Witness Protection Part 16
Safe at Last
It didn't take us long to bring in our essentials from the car. We left the camping gear and emergency stuff packed, figuring we'd only need them if for some reason we were forced to flee our sanctuary.
And I seriously did not want to have to do that.
I was making a visual inventory of the refrigerator when Chang came walking into the kitchen from the hallway. "Three bedrooms and two full baths," he told me. "I see no reason for us to use the master bedroom. There are two side by side; one can be Maxwell's, and since only one of us will be sleeping at any given time, you and I can share."
Maxwell had walked in for the last statement, and gave us both a rather leering smile. "One of you could share with me." His evil grin widened. "Or maybe you both could...if you ask nice."
My partner pinched the bridge of his nose, and closed his eyes, refusing to acknowledge Maxwell. "What is the status of our food supply?" he asked me.
I swallowed quickly, dragging my mind back up out of the gutter it had leapt into...the one containing me, Maxwell, and a bed. Goddamn, but he was distracting!
"Aside from the drinks and snacks we brought with us, there's plenty of bottled water--some canned goods in the pantry--and a few frozen dinners that appear to have not yet reached their expiration dates. No more than a couple of days' worth of food."
"I thought as much." Wufei plopped the map down on the counter. "There are two decent-sized cities within an hour's drive. At least one of them must have a large grocery store."
"One of us can make a run for supplies tomorrow," I told him. "We'll make due with what's here tonight."
"We've got pie," Maxwell pointed out, reminding me of the baked goods we'd picked up earlier. "And doughnuts."
I nodded acknowledgement, still not looking at him, in case so much as a trace of lust lingered in my eyes. "Pie will be a nice dessert," I agreed. "We can use the bread and some of the canned stew for dinner."
"I'll start making a list of what we'll need for an extended stay," Wufei offered.
"Hn," I grunted in reply. "Make it enough for a week, anyway. We shouldn't go shopping more often than that--less chance of being spotted."
"Aye."
While my partner worked on that, I went back to the car and pulled out the case containing some of my surveillance equipment.
"Whatcha got?" came a curious voice just behind my shoulder.
I jumped in surprise. How the hell had Maxwell followed me so quietly? "Just some security equipment," I told him. "I'm going to set motion sensors around the area; if anyone approaches this cabin, we'll have ample warning."
He leaned against the side of the car, his arms crossed in front of him. "They'd have to find us first," he pointed out. "I dunno about you--but I doubt anyone would think to look for me in the middle of nowhere."
"I hope that's true."
He was still watching me as I flipped open the case and did a quick visual survey of the contents, and I finally looked up questioningly. "Is there something you want?" I asked. I was sorry the minute the words left my mouth, realizing he could twist them any number of ways.
But he merely shrugged, looking a bit uncertain. "Chang said we're an hour away from any big city, right?" At my nod, he continued. "Is there anything to do around here? Like--anywhere to go--at all?"
"Such as--?"
"Movie theatre? Pool hall? Restaurant? Gym?"
"It's a hunting lodge, Maxwell," I sighed. "If it were near a town big enough to have those types of diversions, there'd be no wildlife to hunt."
"Yeah, but there'd be plenty of night life," came the ready quip. "And like I said, I'm a night person."
"For the next few weeks, you'll just have to cope," I told him frankly. "Even if there were places to go, you couldn't."
"Why not?"
"The point of a 'safe house' is to keep you safe," I said, beginning to lose my patience. "If you were to go out, you'd be at risk."
He frowned, beginning to catch on to the level of security I was talking about. "Are you saying I can't leave here at all?"
"Maybe it's time we discussed those 'rules' I mentioned before," I said evenly, snapping the case shut. "Let's go inside."
His expression was wary, and I caught a hint of a storm gathering in the deep eyes. "You didn't answer my question."
"I'm about to--inside." I gestured him ahead of me, and he pushed away from the car, walking slowly with his head bent in thought. I had a feeling he wasn't going to like the upcoming conversation.
Not that I particularly cared whether he agreed with our security precautions. The point was to keep him alive and hidden--with or without his approval.
"Chang--we need to talk," I said peremptorily, as Maxwell and I got back inside.
My partner looked up expectantly, and I set the case aside before pulling a chair up to the kitchen table and gesturing Maxwell to be seated.
He flopped gracelessly into the chair, throwing an arm across the back and stretching his legs out, glaring up at me with stubborn defiance.
"Here's the deal, Maxwell. Chang and I are responsible for your safety. Nothing but nothing will jeopardize that." I glanced at Chang, who nodded agreement. "In order to keep you safe, we'll be taking turns sleeping, monitoring surveillance devices, and walking patrols to check the area around the cabin."
Maxwell made a sarcastic saluting gesture, a sneer curling his lip.
"This isn't a game," I warned him, irked by the flippant attitude. "I'd think having Barton's car blown up would have conveyed that message to you."
"It did," came the rather sullen reply, and he looked uncomfortably away.
I guessed that he didn't like being reminded of the near-miss. But as I said before, his likes and dislikes weren't that important at the moment.
"Good," I said curtly. "Then you'll understand and abide by the following rules. Number one is, Chang or I must know your whereabouts at all times. Whether you're watching t.v., sleeping, eating, or taking a shit, you'll tell one of us first, so we know where exactly you are inside the house."
"So you are gonna hold my dick for me..." he wisecracked.
"No--but I'm gonna know when you're holding it," I retorted, managing not to blush.
"I'll be sure to tell you when I wanna jerk off, okay?" he said snidely. "Might even let you watch."
"Stop clowning around, Maxwell!" snapped my partner. "Neither Yuy nor I need to put up with your harassment. We're here to do our jobs."
"Fine. Do them!" Maxwell growled. "Just fuckin' stop lecturing me about them." He rolled his eyes dramatically. "I understand you want to know where I am. I'll tell you if I'm taking a walk in the woods--I'll even leave a trail of breadcrumbs for Christ's sake."
"No walks," I said quickly. "You're not stepping foot off the porch, Maxwell."
"I know--not without my loyal watchdogs--."
"Not at all." I crossed my arms resolutely. "We'll have the perimeter monitored. We can't risk having you go beyond it--or even close to it. You'll stay indoors, or out on the porch. You can get all the fresh air you like without being exposed to view from beyond my sensors."
He gave me a flat, assessing look. "You mean I can't even stroll around the yard? Take a little hike?"
"Maxwell, I highly doubt you're much of a hiker," Chang observed.
"No--but I need to do something for exercise, or I'll get cabin fever inside of a week." He looked up with a scowl. "Ever seen 'The Shining?'"
God, why did everything with him have to be such a tug of war?
"You're not going to get cabin fever, Maxwell. You'll have television to entertain you. Weren't you all excited about cable?"
"That was before I knew it would be my sole entertainment for the rest of my miserable life," he groused, fumbling in his pocket for his cigarettes.
"Can we move on to some other rules?" Chang asked quickly. "For instance--no smoking in the house?"
Maxwell opened his mouth to object, but I beat him to it. "You can smoke by the fireplace, Maxwell, where there's a little updraft to take away the odor. And smoking out on the porch would be fine. But there's no smoking in your bedroom--we don't need to risk a fire. And honestly, no one wants to smell stale cigarette smoke in the kitchen or bathroom."
"Whatever." He stuffed the pack back into his pocket, scowling deeply.
"We're going to keep the car packed and ready to leave at all times," I told him. "Aside from a small bag that can be grabbed in an emergency, we aren't going to bring stuff into the house."
"You seriously expect someone to find us, don't you?" Maxwell asked in disbelief.
"You yourself pointed out the precinct has leaks," I reminded him. "Who's to say someone won't overhear more than they should? As careful as my communication with the Captain was yesterday, her secretary knew about it."
"Relena?" asked Chang, perking up a bit. "How was she?"
"Fine," I replied flatly. "Nosey."
The onyx eyes narrowed fractionally. "She's always nosey where you're concerned, Yuy. You know how she feels about you."
Maxwell turned a questioning look my way. "Got a girlfriend, Yuy?" Was it my imagination, or did he look--disappointed?
Chang snorted. "In spades, Maxwell. She's Chief Darlian's daughter. And she'd do damn near anything for Yuy."
--except mind her own damn business.
"Ah." I couldn't read Maxwell's expression at all, as he added, "S'that how you made 'detective?'"
"No!" I snarled.
"Wouldn't be the first person who slept their way to the top," Maxwell pointed out.
"Speaking from experience?" I retorted.
He glared and subsided into sulking silence.
"That reminds me," I added. "No phone calls, Maxwell...to anyone...ever. If you need to talk to Winner, I'll arrange it on our cell set-up. A regular cell phone won't work out here; but we brought a booster to up the power and allow us to bounce the signal off a satellite. The battery life is limited, so we'll have to keep calls infrequent and very brief."
"Wonderful."
I looked over at Chang. "Did I forget anything important?"
"Just this--," my partner said, sitting up and fixing an intent look on our witness. "If there's any kind of attack, and Yuy or I tell you what to do, you don't hesitate, and you don't question us. A delayed reaction could cost you your life."
Maxwell gave a derisive snort. "Got a news flash for ya, Changie. I'm not the one who wasn't quick enough to duck llama-spit."
Chang's face darkened at the reminder. "I wasn't trying to duck. Fool that I am, I was more concerned with protecting your worthless, miserable, whoring hide!" He pushed away from the table, and stood up. "I'm going to walk the perimeter, Yuy."
He stalked away, and I fixed a stern look on Maxwell. "If I were you, I'd go easy on baiting him."
"Yeah--black belts an' all that shit." The braided man pulled his cigarettes back out of his pocket, standing up and stretching. "Guess I'll go sit by the fireplace so I can smoke. Any other big, bad rules--Master?"
I darted a look at him, catching a provocative gleam in the indigo eyes. Once again, images of all the situations that might crop up involving him calling me something like that assailed me, and I had to concentrate to keep the bland look on my face. "I'm not sure you'll be able to obey the few we've already established, Maxwell. Why push it?"
He gave a wry snort and sauntered into the living room, while I headed out to catch up to Chang, bringing my case of surveillance devices along.
~*~
I overtook him at the tree line. "Hold up a minute, Chang! I want to start locating mini-cams and motion sensors."
He turned with a raised eyebrow. "Where the hell did you get things like that, Yuy?"
"Family heirlooms," I said deadpan, giving a shrug.
My partner's dark eyes narrowed. "What did you say your father did for work?"
"I told you--security." I opened the case and took out a small, weather-proof mini-cam. It was shaped kind of like an oversized eyeball, and in fact, sort of resembled one. There was a tiny loop on the top, with a very thin wire attached so I could hang the device from any handy post, tree limb, or hook.
"Pretty high-tech security," noted Wufei, picking up one of the little motion sensors and examining it.
"Very," I admitted. And since we were sharing information, I decided to ask for some of my own. "You want to tell me why Maxwell gets under your skin so much?"
He gave a derisive snort. "Can't you see for yourself? He's rude, uncouth, and classless. Plus, he pushes me."
"He pushes because you react."
"And you don't?"
"Not as much."
"I'll try not to let him know how irritating he is," came the insincere response.
"You've always hated gang-bangers," I commented casually, thumbing the power switch and placing the camera on a tree limb that overlooked the driveway and approach to the cabin. "I mean--more than any other perps, they seem to aggravate you."
He scowled, as we started walking along the edge of the yard, examining the terrain and the next likely spot for a sensor. "They do more harm than any other type of criminal, Yuy. They glamorize crime, and they recruit children into the same lifestyle." He gave me a burning look from dark eyes. "Look at the statistics. Most gangs consist of juveniles. They frequent school yards, parks, movie theatres, and malls. They associate with decent kids and drag them into the same life of drug dealing, whoring, stealing, and killing." He shook his head. "At least Khushrenada doesn't seduce children into a life of crime."
"No, he just pays the gangs to do it for him," I reminded my partner. "Without his kind of manipulation, the kids in gangs would just be thugs, bullies, and junkies. He makes them into transporters and dealers of drugs; he gives them the weapons they use in their crimes, and the financial incentive to continue. He promotes them from street-corner hustlers to genuine criminals."
"I understand that, Yuy. And I'm not trying to say he's not culpable. Why do you think I'm tolerating Maxwell? He can destroy Khushrenada." He shook his head. "But the gangs will still be out there harming innocent children. And what will we do about them? What will we do about common street trash like Maxwell?"
"I consider that 'clean-up' work after Khushrenada's gone," I said firmly. "Once his empire's broken, we can clean up more neighborhoods than ever. We can do something about the gangs."
"And that's why I'll endure this assignment," Chang said firmly.
I had a passing urge to insist that Maxwell wasn't common street trash--that he was at least employed, or had been, and that he'd apparently outgrown the need to run in a gang. But it wasn't my job to defend him, especially in view of the fact that it was unlikely to matter to my partner. And honestly, I wasn't sure he wouldn't go right back to a life of crime after this whole fiasco ended.
I paused to place a motion sensor in a spot where a game trail meandered out of the woods, reflecting that Wufei still hadn't told me why he personally disliked gang members. All he'd said was vague, generalized cop-talk; it meant nothing. It was what any of us might have pointed out.
Chang had a very obvious, very personal hatred that was evident in his every word and gesture. And before this assignment was over, I wanted to know what it was. In fact, if I thought it might jeopardize our protection of Maxwell--I'd drag it out of him on the spot. But for the moment, there was no reason to start a major altercation.
"Yuy? Why don't you show me how some of these work, so I can be of more help?" asked my partner, jarring me from my thoughts.
Well, why not? It would save me a lot of setup time, and having left Maxwell alone inside Winner's cabin, I was in something of a hurry.
With Wufei's help, I got several more sensing devices placed around the house and grounds, and then we hurried inside to check that they worked, and to make sure our rebellious witness hadn't tried any shenanigans.
The sound of music greeted our entrance, and I went to the living room, only to find the television on some sort of a music video channel, and Maxwell sprawled across the couch soundly asleep.
Once again he looked small and young, with the remote dangling from limp fingers and a plush pillow clutched in his arms.
I heard a heavy sigh at my shoulder. "If only he were like this all the time," commented Wufei, before heading into the kitchen.
I walked over to take a quilt off the back of the couch and spread it carefully over our sleeping charge, and as I tucked it in around his shoulders, I found my hand straying to brush the unruly hair from his forehead.
Jesus! I jerked away quickly, the silky feeling of the chestnut wisps still lingering on my fingertips as I walked briskly out to where Chang was waiting.
"You didn't wake him?" he asked with a worried look.
"Heaven forbid," I said dryly, opening up the laptop and keying in a sequence to start the setup of the surveillance program.
"Time to call the Captain?" Wufei asked, taking a bottle of water from the refrigerator and setting one in front of me.
"Good idea. The cell phone booster is still in the trunk." I tossed him the keys and resumed my work.
Moments later, he had set up the device and was dialing the precinct and punching in the extension for Po's direct line. I glanced up to catch what I could of the conversation.
"Chang here," he said curtly, a faint smile touching his lips. I heard a raised voice on the other end of the line, though I couldn't distinguish words. "Sorry, sir...but we only recently got settled, or we'd have called sooner. He did tell you to allow twenty-four hours, did he not?"
Wufei glanced at me with a smirk, and then rolled his eyes at something the Captain said. "Honestly, I do know how long twenty-four hours can seem!"
Oh God, was that ever true!
"No trouble at all. We are in a secure location, setting up our defenses. I anticipate no hazards at this time."
I gave a curt nod of agreement, beginning to feel a slow release of tension as I checked each motion sensor and monitoring device and found them functioning properly.
"When shall we check in again?" Chang listened, nodded, and practically saluted the damned phone. "Yes, sir. I'll relay the message. Chang out."
I couldn't resist giving him a slightly sardonic look. "Message? Dare I hope she was saying it's all over--Khushrenada confessed, and we can all go home now?"
He just snorted. "You're a dreamer, Yuy. She said they've received a tip from an informant about an increase in the bounty, and that she'll contact you via e-mail once she has the complete update. We're to check in at 1700 hours tomorrow, on-line, to save the cell phone power pack."
"Did she say how much of an increase?"
"No, though I got the impression that now that Khushrenada's realized Maxwell's nowhere to be found, he's ready to up the ante substantially."
"Great."
While Maxwell dozed, Chang and I made canned soup for lunch, and did a complete walk-through of the cabin, planning our daily security routine. And then my partner took a brief nap, while I did an on-line search of the area in which we were located, tracking down big-chain grocery stores where we might shop without drawing attention like we would at the local markets.
Then I searched the news feeds for headlines of concern--my gaze immediately drawn to a story about the Merquise murder investigation. Apparently the news hounds had figured out there was a witness--which came as no surprise, considering word was out on the street before we even whisked Maxwell away from the hospital. But beyond that, they didn't seem to have much about our primary suspect. I had to give Captain Po a lot of credit for managing to keep a lid on the information that we were investigating Khushrenada. She had to have worked her ass off to accomplish that.
At five o'clock, I woke Chang and we threw together a meal before I reluctantly went into the living room to rouse our night owl.
He sat up as I turned off the television and blessed silence settled in the room. "Hey--watcha doin'?" he asked drowsily, rubbing his eyes. "I was watchin' that--."
"You were sleeping," I pointed out. "And now it's time for you to come eat something." I tried not to stare at his sleep-mussed hair and half-lidded eyes, as he pushed off the quilt and stretched--his tee shirt riding up to expose a flat, toned stomach.
"Who covered me up?" he asked, yawning and rubbing a hand across his abs.
"Just come get some food," I growled, tearing my gaze away from the long, lean fingers and the flesh they were sliding across. He frowned up at me, and I hastily turned away and went back out to the kitchen, where Chang was placing bowls of stew on the table.
"How's Sleeping Beauty?" he quipped.
Beautiful. "Awake. On his way." I slid into an empty chair, and picked up my spoon. "After we eat, I'll catch a few hours of rest, if you think you can handle babysitting."
"Not a problem," he shrugged. "I'll just send him to his room if he gets troublesome."
Maxwell padded into the kitchen then, in bare feet and rumpled clothes. "Y'know--you two might not wanna keep talking about me like I'm not here, when I'm all of ten feet away."
"Wishful thinking," Wufei snipped, smirking in satisfaction.
Indigo eyes shot him a narrow look. "Right back atcha, Chang."
I sighed, eating a little faster, and hoping I could make my escape before their sniping got out of hand.
Maxwell plunked into the seat opposite me, stretching his legs out so his feet bumped against my ankles. "Oops--sorry," he said with an unrepentant smirk. He picked up his spoon, but paused with the first bite halfway to his mouth. "Hey, am I gonna get to talk to Quatre soon?"
"Probably not," I shrugged. "We'd have to have Captain Po set up a time he'd expect our contact, so no one else answers for him. And we won't be in touch with her for another twenty-four hours."
My partner scowled at the long-haired punk. "What do you need to talk to him about, Maxwell? He's a defense attorney, and you aren't a suspect any more."
"I wanted to find out how things are," admitted the braided man. "And--." He paused with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face. "There was some paperwork he was gonna take care of for me."
Paperwork? I wondered what he was talking about. I knew he'd already signed a power of attorney, assigning Barton to take charge of his belongings and pack them up to be put into storage. What else would he need?
"I hope it's a will," Chang said curtly. "If I were in your shoes, that would be my first order of priority."
I was going to open my mouth and tell my partner to shut the fuck up and stop trying to scare our witness--that no one was going to die on my watch--but Maxwell beat me to it.
"No confidence in your abilities, Chang?" he asked snidely, his gaze sliding critically up and down the Chinese man. "Or are you planning to sell me out to Khushrenada yourself?"
Oh, ouch! Way to insult the honor of a man who considered it his most precious trait.
Chang's onyx eyes narrowed. "I'm a man of honor, Maxwell, or you wouldn't have gotten this far."
"I'm not a man of honor," came the mocking response. "Or I'd have been dead ten times over before I hit puberty."
"You say that as if you're proud of it."
"Not proud--but alive." Maxwell narrowed his eyes. "Problem with you is, you're so goddamned busy being proud, you don't even know how to live!" He pushed away from the table, picking up his bowl, spoon, and bread. "I'm gonna eat in the living room where it ain't so stuffy."
I rubbed my temples, and then quickly finished my meal. "I need to sleep, Chang. And maybe a couple of aspirin."
"Medicine cabinet in the bathroom," Wufei said smoothly. "I already took three."
I gave a weak laugh, and then took my dirty dishes to the sink to rinse out before heading down the hall to get my aspirin and go to the room Chang and I planned to share.
One thing I have to admit, the Winner family didn't skimp on comfort. My head barely hit the pillow before I was deeply, blessedly asleep.
~*~
I woke up to a moment of disorientation, before realizing where I was, and why I was there. When I got up and stumbled sleepily out into the hallway, I heard the shower running.
The clock said eleven, and I wondered what possessed Maxwell to take a shower at that hour of the night. But then, knowing his odd schedule of work and sleep, I had no idea what his timetable really looked like.
Chang was seated at the table, sipping a cup of coffee, and the smell indicated a fresh pot was keeping warm on the stove. "Sleep well?"
I shrugged, walking past him and pouring a cup. I swallowed half of it in a few gulps, savoring the bitter heat. "Okay, I guess. Between the traveling, setting up today, and Maxwell's attitude, I was pretty worn out."
"He's in the shower, in case you couldn't tell," came the wry response. Chang held up the sweaty tee shirt our witness had worn since leaving the hospital. "He treated me to the lovely sight of his bare chest as he flung this at me and told me if I wanted to watch him 'whack himself off' in the shower, now was my chance."
I grimaced at the scandalized expression on my partner's face. "I guess that was his way of checking in and informing you of his whereabouts?"
"So it would seem." He stood up and dropped the shirt onto the back of a chair. "I don't know how much of this I can take."
"I'll--try to minimize the time you're stuck with him," I offered, knowing I'd have to put up with just as much crude talk and flirting--if not more. But at least I didn't find it as completely repugnant as Chang did.
On the contrary--I was afraid I might enjoy it a bit too much. And even more afraid Maxwell might catch on to that fact.
"Wake me at six?" Wufei asked.
"Seven. That way you'll have almost eight solid hours of sleep. And I imagine Maxwell, being the night owl he is, will be headed for bed when you get up. That should keep the peace for one more day."
My partner took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm--sorry you're stuck playing peacemaker, Yuy. I'll try to--restrain myself, as much as possible."
I nodded, wishing he'd just tell me what lay behind his extreme aversion to gang members. But for the moment, I knew he'd do the best he could. One thing Chang had always excelled at was focus. So keeping his mind on protecting our witness was almost certain to minimize his irritation with him.
After he headed to bed, I opened up the laptop on the kitchen table to do a quick scan of the surveillance equipment, and breathed a sigh that it seemed to be functioning perfectly. I could choose a sensor or camera and bring up an image or status report with the click of a button. And that was a very comforting feeling.
I was so ensconced in my work that I didn't register the sound of the shower shutting off, or the opening and closing of the bathroom door.
But I definitely took notice when Maxwell walked into the kitchen in just a pair of tight leather pants, much like the ones in the picture hanging behind Noin's desk. With his characteristic catlike grace, he strolled past me, opening the fridge and rummaging in a drawer before straightening up with a bottle of water in hand. His damp braid swung across the small of his back, where droplets of water lingered, a couple trickling slowly down to disappear in the gap between his waistband and the valley of his spine.
I licked my suddenly-parched lips.
He caught the motion and turned towards me, an unpleasant gleam in his eyes. "See something you like, Heero?" he asked in a sultry, suggestive voice.
I tried to give him a scathing look, but with my throat suddenly dry, I couldn't even swallow, let alone speak.
He set down the bottle and stalked closer, keeping his eyes locked with mine, until he stood by my chair. A lean hand clamped onto the armrest, swiveling the seat to face him, and he moved so he was straddling my legs, gently settling his weight onto my lap. He put one hand on either side of my head, gripping the back of my chair, and leaned in closer.
His lips were parted and he was breathing so hard--nearly panting--that I could feel his breath against my face. "Tell me what you want," he murmured, leaning in until our lips were brushing. "Y'want me--?"
Fuck yes!
"No!" I snapped sharply, putting a hand in the center of his bare chest and pushing. Yet even as I shoved hard enough to force him off my lap, I felt the smooth hardness of his muscles under my hand and a tingle of pleasure as his thighs slid down mine. He ended up in a heap on the floor, looking up at me with lust-filled eyes.
"What the fuck are you trying to do, Maxwell?" I demanded.
"That about sums it up," he said with a lopsided grin and a flash of irritation in the dark eyes. "Thought it'd help pass the time y'know--if we fucked."
"I'm not--. Not interested!" I spat harshly, angry at his advances and at my response to them.
His mocking gaze settled on my lap, and he smirked in satisfaction. "Parts of you are," he taunted, putting a hand on my knee as he scrambled to get up.
I slapped his arm away. "Keep your goddamned hands off me, or I'll kill you myself and collect the bounty Khushrenada's put on your head." I glared stonily at him. "I could fuckin' retire on what he's willing to pay for your death."
Maxwell brushed himself off, turning his back to me. And when I found my gaze riveted on the play of muscles across the lean, sinuous back, and the tattoos across his shoulder blade that I hadn't chanced to see before, I forcibly dragged my attention back to my laptop.
"When your brain catches up to your dick, Yuy, and you admit what you want, you know where to find me."
The quiet footsteps faded into the hallway, and I waited until I heard the bedroom door click shut before I let out the breath I'd been holding. Yeah, my body knew exactly what it wanted, in spite of my best efforts to convince it otherwise.
Why did Maxwell have to keep pushing? Even Relena knew enough to back off when I rebuffed her attempts to coax me into a date. So why did the brassy street kid not get the message? I wasn't interested in a quick fuck, no matter how gorgeous he was! My libido notwithstanding, I couldn't take him up on his meaningless offer, even if I wanted to. He was a witness--off limits. On top of that, I couldn't afford any distractions. My sole focus had to be on Maxwell's safety--not on his admittedly gorgeous ass.
TBC...
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