A/N So remember back in the first chapter when I warned that this story would most likely contain smut? Well, I was right (I know it's totally shocking.) Enjoy!
They were approaching the gates of Nunez's hometown, and Conner couldn't help but smile happily. He was so hungry and tired of eating dried jerky. He couldn't wait to get back to the compound and eat some real food. Alejandro steered them through the open gates and down the main road towards home. They passed Ricardo's bar and Conner spotted Maya, Ricardo's beautiful daughter with long dark hair, out front sweeping off the front porch. She noticed him watching her and he smiled but all she did was raise her eyebrows as if she were surprised to see him.
"Hey, Alejandero, we should stop and grab something to eat at Ricardo's."
Alejandero didn't even take his eyes off of the road. "We can't. The boss said to bring you straight home."
"Come on, I doubt Luis will care if we stop for some food." Conner leaned around the side of the wagon to get another look at Maya. She was watching the wagon pull away from the bar with her father who was looking at him and shaking his head.
"You can wait five more minutes, Conner. I bet the boss just wants you back so he can be the first one to welcome you home, then you can go out and do whatever you want."
Turning away from Maya and her father, Conner smiled. Nunez was welcoming him home. This day couldn't possibly get any better.
The gates around the compound opened as they apprached. All of the men that usually protected the wall around the house had even come out to welcome him back. Conner waved to some of his old friends as they went by but he stopped when Nunez himself stepped out onto the front porch of the mansion and waved at him. Conner jumped down from the wagon bench and apprached his former boss with a grin.
"Señor, it's so good to see you."
Nunez smiled and held his arms out wide as if for a hug and Conner mimicked him as he got closer. When he got about ten feet from him, Conner thought that his smile seemed much less like a smile from close up.
"Cuff him," Nunez barked.
Before Conner had really even comprehended what he'd said, there were handcuffs around both of his wrists.
"Hey, what the hell! What's going on?"
Nunez shook his head amusedly and came closer. "Did you really think that you could betray me and then walk right back in here, to my home, like it never happened?"
Conner gaped at him, completely stunned.
"Pathetic fool. You never were very bright." He turned to Alejandro who was still in the wagon. "You, take him downstairs and out of my sight. Lock him in one of the cells."
Alejandero jumped down immediately and grabbed the chain attached to Conner's handcuffs. "But, Señor," he said timidly, "I thought that we were going to kill him on the spot."
"WHAT?" Conner interrupted, fighting against his restraints. "You knew about this?" He shouted at Alejandro.
"Silence!" Nunez yelled at him, then turned back to Alejandro. "Don't worry, he will die. But we must throw a party in his honor first. We can behead him as an opening for the feast."
Alejandro nodded happily and started dragging Conner towards the house. "No, you can't do this," he shouted, but no one listened to him. Apparenty, no one in Mexico gave a damn about him.
Maybe he should of just stuck with his dad after all.
XxX
As they got closer to the town where Nunez lived, Charlie could sense Bass' worry grow. Despite the fact that she planned to kill Conner herself, or at least break a bone, she found herself worrying too. Were they too late? Was Conner already dead?
They rode into town slowly as the late afternoon sun started to set. The streets seemed strangely empty for such a large town.
"Where is everyone?" Jeremy asked. Though everyone else merely shrugged their shoulders.
Suddenly, a young woman with long, dark hair appeared on the front porch of a house not far away and waved them over. "I take it you gringos aren't from around here," she said with a smile.
Charlie shook her head. "No, we're just in town looking for someone."
A man, seemingly the girl's father, stepped out onto the porch behind her. "Why don't you come in and have a drink, and we will see if we can help you."
The four of them dismounted and tied the horses to the fence out front before following the girl inside. The first floor of the house had been transformed into a lounge area, complete with cozy chairs, dining tables, and an old pool table. The only thing that seemed out of place was the fact that the bar was empty.
As the man disappeared into the back to get them some drinks, Charlie asked, "Where is everyone?"
The girl shrugged. "Nunez is throwing a big party tonight. Everyone was invited and he runs this town, so no one was about to turn down the invitation."
Her father came back into the room with some glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Miles looked at the two of them carefully. "Then why aren't you guys at the party?"
The man huffed angrily, though it didn't seem directed at them. "Because Luis can make all of the demands he wants, I still do not take orders from him."
The girl rolled her eyes as her father disappeared into the back again. "You will have to forgive my father. He and Nunez were friends as children and my father has never forgiven him for what he has become."
"As I shouldn't." Her father came back with a bowl of tortilla chips. "Luis has disgraced himself with what he's done."
"What do you mean?" Charlie asked interestedly.
The man opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself and turned back to his daughter. "Maya, why don't you go cook up some food for our guests."
"But, Papa-"
"No. I said go. Now." She glared at him, but stomped off towards the back. The man turned to make sure that she was gone before addressing them again.
"You must forgive me. For many years it has been all I can do to keep my daughter safe from Luis' business. But where are my manners, my name is Ricardo. And who are you?"
Charlie spoke up without hesitation. "I'm Sarah and this is my dad, Michael, and his friends Bob and Jacob." Bass shot her a look at being named 'Bob', but didn't comment.
Ricardo nodded to all of them. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. Now you said you are here looking for someone?"
"Yeah," Miles leaned forward and took a sip of his drink. "We're looking for a young guy, probably got into town recently, his name is Conner."
Ricardo's eyebrows shot up. "And why are you looking for him, exactly?" Behind him, Charlie could see Maya's head poking around the corner.
"Well, it's kind of a long story," Jeremy started.
"I see. But I am afraid you have come all this way for nothing," Ricardo said.
"What do you mean?" Bass asked quickly.
"You are correct, the Bennett boy came though here early this morning. But I would honestly be shocked if he was still alive."
Bass visibly paled, but luckily Maya drew her father's attention as she stormed into the room. "Don't talk that way Papa!"
He turned towards her angrily. "Silence, Maya! Go back to the kitchen." Charlie watched her flee back into the kitchen wondering why the girl seemed so invested in Conner.
Ricardo shook his head sadly. "Forgive me, but my daughter does not understand that that boy will do her no good. He is known by many for his brutality. There is a reason that Luis made him his second in command, and it certainly had nothing to do with intelligence. The boy lacks in that department."
"Wait, so your daughter and Conner were a couple?" Charlie asked.
"Of course not." He answered quickly. "Though the boy did seem to take quite an interest in her. I had to chase him out of my bar many times when I discovered him following after her."
"Why did you chase him away?" Miles asked.
"Because, Conner Bennett is a monster who works for an even bigger monster. Before he deserted Luis, his job was to collect the taxes around town. He would go around to every home and shop, and take the people's hard earned money. And if they didn't have money to pay with, they paid some other way. Those with children suffered the most. Daughters, girls as young as twelve, we're taken to the mansion to be servants. And everyone knows that those girls are expected to do much more than clean."
Charlie stared at him in shock. Sure, Conner was a pig, but she had never thought that he would force a child to have sex with him.
Ricardo noticed the disgusted look on her face and nodded sadly. "I have nearly run this bar broke in an attempt to keep my daughter away from them. I pay my taxes, and Maya stays safe. She knows nothing of it. I refuse to tell her, though I've been tempted many times when I caught her sneaking around with Bennett."
"So, do you really think that Conner's dead?" Bass asked quietly.
"I would think so. Luis was furious when he left. He has had people out looking for him ever since." Ricardo gave them a strange look. "But why are you searching for him?"
Making a quick decision, Charlie answered for them. "Well, I met Conner a few months ago and we... we were kinda together for a while." She did her best to look like a heartbroken, love-sick girl. "But then he... I woke up one day and he was gone. He stole my life savings." She ducked her head like she was trying to hide tears though she was actually trying to hide a smile.
Ricardo clicked his tongue and patted her hand gently. "There, there, no need to cry over him. He's not worth it."
Catching on to Charlie's game, Jeremy spoke up. "We've tracked him all this way hoping that we might be able to get her money back. Are you sure that Nunez would have killed him already?"
"I suppose it is possible that he is still alive, though I wouldn't get your hopes up of getting your money back." Maya came bustling out of the kitchen with a tray of bowls filled with delicious smelling onion soup as Ricardo rose from the table. "Plus, there is no way for you to get to him now. I am sorry that you have come all this way." He turned to his daughter with a smile. "But eat! My daughter is the best cook I have ever seen, and then you all shall rest. We have plenty of rooms upstairs for you to stay in."
Maya set the tray down on the table as her father left the room, motioning for her to follow. "Come, Maya. Let our guests eat."
She turned and watched her father disappear into the back before turning back to them and speaking quietly. "My father does not know this, please do not tell him." She said hurriedly.
"We won't," Charlie assured her.
"I have a friend, Claudia, she has worked in the mansion since we were little girls. She sometimes sneaks out to see me. Before you arrived, she came to warn me that Conner will be killed tomorrow." Maya's face turned sad as she looked at Charlie. "I am sorry for what he did to you, but despite what my father thinks, he was always kind to me. He told me that one day, we would leave this town and be together." She looked down at her hands sadly. "Claudia came to warn me because she said that she might be able to get me into the compound so I can see him. So I can say goodbye."
Charlie watched a single tear trickle down Maya's cheek and suddenly found herself sympathizing with her. No matter how much Conner annoyed her, this girl clearly felt something for him, and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe he really felt something for her too.
"So wait, Conner isn't dead?" Bass asked.
Maya shook her head. "No. Claudia said that Nunez plans to behead him at the start of the homecoming feast tomorrow night."
"Maya!" Ricardo's head appeared around the corner. "I told you to leave them be. Come, you have chores to do."
"Coming, Papa." She shot them all a tight smile and took off after her father.
They all sat in silence for a few minutes, Charlie passing the bowls of soup around the table.
"Well, at least we know he's alive," Jeremy said.
"Yeah, but we only have a day to get him out of there." Miles shook his head, taking another drink of whiskey. "That place has some serious security, we'll never be able to get in and out in time."
Bass glared over at him. "Oh, so we should just leave him?"
"That's not what I said."
"But it's what you meant."
Charlie held both hands up in the air. "Alright, enough. We don't have time to fight with each other. We need to figure out how we're going to get Conner out alive and save all of those little girls."
Bass, Miles, and Jeremy all gave her incredulous looks.
"What? We can't just leave a bunch of children to be sex slaves! "
Miles shook his head at her. "Charlie, there's no way we can take on all of Nunez's guys. Plus, he's seen me and Bass before, we probably won't even be able to get in there, so you and Jeremy might have to go alone."
"We can't just leave them," she shouted.
Bass turned to her with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe what she was saying. "We have to get Conner out of there now. We can't afford to mess this up by trying to help everyone."
Charlie shook her head at him in disbelief. "How can you say that? You want to leave those innocent little girls to a life of slavery, just to save Conner, who helped put them there! You are unbelievable. You don't care about anyone but yourself."
The boys watched Charlie stomp off in the direction of the kitchen, Bass rising from his chair to stop her, but Miles pulled him back. "Just give her a couple minutes to cool down."
Jeremy picked sadly at his food. "She's got a point though. I mean, I can't believe that Conner was abusing those kids like that."
Miles looked into his glass thoughtfully. "Maybe he did bring them back as a payment, but I have a hard time believing that Conner would have actually abused them himself. Don't get me wrong, the kid's an asshole, but I just can't see him as a child molester."
Bass, who was only partially listening to them to begin with, got up quickly from the table and headed towards the kitchen. Charlie thought that he only cared about himself. If only she knew how far from the truth that was... Maybe it was about time he told her.
"Hey, where are you going?" Miles called after him.
"To tell her the truth," was his quiet reply. Miles and Jeremy stared after him, Miles taking a long sip of his drink.
"Soo..." Jeremy smirked over at him. "I give it twenty minutes and they're both naked."
Miles closed his eyes and shook his head with a groan. "OK, betting on Conner's sex life is one thing, but can we not guess how long it will take for my best friend to take off my niece's clothes. Please?"
XxX
Maya showed him upstairs to the rooms that she had gotten ready for them and pointed towards the door at the end of the hall with a knowing smile. "Good luck." He waited until she'd slipped away before approaching the door.
Why were his hands so sweaty? And his heart was beating so hard he could feel it in his chest. Taking a deep, calming breath, Bass knocked on the door to Charlie's room.
No answer.
"Charlie... I'm sorry. I just... Can you let me explain, please?"
No answer.
"Come on, Charlie. Just let me in."
Her muffled voice floated through the door. "You can explain from there."
Sighing, he dropped his forehead against the door with a loud thud. "Please?" He asked quietly.
Silence.
Then the door opened so suddenly that he nearly fell down on top of her. She glared at him as he righted himself quickly. She clearly wasn't going to make this easy for him. Closing the door behind him, Bass stepped hesitantly into her room while she perched herself on the windowsill on the far side of the room.
"I know that you're upset with me, but it really isn't what you think, Charlie." She raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth angrily, but he rushed on. "Of course I want to help those girls. No one should ever have to live like that. But the reality is that we don't have the man power to take Nunez down. We'll be lucky if we can even get Conner out alive."
She stood up and waved her arms around angrily. "So you don't even want to try? All you care about is getting your son back and then your just gonna leave them there."
"No, I'm not," Bass said loudly, drowning out her voice. "I'm gonna get Conner back, and then we're going to gather up some guys and take Nunez out."
Charlie stared at him doubtfully. "Really?"
Taking his chance, Bass moved closer to her, taking her hand in his. "Yes. The only way this town will ever be safe is if we get rid of him. But in order to do that, we're gonna need some help. Ricardo seems to hate him, so I'm sure there are others. It's just a matter of bringing them all together."
Charlie looked up at him and smiled softly, her eyes full of trust. This was it. Time to tell her that her cared about so much more than just himself.
"Charlie... It's not just about Conner. It's about my family. I would do this for any of you, not just him." He stepped closer again so their bodies were only inches apart.
"Even me?" She asked.
Bass brought his hands up to her face and cupped her cheeks. "I would tear apart every single man in that house for you, Charlie. You know that."
"Sometimes it's hard to tell with you."
Leaning his forehead against hers, Bass whispered, "I would do anything for you, because... I love you." Her face lit up instantly as they looked at each other. Bass smiled back, infected by the happiness she was emitting.
"Bass?" She asked quietly.
"Mhmm?"
"Are you gonna kiss me now, or are you just gonna stand there grinning like an idiot?"
He barked out a laugh and lowered his lips to hers. "I'm not an idiot."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "yeah, you are," before sealing her lips over his. Bass wrapped his arms around her, enjoying finally having her pressed up against him after years of waiting. He kissed her slowly, having absolutely no desire to rush it. Running his hands down her back and over her hips and gently sliding his tongue over her bottom lip. Charlie sighed and parted her lips, letting him slide through with a soft moan. The sound was like music to his ears and Bass suddenly found himself dying to hear it again. He kissed her with more force, pushing her back against the wall next to the window. She moved her hands to his shoulders, pulling him closer, and then to his chest where she started undoing the buttons of his shirt. Bass slowed the kiss and grabbed her wrist to stop her.
"We should go slow," he told her, panting slightly.
"No way." She shook her head. "I don't want you chickening out on me again."
"I never chickened out of anything," he said defensively.
But she just rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the front of his jacket, pulling him close again and kissing him with everything she had. Bass gave into her demands and shrugged out of his jacket while she did away with his shirt buttons. She pushed the shirt over his shoulders and let it drop to the floor, her hands roving over his toned chest and down his stomach towards his belt buckle. Unsatisfied with the amount of clothes she was still wearing, Bass grabbed the hem of her tank top and yanked it up over her head. He trailed his lips down the side of her neck and his hands up her sides, brushing his fingertips beneath her bra covered breasts. Just as he was preparing to take them in his hands, Charlie pushed him away with a mischievous smile.
She moved away from him and started backing herself towards the bed, her eyes glued to his as she unsnapped her jeans and shimmied out of them, sending her panties to the floor with them. The back of her knees hit the bed and she stopped, reaching behind her to undo the clasp of her bra before dropping it as well.
Bass stood still by the window staring at her perfection. Lush lips quirked in a little smirk, rosy nipples, hardened on perfect, full breasts. The dusting of dark blonde hair between her toned thighs was calling his name. She drew his attention back to her face with a single finger pulling him in. Realizing that he was an idiot for still being all the way over by the window, Bass moved quickly to her and knocked her backwards on the bed, claiming her mouth in a hungry kiss with one hand supporting his weight and the other finally taking hold of one of her perky, little tits. Charlie arched into his hand, spreading her legs out beneath him so he could settle between them.
He wanted to devour her. To taste every inch of her creamy skin. Kissing a path down her neck, he found his way to her hardened nipple and sucked the tiny pebble into his mouth, reveling in the little noises she made. He didn't stay there long. His desire to taste her and mark her as his own was too much. He slipped a hand between her legs and pressed his fingers through her wet folds, finding her drenched and ready.
Charlie bucked her hips against him. "Why are you still wearing pants?"
He chuckled, unbuttoned them and sending them to the floor, then put his fingers in his mouth and sucked them clean of her juices with a groan. "Guess I can finish that later," he said as he settled back over her. Charlie didn't bother responding, instead reaching for his hard cock. He growled deep in his chest the moment her fingers wrapped around him and let her guide him home. Their eyes met as the head of his cock pierced her folds and he thrust into her hard and fast. She moaned loudly as he pulled out and slammed into her hot pussy again and again. Her hands raked over his shoulders and back looking for something to hold on to, her nails digging into his skin as he fucked her. Bass didn't hold back. He fucked her like he'd been dreaming of for years, fast and brutally hard. But she loved it. She wrapped her legs around him and held him close, begging him to go faster, to fuck harder.
Bass felt his balls start to tighten and cursed himself for not being able to hold out for just a little longer. He slid an arm under her back and held on to her shoulder to keep her in place while he fucked her and slid the other hand through her wiry curls to flick her swollen clit. She came hard, crying out his name, her walls clenching around his cock like a vice. He pulled out and gave himself a couple quick jerks, coming all over her stomach and thighs.
Collapsing down next to her, they laid together for a while catching their breath. Eventually, Charlie turned into him and rested her chin on his shoulder. Bass moved to wrap an arm around her and kissed the top of her head as she settled against his chest.
"See? I'm not a chicken."
Charlie snorted. "Right... And it only took you three and a half years." Bass mumbled something incoherent but Charlie ignored him, her thoughts having already moved on elsewhere.
"So you and Miles can't go into the compound?" She asked.
He blew out a long breath, thinking that it would have been nice to let the rest of this conversation wait until morning. "We can... but it would be dangerous. Nunez knows our faces. But I'm not gonna let that stop me. I'm going to get my son back."
Charlie pressed a gentle kiss just above his heart. "I don't want you to get hurt," she whispered.
"He's my son. I may not have a choice." He could tell that she didn't like it, but she didn't argue and it wasn't long before they were both fast asleep.
XxX
Bass woke up to the lovely feeling of having been completely satisfied. His droopy eyes drifted to the window, finding the sky still filled with nighttime stars. He reached out for the beautiful woman sharing his bed, but grabbed onto nothing but empty sheets. Sitting up quickly, he fumbled with the lamp on the beside table, throwing the room into a strange orange glow. Charlie was no where in sight and her clothes were gone.
"Damn it!"