EXIT WOUNDS :: TWO
Bo's firm grip on her elbow with his left hand, and a gun in his right hand led her quickly out of the warehouse. Her high heels from the club tripped her repeatedly, but his strength caught her fall. Regardless, she struggled against him anyway.
He guided her to a secluded trailer and she gulped when he effortlessly lifted her inside. She was officially trapped. He slammed the door behind him and started to pace.
Her eyes searched the trailer. She needed to get out. She couldn't do this. She toed off her heels. They were only getting in the way. Then she spun and ran to the bathroom, attempting to barricade herself inside.
Bo wasted no time. He was on her in seconds, busting through the door, squashing her attempt to get out the sky light. With her hands bound behind her back, he wasn't sure how she could manage it, but he wasn't willing to risk it. He drug her out of the bathroom while her legs kicked and flailed.
His hands were on her shoulders as he pinned her against the counter of the godforsaken kitchen. His knee jammed between her legs, his thigh and his body weight successfully pinning her there.
"Get off of me," Hope spat at him for the second time that night.
"Hope listen to me," Bo's eyes begged hers. The gruffness of his voice was gone; desperation replacing it. He still towered over her, pinning her in place with his strength, "You can't blow this. You can't run. They will kill you."
"What do you care?" Hope challenged. Her fiery eyes were glassy. She struggled against him, "You left me."
Bo's palm covered her mouth and he whispered, "We can't do this here. It's not safe."
She saw him then. Under the tough, edgy, and dark exterior he had cultivated was the man she had loved. His brown eyes pleaded with hers.
"I know you're not good at this, but you have to do what I say," Bo warned, "Both of our lives depend on it."
He removed his palm from her mouth, "Are you going to cooperate?"
"Aren't you going to make me?" Hope mumbled sarcastically back, "I mean what? You're just a drug lord now? You rape and kill women for fun? Your kids would be so proud Brady."
Bo's jaw clenched and his hand found her jaw, "Don't talk to me about my kids."
Hope laughed wickedly despite the pain his grip inflicted. Her eyes stared into his, "You're not going to hurt me."
Bo stared at her in silence before ripping his hand away from her face and stepping back from her pinned stance against the counter, "Hope you can't do this. You don't get to get under my skin. You don't get to blow my cover."
"Is that what this is?" Hope glared at him.
"I've been deep under for 4 years. Please." Bo begged, "I can't explain right now, we don't have much time."
"So you do this a lot?" Hope questioned. She gulped at the thought. She averted her eyes from his.
"I don't actually do it Hope. I make it look like I did it," Bo answered, voice still full of shame.
"Then let's get it over with." Hope sighed. Her nerves were buzzing. She was on the brink of death with a possible savior. She'd made peace with her dead husband, only to find him very much alive by chance. Her bones shook.
"Okay," Bo sighed. He rubbed a hand over his tired face. It was a tiredness that reached the depths of his soul. Being under took a tole on a person, "You understand that means it has to look like I sexually assaulted you."
Hope's eyes shot to his. She swallowed once and then nodded in understanding.
"I'm going to rip your dress," Bo warned quietly. He waited a beat, like asking permission. She stared up at him in disbelief, then hesitantly nodded. Bo reached for the hem that landed just above her knee. He tore the silk like paper and her breath caught at the sound.
She closed her eyes, unable to watch him. He was methodical. He had done this many times. She felt him reach for the strap over her left shoulder and her eyes opened.
"I'm going to rip the strap," Bo warned. He sounded like a robot. She looked away from him as she felt the silk tearing once more. The top of her dress drooped, revealing the black lace of her strapless bra.
Bo stepped away, composing himself. Yes. He had done this many times in an attempt to save many women. However, he had never done this to her. His hardened heart, ached deep inside. He looked at her in torn silk and hesitated. He wasn't finished yet. He didn't want to finish. In another lifetime, he could take his time and explore what was under the black lace he'd just discovered. It pained him that he gave it all up, but he reminded himself why. Everything he did was to keep her safe, just as he needed to keep her safe now.
"Okay," Bo sighed, his goal renewed, "I need to leave marks on your neck."
Hope swallowed, unsure of what he meant, "What?"
"I have to kiss your neck." Bo stated matter of factly.
Her eyes searched his. It was something he'd done so many times in their long ago marriage.
"This has to look real, or we're both dead… Remember?" Bo urged.
Hope pressed her lips together. She didn't nod, but she didn't fight him either. She closed her eyes as his lips made their way to the crux of her neck. She didn't expect the goosebumps that erupted on her skin when his hot mouth made contact with her skin. Her breath stopped, and she whimpered, "Bo…stop."
His task ceased immediately, but he didn't move away. His head hovered next to hers, his lips still just above her skin.
"I can't…" Hope whispered. Tears threatened to fall again. Her body was responding to him. Dire situation or not, this was a man that she'd loved for most of her life. The emotion of seeing him alive was swallowing her whole, taking precedence over the anger that was alive and well inside.
"You have to," Bo whispered, "Just a few more."
"Mmkay," Hope sighed; her voice high, cracking with emotion. Tears streamed silently from closed eyes down her cheeks as she relished in his lips on her skin. Ten years was a long time. Ten years of hurt, of questions, of abandonment, of grief. But ten years had nothing on the thirty years she'd spent loving him. They could both die tonight. For real this time, so she couldn't help nor did she want to stop the way her body was responding to him.
When Bo pulled away, satisfied with the marks he'd left his knowing eyes landed on hers. The hurt ran deep, but the hooded desire was something he knew very well. He stared into her green pools before impulsively kissing her. Hard.
She moaned into his mouth. Her wrists pulled against the metal that still restrained her arms. His tongue tangled with hers slowly, while his hands possessively held her waist. When they broke for air, Hope felt her heart hammering in her chest. Her hips bucked in his grasp.
"FancyFace," Bo closed his eyes, "I can't do this to you."
Her defenses went up immediately, "No. You don't get to call me that."
She saw the tears and the fear when he opens his eyes again, "Tonight…. This is it. For us."
Hope's heart is pounding in her ears. He's already saying goodbye and it is ripping a fresh wound right through her chest.
"No matter what happens," Bo whispers through a strained voice, "You never saw me here."
She begins to flail beneath him. Anger. Hurt. Defiance. She's screaming now, but Bo doesn't stop her because it makes it sound like he's hurting her. He is hurting her, but not in the way they think.
She finds herself pinned beneath him on a mattress. His palm over her mouth as he speaks evenly, "You have no business being here. I'm getting you out, and you're going to listen."
Hope rips her head away from his hand, "I'm not leaving you here."
"You ARE," Bo spits, "And you WILL."
He's rough again, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him. He's desperate to get her to understand the gravity of the situation. She's not safe. Her being unsafe rattles him and will blow his cover. He's worked too hard. He's come too far. He can't turn back now.
"I love you," Bo's voice is broken, "Please. I'm begging you. Trust me."
Hope's reddened eyes find his. She glares at him over tear stained cheeks, "I hate you."
It wounds him, but he nods. He can take the wound if it means she is safe, "Good. That's really good Hope."
He caresses her cheek as if it hadn't been a decade since he'd done it last, "I need you to hate me, so I can keep you safe."
She can't look at him anymore. It hurts too much.
"Now listen while I tell you the plan…." Bo instructed.