I slide from between the cabin wall and Viktor’s arms, heading inside to see they’ve got a fire roaring and two of the kerosine heaters lit. I’m impressed.
“Now what?” I lower my body down by the fire. It’s not especially cold, but the warmth is comforting. So is seeing everyone I care about in the same room… minus Lucy. Still, having the three men all here next to me is oddly comforting, despite the fact that they’re the ones that caused the drama to begin with. I suppose that’s why I have a therapist.
Ryan cuddles in next to me, his big arms wrapped around my shoulder. I think he’s just as much in the dark as I am. I don’t get the feeling he makes any major decisions on anything. I think he’s a product of his environment.
Max sits opposite of us, and Viktor stands, his arms crossed as he looks down on us all. This is the part where Lucy would be messing with me about the down time and the plethora of dicks waiting to be sucked. I miss her already.
“Now,” Viktor says, his tone deep, “we stay here until I hear back from WITSEC.”
“WITSEC?”
“Witness protection,” Max repeats. “It’s not the actual WITSEC. That’s tied to the government. He’s talking about something underground.”
I glance up at Viktor. “I can’t disappear. I have an entire life. I have a school and we have Ruthie.” I glance toward Ryan. “Ruthie!”
“I had a friend drop her off with my parents. She’ll be fine.”
I sigh with relief. I’m sure she won’t like hanging out with the three-legged dog. She doesn’t much like other animals, but at least she’ll be safe.
Viktor keeps his gaze on me. “You won’t have a life at all if I don’t get you to a secure location.”
“I thought that’s what this was?”
Viktor laughs. “This will hold us for twenty-four hours max. If we’re not gone, Gedeon’s men will find us and shoot us all right here.”
“Thanks for shielding me from the truth,” I laugh, noting how bluntly obvious that piece of information was.
“I promised you I’d never lie. I also promised you I’d keep you safe. So you have nothing to worry about.” I’m not sure what it is about him.Well, I am sure.He’s a giant mafia underboss. Either way, I believe him when he says he’ll keep me safe. I believe they all will.
He sets his large body down near the fire with us. It’s strange to see him sit on the floor. His legs don’t tuck under him and he’s like a fallen tree, a thick one.
“So we’re waiting for a guy to give us some new lives?”
Viktor nods. “Hopefully he gets here before the guns do. If not, we’ll fall out to the back-up plan.”
“And what’s that?” I squeak.
“That’s something we’ll deal with if we have to. Right now, we have no reason to believe the men know where we are. So, we relax and stay together.”
My shoulders lock up and my neck stiffens. I’m not sure what to think anymore. I’m more tense than anything.
Ryan picks up on my shift in energy and places his big hand over top my neck. “Scoot in front of me and I’ll rub your back.”
It’s like the beginning of every porn I’ve ever watched. A back rub with three men in a cabin, the fireplace roaring, the vibe in the room thick with tension. Though, in the few I’ve watched there was never a life-or-death situation hanging over their heads.
I shake off the scenario and scoot in front of Ryan, letting him dig his fingers into my shoulders. I won’t lie, it feels great. His big hands knead into my muscles. His thumbs dig into my rock-hard shoulders.
“Take a deep breath,” he whispers. “You’re okay.” His presence is so soothing that I’m truly taken out of the moment, until I realize how silent the rest of the room has become. I could lose a hair in this place and I’d hear it fall.
“You used to love having your feet rubbed after work,” Max says, his large hands reaching for my flip flops. “Do you mind if I…”
Now I’m sure this is a porno. Wow, I hope I can talk to Lucy again someday because she would really get a kick out of this.
I nod my head and he takes my foot into his hand, rubbing in gentle circles at the soles of my feet as Ryan works his way across my trapezius and down my scapula. The big, meaty hands work over top of me, massaging me with gentle pressure in slow circles.
A moan escapes my lips softly.
“Feel good?” Max asks.
