The Heist

Chapter 27 (@paigenoelchas-blog)

His arms are around me before the door clicks.

We fold into each other instinctively. He holds me for a few seconds. Neither of us move. I am so happy he wasn't hurt. I can't let him go, not now. Not after promises of a life that is shared with him.

One arm releases my waist as he gently runs his other hand through my hair to check for injuries. His face is a mixture of concern and absolute love. I assume mine looks much the same.

"How are you feeling?' He whispers softly, apparently satisfied that I will recover.

I gently place my hand on his cheek, "I am fine, Jake." I smile and lean in for a kiss. It was going to be a reassuring peck on the cheek, but his eyes darken and he pulls me close to him leaving no space between us. Desire begins to grow in both of us as his tongue explores my mouth. My arms wrap around his neck tighter as his lips move ever so slowly from my mouth to my neck, driving me crazy. His tongue grazes my collarbone sending chills down my spine.

A moan sneaks its way from deep in my throat. He pulls his face away, but one hand drops. It finds its way to my ass and stays there. Our lips meet again, though this time was a crashing of faces and an uncontrolled grasping and searching for any way to be closer. What has made him so bold in this moment?

"Fuck, MC, I thought that I had lost you," he says, his voice shaking. "That can't happen." He hugged me tight again. I'm still trying catch my breath from that kiss and now he is holding me so tight that I can barely breathe. Yet I refuse to move because I feel so safe in his arms.

"When he sent that message to me, the one that said he was going to hurt you, I had to come immediately. Master isn't someone that you take a gamble on. If he says he will hurt you, he will hurt you. Don't ever doubt that he is a man that will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. I was so afraid I wouldn't get there in time. You were passed out when I got here. I can not explain the terror that I felt." As he speaks, his free hand runs through his hair.

Maybe I could imagine a little. I was terrified when I couldn't find or save Jake. I was terrified when he was in the caves. I was terrified when he drove off in the car.

He backs up and takes one more kiss, this one gentle and sweet. "He was right, you know. You are my weakness." He squeezes my ass before letting go. He winks at me while moving to take my hands in his. His eyes never waver from mine. "You are the most important thing to me. I will do whatever it takes too keep you safe. This may include taking Master up on his offer for freedom."

"But what about the FBI and Christopher, Kyle, and James? They have done so much to save us. Don't you trust them?" I question.

"We made a deal with the FBI. I feel like we would be betraying them if we didn't go with their plan. If we do go with it, we would be free and he would be behind bars. We would be safe." I plead.

" I trust you. Only you." He admits.

"I don't know that we would be," he says while brushing hair off of my face with his hand. "I mean, what if they aren't happy with the way we bring him in. What if he finds a way to escape? We will never be this close to him again. This is our only chance. I am also not exactly sure that Master wouldn't come back for us later," Jake says.

He does have a point. I lean my head onto his shoulder. He runs his hand though my hair and we sit in silence for a moment both lost in our thoughts. As if he is afraid to lose contact, he reaches for my hand and kisses the inside of my palm.

"I really don't know that we would be safe," he continues, "though that is the outcome I desire. Master has people everywhere. I also don't know what he has on that disc. We could be framed for all of the crimes that he has committed. I said that he is a man that he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants." He hangs his head.

"You know him best. I trust whatever you say" I tell him. I want him to know that we are in this together, partners to the end. I bend down to meet his gaze.

"Look, I haven't done the things he accused me of, but I haven't always been innocent." He begins to share his thoughts with me. "I haven't always taken the higher road and made the best choices. Master is cruel and lacks a moral compass. He deserves to be caught. He needs to be shut down. I just dont trust that he will let us turn him in without consequences to our freedom. I will not have you suffer at his hands. I feel as though he has a trick up his sleeve." He stops.

"However much I admire the men who worked to get us to this place and I trust Christopher to do right by us. I only have one priority, to keep you safe. I feel like either of these decisions is precarious. I know that if we betray the FBI we will be criminals and we will be running from them forever. Master can keep us safe, but not forever and maybe not the kind of freedom that we are looking for. I want to be with you, MC. I want a future that allows me to take you places and walk hand in hand without fear. The FBI promises that, but who says that we can turn him in and they don't find a way to break our agreement? There is just so much at stake here. Your life, your future, our future is hanging in the balance." Jake stands. He is pacing now. The weight of this decision is weighing on him.

Suddenly, he spins me around to sit me in his lap, his arms tighten around my waist. He smells good--distinctly Jake. A bit of woods and danger, if you could put a smell to that. I can see the stress on his face and I begin to rub his back, trying to calm him.

"If you weren't with me," he begins again. I feel privileged to know his thoughts. "I would probably take my chances with Master because the police have never been on my side, but I want you to be safe and happy and free. I believe in Christopher because you do and I trust your judgement. I believe good things can happen because I met you. I believe that we can have a future and a wonderful life. We just have to figure this..."

I interrupt him with a kiss. How can he be so willing to give up everything for me? Despite the danger we are in, I can't ignore how lucky I am to have him. Deepening the kiss, his hands slide up the skirt that I saw him eyeing earlier. My hand manages to find its way up the edge of his shirt and my skin is on fire. He moans this time and a shiver escapes my body. His fingers begin to dig into my thigh while I can feel his lips tracing the skin from my neck to that soft place between my breasts.

I am jello. My knees are shaking and my body vibrates. Everything inside me loves him and wants to share this love with him. There has to be a way that can save us so that these stolen moments aren't stolen. We have to find a way to be free for the kind of life that he deserves.

"I've got it!" I yell and he pauses. He jumps and his hands move to my hips. This time he is trying to catch his breath.

"What do you mean, you've got it? And right now? I thought we were in the middle of something." He says, his voice low and deep.

"Oh, we were, but I am trying to create a lifetime of moments that we can share... and.. you inspired me." I say with a little smile, standing and trying to straighten my skirt.

He is pouting. I bite the bottom of his lips and tease him a little. "I am trying to find a way to our freedom so we can do more of this, a lot more of this." He starts back with those lovely kisses that crinkle my toes.

"You are quite the tease." He says and smiles at me slowly removing his hands from my hips. Taking a deep breath, he returns to the logical Jake that I am used to.

"What is your plan? I can not wait to hear it." His eyes are gentle as they look into mine.

"What if we help Mark fake his death? We can please the FBI and Mark won't be coming after us. I think this would give him his freedom and give the FBI the solution that they were looking for. Just maybe we could be free to be together without having to look over our shoulders."

"Miss Davis, my little genius," he says, looking at me with a flash of hope in his eyes. "If we can convince Master to agree to the plan and if we can manage to dupe the FBI, maybe..."

Jake stops mid-thought as the door swings open.

He whispers in my ear, "Please be quiet and let me do the talking." I nod but secretly hope that I can keep my end of the bargain.