes, he got the most horrifying visions of Anna dead with the numbers of the golden ratio scribbled on Sprout in her own blood. He couldn’t get rid of those visions short of lying next to her and staring at her, watching her breathe.

He turned to his back with a sigh and looked at the boxes that were stacked in the corner. He’d started packing, and it was a strange, but decidedly good, feeling. The apartment had been the one he moved to when he left home, and now he was moving to Anna’s family-home. He was surprised by how comfortable he was with the idea, but it was a great apartment, and he knew they could make it their own. Or at least that he could. Anna didn’t seem particularly interested in any of it, but she’d protested about the things she didn’t like at least. Apparently how she lived wasn’t much of an issue to her the way it was to him, but she was okay with him making big changes, so she wasn’t sentimental about it.