Escala was completely silent. I had expected Mrs. Jones or Taylor to be around making sure that the apartment was well taken care of. It was strange that it was starting to feel more and more like home as my stay with Christian extended and turned into a more permanent arrangement. I made a mental note to talk to him about that as we sat and waited in the living area of the great room.
Christian was gazing out over the city of Seattle, his brow slightly furrowed and his hair in its usual disarray. He was beautiful.
The doorbell chime interrupted Christian's musing and my gaze. Two sets of footsteps echoed through the apartment as we watched Taylor step aside to reveal the impeccably dressed John Flynn. I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes, not bothering to mask the animosity that was so plain to see on my face.
"Hello Christian, Anastasia," Flynn said, strolling towards one of the chairs and making himself comfortable without any prompting from Christian. It was evident from his body language that he felt in control of this meeting. "I was relatively surprised that you both insisted on meeting me with such urgency. What seems to be the problem?"
I sighed and stood. "There's something that you need to know Mr. Flynn."
He smirked. "Anastasia, it's John to you, or Flynn. There's no need for such formalities between us."
I grinned salaciously, biting my top lip with an exaggerated slowness. "Are you wearing a wire?"
His eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
I shrugged, crossing my arms. "Well since you seem to be comfortable taking patient sessions in their own homes rather than your office, you must be recording them somehow. It's no matter, but what I am going to say I would like to remain off of the record. I didn't sign any waiver that permitted you to record our conversations. So if you are recording, I'd recommend you switch it off and place it on the coffee table. Or I'll take you to court."
Flynn sighed and pulled a recording device out of his pocket. I stepped over to the table and dropped it in the pitcher of water, meeting Christian's eyes briefly. They were alight with humor and there was shrewd look of pride on his face.
"Now, Christian, please be a dear and call Clayton and Paul," I said airily, sitting down.
Flynn glanced at Christian. "What's going on?"
I snorted. "We're destroying all of your files, your computer. Oh, that reminds me. I need to call Welch to get him to erase your online presence too."
Flynn looked startled and glanced nervously at Christian again, who had his back to us. I could hear the soft sound of orders being given.
"We know that you've been feeding Grace information about Christian for years. We know that you are loyal to her. What we don't like is that you aren't loyal to Christian. You betrayed him," I said evenly, glancing at my nails. "It's such a shame, John. Christian trusted you. And he could have made you successful."
I shook my head standing and taking my place beside Christian, staring down at the man who had been feeding his mother information about his private thoughts and feelings. "You have nothing left, John. Your practice has been disbanded and your license will be revoked."
John shook his head. "I don't want to threaten either of you…"
"Oh shut the fuck up, John!" I shouted, raising my voice. "No one cares what empty threats you have. Least of all me! I've killed people, John. I didn't really like it. But nothing will give me more satisfaction than watching you die. Do yourself a favor and go back to England. Start over. Forget the Grey family. Forget Christian. Because I will not forget you. We will be watching you. And I will not hesitate to kill you. Now, as you leave psychoanalyze that. You'll realize I'm not fucking lying."
I turned to Christian, ignoring the disgusting man that only fueled Christian's problems rather than attempting to help him cope with them. As the ding of the elevator signaled his departure, Christian tugged me to him and caught my lips in a ferocious kiss. His tongue invaded my mouth, plundering it. He was taking what he needed and I was getting what I needed.
Before I could comprehend the loss of his mouth on mine, I was bent over the back of the couch, my skirt up over my hips and my panties pushed to the side. His fingers were surprisingly gentle and teasing as he checked to see how ready I was. I pressed back into him, moaning when I felt the heat of his rigid member at my entrance.
With no preamble, he thrust into me, growling as I clenched around the pleasurable intrusion. Liquid heat flew through my veins as he set a furious pace, his chest pressing into my back as he forced my legs wider apart. A surprisingly dexterous hand found my clit, eliciting moan after moan as I chased the feeling I had been craving for so long.
I felt myself tightening, nearly beyond the point of no return and Christian's fingers continued to explore, tracing through my crease and pressing lightly over my rosebud over and over. Forcing my hips up into his, he took that as a sign to slip the tip of his finger slightly harder into my second hole, catapulting me off the edge of the cliff I had been balancing over. I barely heard his shout of release as I felt the scalding hot liquid that signaled his completion coat my most intimate parts.
After catch our breathe, Christian slid from me with a groan. He was still bent over me and I shivered as I felt him press light kisses to back and side of my neck.
"You were made for me, Anastasia. You are mine."
He strolled away and I fixed my skirt before looking up and seeing him extend a hand. "Let's clean up."
We were silent apart from our feverish moans as we washed each other in the hot water of the shower. I had missed this feeling- being with Christian in all senses of the word. This life separated us more than either of us wanted to recognize and I knew it was part of the reason why he was so focused on destroying the less than legal part of his business.
I strolled to my room to grab some fresh clothes. It was late afternoon and I had a feeling our evening would be busy too. Christian was nothing if not dedicated to his goals, a little obsessive even. And with his lack of sleep, I knew that he was willing to move Hell and Earth to get out of the life he was currently leading. And it was a huge risk.
I met Christian back in the kitchen, slipping my hand into his as he sipped a glass of water seated at the breakfast bar.
"We have a dinner meeting with the Rodriguez duo and my Filipino gun contact. They are both extremely eager to meet," Christian stated, looking at his empty glass as his rolled it in his hand.
"What's the risk?" I asked.
"It's a deal for both of them. We charged an additional fifteen percent on either end and made a tidy profit. For them both, they are more than happy and willing to cut out the middle man. Plus, there's no way for any of my involvement to be proved once I hand over the business decisions to them," he stated. He glanced at my shyly. "It's more that this signifies the beginning of the end. Running guns- it was the first thing I was trusted to do. I was good at it. But now, it's time to move on."
"But you think moving on is for the best," I stated questioningly.
"Yes," he sighed. "I genuinely do."
He stood and pressed a tender kiss to my temple as he placed his hand at the small of my back to guide me to the elevator. Taylor nodded at us and I couldn't help but smile at the man who was in charge of keeping Christian safe. He was unwaveringly loyal and I couldn't help but admire his dedication to the man I cared about too.
Christian was on a call with Ros about a humanitarian shipment to Yemen that was having trouble at the port. It warmed my heart to see him fighting for something completely selfless rather than pointing a gun at someone else. Christian and I had never really spent time in the "getting to know each other" phase of our complicated and undefined relationship. What we had was not normal, but I was willing to make such a sacrifice. Learning about the man that was brainstorming solutions with his partner in a less than typical way was just as thrilling as watching him stalk through the bar towards me. Christian was right. We were made for each other.
Taylor pulled up at the curb and Christian quickly ended his call and rushed me into the restaurant. It was an Italian place and I couldn't help but wonder if this was a favored place for Christian to do business based on the connections of the owners. I'd have to ask him later.
A private booth at the back was suddenly in my field of vision and I smiled at Jose Sr. and Jose Jr. They both stood as they saw us approach and greeted Christian with friendly handshakes and kisses on my cheeks. A dark haired man appeared behind Christian and introduced himself as Danilo Revelo.
We sat down and I smiled and laughed as the pleasantries were exchanged over appetizers. Christian was relaxed and cheerful as Jose Sr. and Danilo began to interview each other, swapping stories and ribbing each other in Spanish. It was strangely warming to watch their interaction and I couldn't help but wonder if Christian and I would ever be able to enjoy cheerful meals with our friends as we looked towards a more prosperous future. Something told me we might not.
"So gentlemen, are we in agreement?" Christian asked.
Jose Jr. winked at me and nodded. "Cutting yourself out of this process was the best gift you could give both of us Mr. Grey. Should you ever need us for protection, you have our loyalty."
Christian tipped his glass of wine at Jose. "Thank you, Mr. Rodriguez. I will not forget that."
"Nor will I," Danilo said, chuckling. "We know what a risk you are taking with your parents and we are very aware that you want out of this business. It's one less competitor for us. In good faith we want to assist you if you need any help."
I nodded at Danilo. He was a cheerful and warm man with a very kind demeanor. I glanced up at Christian who once again tipped his glass in a gesture of gratitude. The rest of the meal flew by and Christian insisted that we leave before dessert. After firm handshakes and well-wishes, Christian brought me out of the restaurant through the back.
Once we were in the car, he explained in more detail. "We have one month before my parents expect Elliot to oversee the transfer of the next shipment of guns. That shipment will never come and my parents will never get their money. We have to figure out a solution by then."
I nodded. "We will, Christian. Right now, we need to eliminate Elena and then we can worry about the last piece of the puzzle."
"I agree. But right now, I can't help but wonder how the gun market will shift and if Linc will find out about this change and let my parents know. We have to take care of him immediately," Christian said.
"Why can't you just eliminate him in South Africa?" I asked, puzzled as to why I hadn't thought of that solution sooner.
"I would, but my parents would know immediately. No one else but our family, his ex-wife, and his employees know where he is hiding. Elena relies on Linc being alive for money so the arrow would point directly at us," he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not willing to take that kind of risk with you, Ana. You've saved my life twice and killed for me. Now it's my turn to keep you safe."
I nodded and my phone buzzed, distracting me.
"It's Katherine," I said, puzzled.
Christian scowled. "What does she want?"
I frowned at the text. "She wants to meet me for coffee."
"If you go, I'm coming with you," Christian commanded. "I don't trust her, especially after she refused to be your friend after the explosion."
"That's a point," I said. "Do you know what happened or who called me?"
Christian shook his head. "All evidence points to Luke Sawyer, but there is no way to be certain. He was good at this game. As for the calls Welch is still waiting for another before revealing his suspicions to me. It's something to do with a third call helping to pinpoint the locations more accurately."
I sighed. "There's so much I want to get done and I now feel like we are just waiting."
Christian smirked at me. "Anastasia, this is not waiting. We are biding our time and waiting for our prey to approach us."
I rolled my eyes at him and tucked my head into his shoulder as Taylor continued to whisk us away towards Escala.
Thank you for all of the support and wonderful reviews! I'm so excited to unveil the long-awaited conclusion to this story and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying writing it again.
