Pussycat in Peril (Pussycat Death Squad Book 3) (9 page)

“How long have you been hacking the phones?” Kaeden asked, wondering why the US government had been unable to pick up chatter if people were able to use the hacked phones.

“Almost as soon as they imposed the quarantine. It’s a lot of work though. No sooner than I have worked out the software than they find a new way to shut it down. I have to charge a lot of money for the service and it doesn’t last very long,” Dawood said.

Lelia had said they picked up sporadic chatter so that made sense. It was still odd though that it was so inconsistent. It was unlikely that Dawood was the only hacker in the country. Why weren’t they getting through? During other similar rebellions there had even been traffic on Twitter and YouTube. Obviously the Laritrean governments had learned something from the mistakes of other regimes. He struggled to figure out a way to ask the question without revealing that he had far more contact with US intelligence than he should. Then he realized that Dawood had been speaking and he’d missed everything he’d said.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Astaria said you have some knowledge of electronics?”

Kaeden nodded, fairly certain that it wouldn’t be prudent to tell this man that his training consisted of dismantling IEDs.

“My repair business had started tapering off prior to the quarantine. But it’s picking up again and I’ve got a few repairs to work on. You can work with me for a while in the back. Sarai and Astaria can see to customers.”

Kaeden nodded, knowing the other man wanted to assess his ability. That was okay; he was glad to have something meaningful to do. Sitting around waiting for the quarantine to end would have driven him insane.

He and Dawood went to the workroom in the back of the store while Astaria and Sarai remained in the front of the store. Sarai had gone over to the register to show Astaria how to operate it and also to run reports. He could hear them talking softly while he and Dawood began tinkering on the electronics. It didn’t take long for him to demonstrate his ability to Dawood’s satisfaction and the other man left him to work on a radio with a short in it while he worked on a computer. Thus occupied, the day went swiftly much to Kaeden’s relief.

Chapter Six

Astaria crept silently down the side of the building making her way into the shadowy alleyway below. Though it probably would’ve been possible to slip out the back door undetected, the back of the store opened into a busy street and there were other businesses across the street and next door so it was crucial that she take every precaution. While it was unlikely there would be anyone out at three in the morning, it paid to be cautious. Going up through the secret attic exit Dawood used for receiving contraband cell phones and into the narrow alley exposed her to a lot fewer eyes. She did wish she had not worn the abaya though. Kadiyya’s wardrobe didn’t include any dark colors, and Astaria feared she’d stand out too much wearing anything light. The loose, full-length garment made concealment easier, but rappelling down a three story building in it was far more difficult. Before she could heave a sigh of relief as her feet reached the ground, she was caught in an embrace that she recognized instantly.

“Allah be praised, sister. I thought for sure you were dead,” Halil, her younger, but significantly larger brother said.

“Halil! I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been so afraid for you.”

“You’ve been afraid for me? I can’t tell you how sick I was when I saw the Presidential Palace. That huge building was reduced to ashes in just minutes. I didn’t believe anyone could survive,” he said, stepping back.

She narrowed her eyes to study him in almost total darkness. Halil was tall, like their father, he was at least four inches over six feet with a heavy musculature he carried well. They had similar coloring and with his closely cropped hair and beard, he cut a striking figure. Her baby brother was quite good looking or so nearly every member of the Guard had endlessly reminded her as they had all had crushes on him, but there was only one he’d shown any interest in, but that hadn’t lasted long. Her mother had despaired Halil ever loving anything as much as he loved the Army.

“I knew you’d be worried. That’s why I got word to you as soon as I could.” The complicated network and code system the LOV employed for communications was one of their best assets. She’d been surprised to discover that an elderly imam was her nearest contact. Such men tended to be conservative and allied with the government, but her concern was apparently in vain.

“When your communiqué came I almost didn’t believe it was from you. I didn’t think you could come out of that alive. We were working on a plan to free you. How did you get out, anyway?” he asked in hushed tones.

“My husband rescued me,” she said.

Even in the dim light she could see the heavy frown that distorted his handsome face. “Your husband. That American?”

“Yes, the American.”

Astaria turned sharply as a third voice joined their conversation. Her arm came up immediately to deliver a sharp blow, fortunately her body recognized Kaeden before her mind had a chance to process his presence and the strike, intended to split his windpipe, glanced harmlessly off his shoulder instead. Or maybe not so harmlessly as his hand came up immediately to rub the area as though it pained him.

“Kaeden, what on earth are you doing here?” she hissed at him.

“What am I doing here? Where else would I be when my wife crawls out of our bed at three in the morning with no explanation?”

“
Your
bed?” Halil sputtered. “But Babba said your marriage was in name only!”

“She is still my wife. What kind of man would leave his wife in prison?” He turned to Astaria with a raised brow and more than just a bit of fury flashing golden in his eyes.

“This is my brother, Halil,” she said by way of explanation.

“I assumed as much. I’ve seen photos in our apartment. What is he doing here?”

“I had to let him know I was alive. He’s a wanted man here. He couldn’t just come to the shop,” she said before turning back to her brother. “What is the news from Amaru?”

“The LOV is on the verge of retaking the city.”

“Oh, Halil, that’s excellent news. And what a turnaround. We weren’t even close before.”

“We’ve had air support from the French,” the young man said with a twist of his lips as though he wanted to spit, but was too well trained to do so.

Astaria didn’t like the idea either, but their situation was desperate. “I know you have no fondness for them. And really, who does? But we are hardly in the position to turn down help where we can find it.”

“They’re not helping us out of the goodness of their hearts. They hope to own us once again,” Halil practically snarled.

“To be sure, but that doesn’t mean we have to let them have what they want.”

“You know it’s like putting our heads in the lion’s mouth.”

“Ya Allah! Are you two really going to have a political debate in an alley in the middle of the night when both of you are fugitives?” Kaeden snapped.

Halil gave him a sullen look but before he could speak Astaria interrupted him.

“My husband is a bit crabby, but in this case he happens to be right.”

Halil turned to the other man. Astaria watched, annoyed, as he drew himself up to full height to ensure he had a full two inches over Kaeden. She rolled her eyes in disgust. This was exactly what they needed, a testosterone-fueled cockfight. Not for the first time she appreciated being part of an all-female fighting force.

“Am I to assume that you plan to get
your wife
out of this country as soon as possible?” Halil asked with an arch to his brow that would have done credit to a comic book villain.

“Don’t talk about me as though I’m not here. What if I don’t want to go?” she snapped.

Halil gave her a baleful glare. “We’ve had this discussion. It’s too dangerous for you here.”

“Me? What about you? I’ll leave if you leave,” she said.

“That’s not going to happen. This is my country.”

“You speak as though it’s not my country as well.”

“You’ve made great enough sacrifice,” Halil said. She knew he was sincere but in these circumstances it was pure manipulation.

“Surely that is my decision to make,” she said.

“Enough.” Kaeden interrupted them again. His voice never rose above a whisper but the irritation in his tone was enough to bring the squabbling siblings to a halt. “To you sir, I have every intention of getting my wife out of this country or die trying. And you madam, I assume you have a way to contact him?”

Astaria nodded, hoping he wouldn’t ask how. In his current mood, he probably wouldn’t be happy to hear that she couldn’t share that information. Fortunately he didn’t ask. She turned to her brother. “Now, you really must go. We’ll cover for you.”

“I’ll go, and I will contact you through the usual channels if I need you.” Halil turned to walk away, but then faced them again. “I’ve been meaning to ask: Giselle, how is she? They didn’t marry her off too?”

Astaria couldn’t hide her smile. She did love being right. He wasn’t as indifferent toward her fellow Guards member as he pretended. “She’s doing well. She’s in college.”

He nodded and after another brief hug, he disappeared into the darkness.

She didn’t even try to suppress the tears as her baby brother left. She knew there was a strong possibility that she might be seeing him for the last time. In the span of just a few months her family had been totally decimated. Kaeden studied her for a moment before gathering her into his arms. As always his embrace was like a homecoming as she was enveloped in his essence, and just like that she could relax. Could breathe.

“He’ll be okay baby. You said yourself that he’s a good soldier.”

“He is, but the bullets don’t know that.”

He said nothing else and really what was there to say? He knew as well as she did the danger Halil would be in. She snuggled deeper into the warmth and security of his chest. When she began to yawn he shook her shoulder gently.

“You’re tired. We should go back to bed.”

She nodded against his chest. “Did you come over the roof, too?” she asked, peering up at him in the increased light of false dawn.

“Yes I did,” he admitted, through clenched teeth.

“I thought you were afraid of heights.”

“I’m not afraid of heights. I just prefer to avoid them. In this case, it was the best choice so I went with it.”

She smiled. As one of the American members of her Guard liked to say, ‘Testosterone was a helluva drug.’ “Don’t worry. I’ll spot you.”

*****

The climb back up to their room wasn’t nearly as difficult as Kaeden had anticipated. Mainly because he was so focused on not making a fool of himself he had little time to consider how high off the ground they were. He was just grateful not to land on his ass in front of Astaria. Rappelling had never been his strongest skill while she did it as though she climbed Everest every morning before prayers.

Tiptoeing quietly back into their room so as not to disturb the Hamadis, they began to undress to return to bed even though they had only a couple hours of rest before morning prayers. He had politely turned his back to Astaria as she undressed though listening to the soft rustling of her clothes was itself as arousing as watching her undress. He immediately shut down that line of thought. Thinking about her naked was not going to help the situation at all. He was struggling so hard with his wayward libido it took him several moments to realize she’d spoken to him.

“I’m sorry, I missed what you said,” he said resisting the urge to turn around.

“I asked you about the day we arrived.”

“What about it?”

“Well, you kissed me.”

He hated to sound like a parrot but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. Indeed, all his thought processes had shut down the minute she mentioned The Kiss. Was she going to tell him she didn’t want to kiss him again? After all, she’d kissed him first, but now he wondered if she even remembered kissing him before they got married. “What about it?”

“You haven’t done it again.”

“Right.” Ya Allah. Was she going to give him the brush-off? It wasn’t the best circumstance, but it was all he had.

“I was wondering if maybe you might want to. I mean not necessarily now, but yeah I really liked it and—”

He turned to face her, praising Allah that she was wearing her nightgown.

“Stari, what are you trying to do to me?” he asked moving until they stood a hairsbreadth apart.

“Nothing. I mean we are married and all, and well, I did like it.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t you kiss me?”

“Okay.” And with that she stretched until their lips met.

Inferno. That’s the only thing he could think. He was being consumed in a raging fire so intense even his blood boiled. He was amazed the entire room hadn’t exploded into immediate conflagration and burned down around them. In moments he had pushed her down on the bed and he quickly followed. He needed her like he needed oxygen, even more because right now he didn’t need to breathe. Didn’t even want to. All he wanted was her. He pushed her gown up until he could feel her smooth velvety skin against his own. Immediately his mouth followed nearly desperate to taste her skin, to absorb her into his own being.

“Are you on birth control?” he asked, struggling to form a reasonable thought.

“No,” she whispered back. “I haven’t, I mean no.”

Kaeden closed his eyes. Then slowly rolled off her until they were side by side on the bed. It was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. “We can’t make love. I don’t have any condoms, either,” he said, mollified by the look of disappointment on her face. “You know getting pregnant under these circumstances would be the worst thing that could happen,” he continued, realizing he was mostly trying to convince himself. He wanted her. He wanted her bad and knowing she wanted him too was almost more than he could stand.

Despite being more turned on than he had been in his life, her delicious pout made him want to laugh and then kiss her until they merged into one. “Stari, have you ever had sex?”

“You mean, with a man?”

Kaeden struggled to catch his breath. “You mean, you’ve had sex with a woman? Do you know how many times Trick has kicked the shit out of someone in our unit for speculating about the girl/girl action that had to be going on with your Guard?”

Astaria rolled her eyes. “Men are disgusting. No, I haven’t had sex with a woman…or a man.”

“How the hell did that happen?”

“You mean, me not having sex?”

“Well, yeah.”

“You know we took a vow of chastity in the Guard and since leaving it, I’ve been married to you. And since you didn’t rather——”

“Oh, I rathered all right. I just thought——” he paused, too embarrassed to continue.

“You thought what?”

“You married me because you had to, and I didn’t want to start anything until you had a choice. That night when we had dinner at Lelia’s and Patrick’s house I thought I’d hit the jackpot when they asked me to marry you.”

“What? I barely knew you. I mean you were there when we first came to the base…”

“Do you remember sparring with me?”

How could she possibly forget? Everyone else was focused on whatever was going on between Lelia and Patrick, and her session with Kaeden had been fairly tame by comparison. Still, there was something about the look in his eyes when he’d thrown her. He’d stood over her and for a brief moment she’d felt like the prize in their contest.

“Yes, of course I remember. You threw me. You were the only Marine who threw me,” she said.

  He chuckled. “Yeah, that was the talk of the barracks. You were beautiful, and I wanted you in my bed, but your bravery when you relocated to the States was what finally sealed the deal for me. I couldn’t imagine leaving my family and country the way you had, and I knew you were a warrior. The woman I’d always wanted. Yeah, I wanted you for my own, but only if you wanted it too,” he said.

She stared at him as if struggling to comprehend his words. “You mean all this time…”

“It was all I could do to keep my hands off you,” he groaned against her lips.

“Don’t start again, if we can’t finish,” she complained when he raised his head.

“Poor horny baby. Oh we can finish. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to make love with no risk of pregnancy,” he said kissing her again. This time he kept the kisses light and brief as he explored her face and neck. Inhaling the sweet aroma of her skin, he took a nip out of the flesh between her neck and shoulder, enjoying her shivering response.

“This thing has got to go,” he said gesturing toward the long nightgown. Then he smiled when she immediately sat up and pulled it over her head. Now she was covered only by a pair of blue cotton briefs. Blue had always been his favorite color. Her skin glowed in the soft light of the lamp atop the dresser. He raised his hand and touched a long pendant necklace that dangled between her breasts, wondering why he hadn’t noticed it before. The chain was delicate gold filigree, while the necklace was an obelisk with some obscure hieroglyphs carved in its snowy white surface.

“What’s this? I’ve not seen it before.”

Astaria shrugged. “My mother had a lot of jewelry. I had to leave so much behind.”

He nodded, then brought one hand up to cup her breast. It was small and barely filled his hand. The tiny mahogany-toned nipple was a delicate highlight inviting him in for a taste. He couldn’t resist the lusciousness of her dusky flesh and lowered his lips to take her nipple into his mouth. At first he sucked gently but as she squirmed beneath him he increased the pressure taking more of her in. The movement of her hips increased and he almost moved away because the need to be inside her was almost too much to resist. He lowered one hand to caress the soft flesh of her belly. Astaria was a warrior and her body showed it with strong muscles that gave her the bodyline of an Olympic sprinter, except for her stomach. Its softly rounded curve was an invitation to explore, to luxuriate in all that was womanly about her. He gradually moved his hand until he caressed the line of her panties and then slipped his fingers underneath.

Now she was touching him. She pushed his t-shirt up with both hands demanding equal access. He certainly had no objection to that, and sat up to pull the garment over his head in one motion. His cock strained against the soft fabric of his pajama bottoms and he was tempted to give it a similar freedom, but he knew that there was no way he could strip down naked without fucking her. Indeed he wasn’t sure he could continue loving her this way without losing his mind. This time when he returned he began a slow descent down her torso, his mouth following the lines of her flesh as if it were the only way he could know her. As though taste was his only sense allowing him to focus entirely on the delicious feast her body presented.

Her hips were moving so much now he had to hold her still, her thighs parted and he buried his face at the vee of her legs, inhaling the delectable aroma of her pussy through the damp fabric of her panties. Impatient now, he raised her hips from the bed so he could slip the panties over her hips. Then he brought his mouth down to her hair-covered mound. Astaria didn’t shave and her pubic mound had a thick covering of curly black hair and he was grateful. He liked a woman who looked like a woman. He used his fingers to push the hair aside to reveal her clitoris, sitting like a pearl above her glittering wet labia. The lips of her pussy were a soft coral pink in stark contrast to her dark hair and skin and he couldn’t wait to have a taste.

He sucked one outer lip into his mouth and then the other before closing his lips over her labia. Astaria groaned and raised her hips until his mouth enveloped her entire pussy. He hadn’t moved to her clitoris yet, he was licking and sucking on her delicate folds as she went mad under his ministrations. More. More. Her body demanded and he was at her every command. He ran his fingers up her goose bump-covered thighs, which were trembling under his hands. Feeling her response he redoubled his efforts. The taste of her pussy was amazing and she was so aroused she was begging for more. He could feel her pleasure in every movement of her hips, every gasp as she tossed her head from side to side.

His face was covered in her succulent juices and he drove his tongue into her heated channel for more. He spread her lips with his fingers and gazed at her delicate beauty. She was so wet and open for him he had to pause for moment to collect himself. It was all he could do not to sink balls deep into what promised to be paradise. Instead he slipped his tongue inside, penetrating her again and again the way he wish he could with his cock. Her hips were off the bed now totally supported by his arms as he raised her higher and higher.

Now he sought out her clitoris. He flicked his tongue over it in a delicate motion. Her cries got louder. He began tonguing from her clit down her entire labia in a zigzag motion. Again and then again. She pushed her pussy into to his face and clamped her legs around his head. He took a moment to pause, then pushed her legs apart so he could access her pussy again. He slipped one finger into her tight wetness, then two, pumping in and out in time with the movement of his tongue on her clit.

He kept finger fucking her, seeking, then finding, the fleshy little bump of her G-spot inside her. The movement of his fingers and his tongue brought forth another wave of juices and he used the flat of his tongue to lap them up. Astaria opened up completely beneath him, giving herself over with such uninhibited pleasure it was almost more than he could take. He made a motion with his finger to stimulate her inside; this caused another wave of her juices to flow around his nose and lips.

He continued with the zigzag pattern, focusing more aggressively on her clitoris with each return to the top of her labia alternating between sucking and licking. He looked up and watched her thrashing on the pillow, her face a study in pleasure that was almost painful to watch. He reached down to give his cock a couple of hard strokes, then stopped because just that amount of stimulation was almost enough to make him come.

The shaking of her legs intensified and he focused almost totally on her clit now, sucking it with gradually intensified suction. Then she released with a loud gasp, her legs tightened around his head once more as she ground her way through her orgasm. He didn’t stop until she pushed his head away. He rose to his feet beside the bed. He couldn’t help it, he had to do it; he pulled her against him and ground his hard cock against her until his own orgasm ripped through him.

They lay there silently, incapable of movement or thought, let alone speech. Eventually he gained enough strength to move off her, then he got off the bed and went down the hall to clean up. When he returned he changed into a clean pair of pajama bottoms. Astaria lay where he’d left her, sound asleep. He slipped behind her on the bed, drawing her naked body up against his, and fell into a sound slumber as well. 

Chapter Seven

Kaeden swore softly under his breath as the tricky battery casing in the radio he was repairing slipped again. None of his repairs had gone right today, which wasn’t surprising. He was more than a bit distracted by the events of the previous evening. Could still feel Astaria’s shivering body under his hands. Could taste her tangy juices on his tongue. Damn. The mechanism slipped again. He’d gone out as soon as the market opened to buy condoms. Dawood had given him a curious look as he never went to the market, but that look had turned knowing once he asked the older man where he could purchase condoms. The cost had been dear, nearly fifty Euros, but he didn’t care. After last night he couldn’t wait to have Astaria again.

He was alone in the store, which was unusual. Dawood had gone to meet with a supplier. The quarantine had gone on now for more than a month. As it lingered, getting new merchandise had become nearly impossible. Astaria and Sarai who normally worked the front of the store had gone to the market. As much for something to do as anything. There was little to buy there aside from produce. No new imports could be brought in. In the past week the political situation had become intolerable. Somehow the government had found a way to jam the phones so that even Dawood couldn’t get around it. The fighting at Amaru had intensified and as Halil predicted, IJIWO had retreated and turned its attention toward the capital. The government responded to this news by clamping down even more fiercely.

Everyone was tense and frightened with nerves stretched thin. Waiting for the other shoe to drop left the people poised on a razor’s edge. Such tension was never good and he wondered about the government ministers and what they thought they were doing. The whole city seethed. With the entire population feeling frustrated and afraid. Two emotions that were bound to result in more violence of the kind that had led to the Uprising and the killing of Colonel al-Fariq and a lot of other people a few months ago. Sometimes he wondered if that wasn’t what they wanted. Another Uprising. Though to what ends he had no idea.

Thus, traffic in the store, even for the ever-popular cell phones had dwindled down to a trickle. Which was why he was so surprised when the bell over the door rang, signaling the arrival of a shopper. He put down the radio and made his way to the front of the store, automatically putting on the scowl he affected on the rare occasions he encountered a customer. Due to his lack of a dialect, he tried to talk to them as little as possible. He recognized the man as a regular patron. Dawood said he was a government minister of some sort. Kaeden wished he’d not answered the door, but not wanting to inadvertently hurt Dawood’s business; he struggled to remember the man’s name.