Author's Note: Did you all like learning more about her in that chapter? I hope so!
Oh, and p.s. Thanks to Maiir and qfd for their support*
Warlock? Sounds like some kind of geek with those taped up glasses… who spends all his time behind computer screens, making up girlfriends.
"I know it sounds lame, but that was the name. And the way he played us… it was like magic. We never saw it coming until it was too late."
"And he's still out there somewhere?"
Jules just nodded. Max didn't like that. He didn't like knowing that somewhere out there was a man who wanted Juliet dead. A man who would probably stop at nothing to kill her.
"Mac and a more… elite team… have found all but three of them. Crawford, his second in command, and the man pulling all the strings."
"And do they have any idea where to look?"
"At the moment… no."
That wasn't good enough. She couldn't move on until they killed the mall… or they killed her. And he refused to let that happen.
"Maybe we shouldn't go out tonight."
"Max, no one knows I'm here. And I need to get out of this house. I'm getting cabin fever!"
He did want to take her out. Now more than ever. He just didn't want to put her out in the open like that. Even if she was right, and that everyone thought she was gone.
"I'll make you a deal."
"Oh god…"
"C'mon! You haven't even heard the terms yet."
"That's what worries me."
Max chuckled and then used a finger to tilt her face up to him.
"Do you trust me?"
She looked startled by the question, but when she told him 'yes' he could see the honesty on her face and the raw emotion in her eyes.
"Okay then. We'll go out tonight like I had planned. Dinner, a walk through the streets of Old Montreal… dessert out, or maybe back here…" she growled with a smile. "Definitely here then. All you have to do is let me help you. Finish what we've been talking about and let me start to help you heal."
"Your price is very high."
"The rewards outweigh the cost. Don't they?"
He was being selfish. He knew that. But he had to know the rest of the story. He had to know what happened. He was actually hoping that once she started, everything would spill out and she'd be able to start really grieving for the loss of her friends. She needed to do that. And hopefully the nightmares stopped. Or at least became more infrequent.
"You don't know the meaning of the phrase 'Just let it drop,' do you?"
Max flashed her a killer smile and shook his head back and forth slowly. Juliet sighed and sat up, keeping the blanket over her body.
"I will go downstairs. Make us something light for lunch. Some coffee… you come down when you're ready."
He swept in for a quick kiss and then jumped out of the bed before he could be distracted. Bounding down the stairs he started pulling things out of the fridge to make simple sandwiches and he fixed a pot of coffee. When he heard the squeak of the stairs Max wiped his hands on a towel and slid both plates over to the where he had bar stools set up along one side of the counter. Then he poured two cups from the pot and set the cream and sugar out as well.
Juliet stepped into the room and he gripped the counter to keep from running right over to her and kissing her senseless. She smiled tentatively and sat on one of the stools. He motioned for her to fix her coffee while he cleaned up and then he sat down next to her.
"Do you want to eat first? Talk first? Eat while talking?"
"Thank you for all of this Max. Not just today. The whole thing… I don't know how I'll ever repay you."
"Just being here is enough. I like having you around."
"I like being around."
"Then promise me something."
"Shouldn't I do this first thing you asked before I start making your more promises and things?"
"No, this one's even simpler than the other one."
Her stomach growled and he motioned for her to eat while he took a deep breath.
"When Mac finishes this… don't just pick up and leave. Tell me you'll think about sticking around… at least for the rest of the summer."
"You're pretty confident that he'll have this done in no time," Juliet said with a smile.
"I know he will. Because it's for you."
Touching her hand, he waited for her to look at him.
"Just tell me you'll think about it."
"If he doesn't need me to go back right away… I'd love to stay here longer. I can't promise you that I would be able to though. But if I can…"
"That's good enough for me. Now eat."
They both picked up their food and made quick work of the sandwiches. He poured them both another cup of coffee and then twisted on his seat and waited for her to talk. He didn't have to wait long.
"He sold us out. I still haven't been able to figure out why. Why our team? I still haven't come up with that reason yet… but… like I had told you, we were scoping out the area where they were holding the boy. Crawford had told us that they weren't around. We knew that they didn't have a huge security system set up yet and that we could get in, get a feel for the place… I told Frenchie to stay in the van."
"Then we went in, light weapons and no real armor. Crawford was on point, I was behind him. The others were spread out and we circled the house. Orion and Doc came in from the back door. We had cleared the rooms and were about to take some photos for reconnaissance… Crawford had gone out of the room. I didn't think anything of it."
When Max looked at her, he saw the first tear fall down her cheek. It dripped onto the counter top and was quickly joined by more. He stood and stepped over to her, wrapping his arms around her and rocking her while she sobbed silently.
"I'm sorry. We can stop. I didn't think about… I wanted to help and… We'll let it go."
"No. I want to talk about it. I need to."
She wiped her eyes and sniffled.
"I heard a little tick tick noise. Romeo and I were discussing where we could place explosives now… The canister flew into the room. It clinked on the hardwood floor and rolled for a second maybe two. We all just sort of stared at it and I remember hearing Romeo yell 'SONOFABI' before the flash bomb went off. He'd grabbed me and pulled me against him, hiding my face from the blast. That was how I was able to move quicker."
"There was a muffled laughter. I know I heard it. Then the door was kicked open and broken glass hit the floor in another room. I heard the first pop of gunfire and one of the girls screamed. The scream… it turned to a gurgle, I'm guessing from a knife. Romeo yelled for me to run. I stumbled as I headed back the way we had come in. There were more screams as I sprinted through the door. By the time I got to the van I was yelling for Frenchie to start the vehicle."
"But he was gone too. His throat… I grabbed my bag from the front seat and took a second to decide on which way to go. I could still hear the laughter. And the taunting voice. 'Come out, come out, wherever you are.' It was disturbing. I turned and fled toward the tree line. I heard the shot the instant before it hit me. The pain in my shoulder was like nothing I'd ever felt before. I know I cried out. But I couldn't… wouldn't stop."
"And then you broke into Geno's house?"
"I didn't really break in. The door was open."
"How far were we from where this happened? I would think that we would've heard gunshots."
"It's actually surprising how often there are gun shots and no one thinks anything of it. But, being in the house, it would've been quieter."
Max nodded and took a sip of the hot liquid. It burned down his throat but he needed something to distract him from the hurt that he felt for her. All that she went through. Her entire team was demolished by a madman. And the worst part was… she still didn't know why. He didn't know how to help her stop him, but he knew he'd do whatever he could.
It was strange that he felt something so strong for someone he hadn't known very long. But he'd decided not to fight it. Whatever it was… if it died out, fine. But right now it was a need burning deep within him. The urge to protect this woman at all costs was coursing through him. He didn't want to scare her, but at the same time he wanted to pick her up and carry her to his bedroom again and never let her go.
"Tell me I did the right thing… by listening to Romeo and running. Tell me there was nothing I could've done to stop their deaths."
She choked out the final few words, the tears starting again, and Max lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he carried her up to the bathroom, whispering comforting words in his native French as he walked. When he stepped into the bathroom he set her on the sink and peeled her limbs from his body. Slowly, ever so slowly, he started stripping her clothes from her body.
When he was down to her underwear he turned and twisted the faucets, getting a shower going. As the steam lifted up he finished helping her out of her clothes. Making quick work of his own clothes, he pulled her under the spray with him and shut the shower door. She leaned against him, her tears mixing with the water now as he held her.
"There was nothing you could've done chérie. No way that you could've stopped any of it."
He felt her nod into his chest. They stood there for a few moments and he hoped that this was soothing. Perhaps washing away some of the guilt. Max grabbed a washcloth and poured some of that citrusy body wash that she always smelled like onto the cloth before soaping it up. Piling her hair atop her head with the clip she had put around the showerhead, he turned her so she was facing away from him.
Then he started at her shoulders, running the slightly rough material over her skin. He ran it up and down both arms and over the back of her neck before bringing it back around her front and dipping it between her breasts. He didn't spend a long period of time there, moved down to her stomach and sides so she wouldn't think he was just trying to get in her pants… again… but Juliet ripped the washcloth from his hands, threw it down, and moved his hands back to the soapy globes.
"Mon chere, I was not doing this to make you think that I wanted…"
"Shhhh. I want this."
"You're very emotional right now and I thi…"
She spun around quickly, holding onto his arms to keep from slipping.
"Dammit Max. I don't need a lecture right now. I need you to make everything go away again. Make me forget it all, everything but the way you feel inside me. The way your fingers move over my flesh. The way I cry out your name when you suck on my…"
Max groaned and captured her lips, pressing her back against the cold tiled wall. She gasped into his mouth as her back arched against the cool sensation. He took his time learning the contours of her body, hoping that the hot water lasted as long as he planned to.
It didn't. They made it through a rather intense orgasm for her and then he quickly twisted off the water and wrapped her in a towel. Before she could protest, he tossed her in bed and followed, slipping between her legs and burying himself inside her.
"Gah… Magnifique…."
"Stop speaking in a language I don't understand. You could be telling me that I'm a fat, ugly, disgusting… Oh!"
He gripped her hips and slammed into her, driving as deep as he could. A series of punishing thrusts and she was clutching his shoulders and crying out his name.
"Oh god Max… please don't stop! Harder.. yes, oh fuck! Max!"
She quivered in his arms and threw her head back. He growled and covered her, biting down on her neck as he rocked gently. Juliet clawed at him and moaned as he started thrusting faster again. They moved in unison, the only noises to be heard were the smack of skin on skin and an occasional grunt from his lips.
He wanted to feel her fall apart once more before he came, but Max could feel his balls boiling with the need for release. He pried himself loose and backed away before flipping her body over. Juliet helped by rising up onto her knees and he found himself once again nestled in her tight little pussy. He pushed her down though, leaving her prone beneath him, unable to lift her hips. He slid out and back in with quick motions.
"Jeeeeesus you are so big!"
A surge of male pride coursed through him and Max bit his lip as he brought one hand down, snaking it between her sweat-soaked skin and the blankets. He searched for a moment, trying to find the exact spot that would make her scream. As his fingers pressed over the bundle of nerves that was drenched in her juices, Juliet was scrunching the cover in her hands.
"Right there… Max… please… oh, oh, oh… Fuuuck! Yes!"
She clamped down on his dick and Max thought he would pass out. He laid out on top of her and his hips bumped against her ass as he jerked. White hot pleasure coursed through his veins and he bellowed her name. Her hips would probably be bruised later, with the death grip he had on them, but as he felt his load fill her up Max couldn't do anything but smile.
"Juliet… my sweet, sweet Juliet… are you okay?"
"Can't. Talk. Dead."
Max chuckled and whispered praises to her. He felt her shift beneath him as she turned over, bringing their bodies flush against one another.
"Can we still go to dinner Max? I'd really like to get out of here for a night."
He nodded at her and bent down for a brief kiss. There was no way he could deny her something as simple as a restaurant for dinner after the day they'd had. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck before closing her eyes and mumbling something about a quick nap before they had to get ready. He agreed, for her, and then slid from the bed to let her sleep in peace.
The dreams must not have been bad because she didn't wake up until late afternoon. It gave him plenty of time to call Marc and Vero, to talk to him about this grand scheme of things. He couldn't keep her all to himself forever, but until she left… he was going to give her the best 'vacation' ever… and perhaps he'd stand a chance of asking her to stay.
Author's Note: Do you all hate Warlock? I do!
Oh, and I went ahead and posted a different Max story. It's a one-shot, so it's complete as it is! And it's more... present tense than this one*
