THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Epilogue - 11/6/16

[Roswelllostcause]

Wow! Things seem to be heating up! But was the senator really on the boat when it blew?

[keepsmiling7]

Glad to see Max and Liz getting in on the action.
Thank you!

[Earth2Mama]

Well, thank goodness Michael and Maria are finally at a safe location, out of the elements. I wonder though... which she'll choose - the bath or a bed?

So, looks like Valkyrie and Alex have two new members of #TeamBane, #TeamMaria, #UncoverTruth.

Is the senator dead? Lord do HOPE so!

[Eva]

“Yeah, I’ve got a little blonde popsicle I need to get in outta this fuckin’ wind.”

I had to laugh with this one. This story is really packed with drama, tension and a great sense of humor at the same time. And I'm liking it!

So Halverson is dead, huh? I can only hope that Valkery found something valuable on the boat. The confrontation between Max & LIz and Valkery & Alex was hilarious. But will they trust each other?

[sarammlover]

Ok so I wish I would have waited until this update before commenting on the bumbling idiots...HA! I think its great that the 4 of them met up at the yacht.....at least we know they are all thinking the same thing. I am glad Michael and Maria FINALLY made it to the cabin. Shower...food...sleep....sleep....sleep.

Such a great update!!! An incredible story really.

[Double Trouble]

begonia9508: Lol, no, Halverson was just another pawn in the game, he’s not a shot-caller.

It definitely looks that way.

Someone wanted Halverson out of the picture... question is, who made that call?

Roswelllostcause: Literally, lol. From all appearances he was.

keepsmiling7: We’ll be seeing more of them soon.

Earth2Mama: The big decision will be made today!

Lol, it certainly looks that way, doesn’t it?

We’ll find out soon.

Eva: Thanks! We try to keep a balance between all those crazy emotions.

It might take a little time for them to figure out what they have, but it might just be something very important. Lol, trust... well... that might take some time even though at the moment they have little choice in the matter.

sarammlover: LOL, they just needed some time to get things figured out. They may not all be on the same page exactly, but they’re definitely somewhere in the same chapter. Yes, sleep is on the agenda.

Thanks!



Part 24

“Shower,” she insisted. “The blood, it needs to go.”

“Hang here for a minute and I’ll find the closest bathroom.” He’d be surprised if there wasn’t more than one. The people who owned the cabin had to be loaded. It didn’t take long to find the master bedroom and the absurdly large bathroom off of it. He made quick work of turning the shower on, getting it as hot as he could before cooling it down to a temperature better suited for bare skin. He tossed a couple of towels on the warming rack, turned it on, and went back for her. “Okay, found a shower and got that hot water waitin’ for you.”

“That sounds like a dream,” she groaned and got up, walking slowly along the wall for support.

“You sure you can stay upright long enough to clean up?” he asked, shadowing her every move.

“There’s no way I can bear his blood on me any longer, Michael. It has to go.” She followed the sound of a running shower, feeling the air warming up with each step that brought her closer to her goal. This surely was heaven.

“Just don’t want you to fall an’ hurt yourself,” he muttered.

“If my legs give out I can still sit in the tub and soak.”

He nodded and pointed at the warming rack. “Warm towels over there. I’ll check the closets, see if I can scrounge up somethin’ for you to wear.”

“Okay.” She dragged herself into the bathroom and leaned against the tiles, exhausted. Her thighs burned like hell and the bruise on her side ached so much that she had one arm slung around her to steady herself. You can do this, she told herself and opened the button of her jeans with one hand, pulling them down over her legs and wincing when they grazed the bruise at the back.

When her pants and socks were gone, she straightened again and used the sink next to her as support while she opened the bloody shirt.

Bane busied himself with the closet in the master bedroom, plowing through the racks and after pulling several hangers down and checking the clothes, determining the woman of the house was close to Maria’s size. A little bit bigger, but not so much that the clothes would fall off of her. Too bad, he thought with a slight smirk. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt, figuring they’d be comfortable, and carried them back to the bathroom.

Maria lifted her gaze to the mirror and watched him enter the room. She was still standing there fighting the buttons of her shirt with one hand while the other held onto the sink.

“I can leave you to do this on your own,” he said, his rebellious gaze dropping to her bare legs for a moment, “or I can give you a hand.”

If someone had told her that there would come a time when she wasn’t able to take a shower on her own she would’ve laughed in their face. “I think I might need some help.”

He nodded and dropped the clothes on the long counter to the right of the double sinks. “Here,” he took her hand and pulled her backwards, “let your weight rest on me.” His hands came around her, his fingers making quick work of the buttons before he nudged her over to the shower. He picked her up, ignoring the pull in his side, and lifted her over the side of the tub to set her on her own two feet again.

As soon as the warm spray of water hit her skin she groaned and sank against the tiles, one hand clutching the bar built in the wall there. God, it felt like her body was bruised all over and from what she had seen in the mirror that was pretty much true.

Bane nosed around the linen closet at the opposite end of the bathroom, shoving things around until he unearthed shampoo and body wash. He carried them over and reached inside, dumping them on the built-in shelves. “You need any help?”

“Uh-huh,” she gave a small nod and was beyond caring if he saw and touched her in her underwear.

Of all the times to not have a problem with him seeing her naked, he thought as he steeled himself. He could do this. Willpower, he chanted over and over. He’d never bathed a woman in his life, but how hard could it be? He rolled his eyes at that thought. “I’m warnin’ you now, I’m not modest, and since I’m beat too, I’m getting naked and getting in there with you.”

She chuckled tiredly. “Thanks for the warning.”

“No problem.” He quickly shed his clothes and climbed into the tub, crowding her to get to the hot water. “Fuck, that feels good,” he hissed, welcoming the sting.

“Yeah it does,” she agreed softly.

His left eyebrow lifted and he reached around her for the shampoo, squeezing some into his hand and walking her under the spray. As soon as her hair was soaked he tugged her back and started lathering it, running his hands through it and washing out the blood that had been matting it down. “Go ahead and rinse,” he said, scrubbing the shampoo left on his hands through his own hair.

She held her head under the spray and closed her eyes so the shampoo couldn’t get in them. It smelled like heaven – a mixture of apple and vanilla.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and shifted her forward so he could rinse the shampoo out of his own hair. Satisfied he had it out he reached for the body wash and squeezed some into his palm, working it into a good lather as he stepped back. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

He chuckled and shook his head. He had his doubts. When she leaned back into his body she was gonna get a shock that might just have her turning bright red from head to toe. “You’re familiar with the mechanics of the male body, right?” This was something else he’d never bothered with, but for her he was making yet another exception.

“What the hell are you going on about?” she asked, resting her weight against him when it was too much to hold up on her own. One arm slipped around her but the grip was loose out of respect for her bruises. “You’re not mak-” The rest of her words got stuck in her throat when she felt something hard pressing against her lower back.

“Yeah, make sense now, Blondie?” He cleared his throat. “Nothin’s gonna happen that you don’t want to happen, and in spite of his enthusiasm, we’re both beat up and exhausted so it wouldn’t be standin’ up in the shower.” His hands started to move over her, starting at her abdomen since it was neutral territory. “Besides, you don’t want your first time to be like this.”

“Right,” she said hoarsely. Despite the pain, despite the exhaustion and the weakness, she could feel a heat in her body. And this time it was not embarrassment.

His eyes lifted to the ceiling above them and he tried to stifle a groan when he realized the fucking thing was a damn mirror. That really didn’t help his intentions to control the situation. He dropped his gaze to stare at the wall in front of him, trying to concentrate on everything he could think of that was as far out of the realm of anything of a sexual nature. Nothing helped though. What the hell was a man supposed to do when he had his hands full with a naked, wet woman? His hands shifted higher, carefully moving over the bruised areas on her body, and making no apologies when he reached her breasts.

Of all the ways having a man touch her could happen, she hadn’t thought the first time would be under a shower while she was hurt and sore in every imaginable place. The rough parts of his palms grazed her skin and she felt aroused and sore at the same time.

Nothing could happen between them, not now when she was out of her mind and her brain was too fogged to pay attention, but maybe he would be willing to show her later.

How much time was left for her on Earth? Considering their situation it was foolish to think they would make it past the next week and that made a few things very clear: She had been sheltered since she had lost her family. She hadn’t seen anything of the world, she had never gone to wild parties and she had never experienced real passion with a man.

The kiss she’d gotten at her high school prom? Yeah, the guy had just done it because she had begged him to. She hadn’t wanted to be the only girl in her whole class who had never kissed a guy.

His soapy hands moved back down, soaping up her thighs and being careful to not apply too much pressure to the bruised areas. The swelling was going down, that was a good thing. He rolled his head on his shoulders, trying to ignore his dick because there was no sign of the swelling in that region going down anytime soon.

Maria used one hand to steady herself on the wall in front of them. “When I hit the mattress I don’t think I’ll get up for a week.” Her throat felt sore. Hopefully it was just a matter of too little sleep and exhaustion and not a sign she was getting a cold or something worse.

And I’ll probably be up for the next week, he thought with a glance downward. “C’mon, let’s get you into bed.” Before I lose control of whatever’s got me by the balls, he added silently. He straightened up and rolled his shoulders, maneuvering her under the spray to rinse off. He could feel the arousal thrumming in her body but she was exhausted and as he’d said before, her first time shouldn’t be under these conditions. His hands moved over her, making sure the soap complied with the demands of the water, and he ground his back teeth together in an effort to keep his touches from becoming insistent.

“Thanks,” she said and glanced over her shoulder, squinting against the drops of water when he was done. The sticky blood on her body was gone and despite the other parts that still hurt, this felt really good.

He bit back a groan at the look in her eyes. She probably had no idea what she was doing to him and if she didn’t stop he was gonna have to show her. “Stop lookin’ at me like that,” he growled.

She turned her face back to the wall. “Like what?”

“Like you want me to do more than just put you to bed.” He leaned in closer, his lips brushing her ear when he rasped, “Unless you do.” His hand accompanied his statement, moving dangerously close to her inner thigh.

Shivers ran through her body that she couldn’t suppress. Wow, this was how it felt when her body was affected by a man? It was ten times more intense than the things she had felt when she had admired some guy from a distance – always aware that they weren’t going to ask her out on a date because her uncle would scare them off.

He let his hand drift closer, gauging her reaction. No man had ever touched her like this, not even this close. Something about that thought caused a possessive feeling to surge through his veins. “Tell me what you want.” His voice was a husky whisper as his fingertips brushed against her before backing off again. Her body was so taut it was practically vibrating but he knew she wasn’t ready for anything too physical. He repeated the move when she didn’t speak. “Let me touch you.”

Always wondering what it meant when authors wrote about their heroine finding it hard to breathe when the hero was getting close, she now had a clue. The mad heartbeat in her chest made it hard to breathe evenly and it made it next to impossible to say anything. “Not here,” she finally croaked out. Her legs felt so weak right now and it would only be a matter of seconds before they gave out if he continued.

That definitely wasn’t a no. He shut the water off and stepped out of the tub to grab a towel, turning back to her just as the phone he’d left in the other room started to ring. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered and shoved the towel in her hands. “I’ll be right back.” Damn Valkyrie and her shitty sense of timing! He grabbed another towel and wrapped it around his waist as he hurried out of the room.

“Bane,” she greeted him while she got comfortable on the armchair in the small crowded motel room, her eyes moving from one person to the next, “you have a TV around?”

“Hell if I know,” he snarled. He padded into the living room and glanced around for the remote to the television mounted on the wall. He snatched it up and aimed it at the screen, waiting for the picture to come to life. “What am I lookin’ for?”

“The news. Go to CNN.”

He flipped the channels, having no clue what number CNN was on in this area, but he knew the moment he landed on it. He sat on the expensive coffee table behind him, frowning as the reporter on-screen covered some story in a marina. He sat up straighter when she suddenly mentioned a bombing and the related deaths of Senator Halverson and his niece. “What the hell happened?”

“Not quite sure yet. We went to have a look at the yacht. The senator showed up and a few minutes later the damn thing blew.”

“Reporting her as dead’s a smart move.” He rubbed his right hand over his face. “Give it a bit and they’ll link the explosion to terrorist activities. They’re covering their tracks and making her disappearance credible.” He frowned as a thought occurred to him. “The two watchdogs, you’ll have to get to them or they’ll be runnin’ to the cops. They’re not gonna buy the story. They go make that report and they’ll put her in jeopardy as well as themselves.”

“That’s already taken care of. Ran into them at the marina.” She snorted.

“What the fuck were they doin’ there?” He shook his head. He should’ve known they’d be looking for answers. In spite of Maria’s belief that they had used her friendship as a cover to get close to her he had a feeling their loyalty to her was true.

“Lookin’ for answers I guess.” Her eyes settled on the brunette woman who was pissed because no one had told her what was going on so far. “She with you?”

“In the other room getting cleaned up.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to figure out how to tell her that her only relative’s dead.”

Hell, he didn’t want that job. He glanced up at the TV. But then again, it’d be cruel to just let her walk in on the report. He grabbed the remote and shut it off. “I’ll handle it.”

“I was on the boat before it exploded, found a few files, but we need a safe place to look at them. Since the explosion the GPS has been goin’ crazy with signals of assassins arriving near Boston. Your area’s safe for now.”

For now. He had no idea how long that would last. “What’s your next move?”

She rubbed her face tiredly. “Gonna figure out what to do with the chaperones and then head to a place where we can look through the files. Hopefully there’s something in there.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “You’re gonna have to give ‘em somethin’ to do. You’re not gonna be able to stay on the run with all that excess baggage.”

“Yeah,” she sighed while she tried to come up with a solution. “Maybe we should meet.”

“We can’t come to you. It’s too hot there and after that jump, the fight with the team sent after us, and then that trek to get here, she’s in no shape for another move right now.” Not to mention if he didn’t get some sleep soon he was gonna be worthless.

“No, but it could work the other way around.”

“You wanna come here.” Why was he resistant to that thought? It was the smartest move and it was necessary if they wanted a solid plan. He rubbed his eyes. They couldn’t just turn the two watchdogs loose without a clear understanding of how things worked and who was calling the shots. “Alright, how long will it take you to get here?”

“At least two days. We can’t go straight there with all the motherfuckers converging on the area.”

He chuckled and nodded. “Two days is good. Keep your head down and stay in contact until then.”

“Yeah, sure,” she snorted, turning away from the others, “just got three civilians to watch after. My dream job.”

“I know what you mean.” Of course, he didn’t have three to watch over. “Val, I need you to check on somethin’ for me.”

“What?”

“The people who got us out over the mountains, they were shot down. I need to know if they made it out alive.”

“Who are they?”

“Valenti and Harding.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” She rolled her eyes.

“Nope. They took out the choppers before they went down, made sure I didn’t land lookin’ like a piece of Swiss cheese, but I don’t know if the hits they took made it impossible for them to land.” He rubbed his eyes tiredly. “If they landed it would’ve been a bad one, the best they could’ve done was controlled the angle of impact with the damage they’d sustained at the time we made our jump.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but if Valenti dares to make one of his special remarks I’ll kick him in the nuts no matter how hurt he is.”

He snorted as he recalled the time she’d met Kyle. “I’d like to say he’s smarter than that, but he’s got a big mouth and he likes to shoot it off.”

“He’s an ass,” she stated. First time they met she had been sitting on the kitchen table in some shabby apartment in New York City, legs spread and Bane in front of her with his jeans open – not a moment she’d ever forget. Shaking her head to get rid of the image, she sighed. “Alright, recharge your batteries an’ we’ll be in contact tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” he agreed and disconnected. He stared at the dark screen on the television for a moment before getting to his feet and going back to the bedroom to check on Maria. In the time he’d been on the phone he wouldn’t be surprised if she’d fallen asleep. He frowned when he walked through the doorway and didn’t see her. He moved over to the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe when he saw her sitting on the floor, the towel wrapped around her as the uninjured side of her back rested against the tub. “Figured you’d be out like a light by now.”

“I got dizzy and needed to sit down.” She looked up at him, her vision a little blurry.

“You’re exhausted and you haven’t had enough to eat the past few days.”

“I just want to get into bed. Can you help me?” Ridiculous that she had to ask his help to take a few steps but she didn’t think she could make it on her own.

“Yeah.” He crouched down and took her right arm, bringing it around his neck and wrapping his arm around her back while he hooked the other under her legs. He stood, lifting her with little effort, and carrying her into the bedroom. He eased her down onto the bed and moved to the bathroom, snatching the sweatshirt he’d left there for her. “Here, you’d better get outta that damp towel before the bed gets wet.”

“Yeah,” she sat up and took it from him, looking at him when he made no attempt to turn around.

“What?”

She made a turning gesture with her hand.

“Babe, it’s nothin’ I haven’t seen before.”

“That doesn’t matter,” she grumbled, pulling the shirt on without losing the towel yet.

“So you were gonna let me put my hand between your legs but I can’t have a good look at your tits?” He shook his head but couldn’t hold back a grin when she blushed furiously. He turned to dig around in the closet, determining that the man of the house was not only taller than him but he was also thicker around the waist.

She used his moment of distraction to get rid of the towel and slip under the covers of the huge soft bed. Sighing, she leaned back into the pillow, feeling the soft fabric around her body. This was heaven right now.

“Maria, there’s somethin’ we need to talk about.” He didn’t know if it was better to tell her about her uncle now or wait and tell her after she’d had some sleep.

“Now?” she whispered.

“No.” He shook his head. “No, we don’t have to talk about it now.”

She felt her control of her own body slipping with every breath she took and it wasn’t possible to reply to him another time.

He turned to look at her, tipping his head to one side as he studied her sleeping features. He still couldn’t figure out what it was about her that drew him to her. The longer he spent with her the more she drew his protective instincts out and he couldn’t say he cared for that. It weakened him and compromised his ability to make certain decisions. It put the situation at risk and jeopardized his ability to remain objective. He sighed and went to retrieve his gun. He carried it back to the bedroom and tucked it under the pillow before pulling the covers back and sliding in next to her. The cabin was secure, but he didn’t completely trust technology. She was safer if he was close by. Truth or not, that was the story he intended to stick to.

*****

The morning was overcast and promised more snow, which was fine with Bane. He stood at the kitchen window, once again dressed in his own clothes. The couple who owned the state of the art cabin had invested in every possible amenity and he’d made use of the washer and dryer early that morning. He had no intention of walking around here for who knew how long looking like a refugee on a deserted island.

He’d taken inventory of the cupboards and pantry. No fresh fruits and vegetables but they had laid in a good stock of canned goods. They also had a walk-in freezer in the basement, stocked up with plenty of meat. Valkyrie had mentioned that the couple liked to hunt and that had been made obvious by the different choices of meat stored in the freezer. Very little of it was store bought but he’d wasted no time snatching up a package of bacon from the stack of prepackaged supplies on one of the shelves.

Now that it’d had time to thaw out he was in the process of making bacon and drinking a cup of coffee. There were no eggs – his personal preference – but he had found pancake mix that was now sitting in a bowl waiting to be poured into the pan. While making a mental list of all the supplies at their disposal he’d also been taking stock of himself and the situation he’d unexpectedly found himself in.

He’d come way too close to crossing the line the night before. He could blame it on the rush of adrenaline, he could blame it on wanting to get laid, or any number of other things, but the simple truth was taking her to bed would be a major mistake. His thoughts before he’d fallen asleep had clarified things for him and when he’d woken up he’d known he had to get his act together.

She was under his protection. That was a first, he thought with a snort. People in his crosshairs ended up dead, not naked in a shower with him or sleeping next to him. He had to keep things professional. He couldn’t risk slipping up and getting them killed. He heard the telltale sounds from the other room that indicated she was waking up and he moved to the stove to check the bacon and start the pancakes.

Maria opened her eyes and squinted against the bright light outside, reflected by the snow. She had no clue how late or early it was but sounds in the cabin let her know that the man with her was already up.

No surprise there.

She pushed herself up although she felt like staying in bed forever. The need to pee was greater though.

Groaning, she forced her stiff muscles to work and she got up to go to the bathroom quietly. When she returned a few minutes later with a high ponytail and a refreshed face, she rummaged around the bedroom until she found underwear and a pair of comfortable dark grey sweatpants and a tank top. Thankfully, the woman of the house wasn’t far from her size.

With a last glance in the mirror and a grimace at the bruises on her cheek, she went to find her companion.

“Breakfast’s almost ready,” he said and motioned to the coffee pot.

“That smells like heaven,” she said, sitting down on one of the barstools at the counter, careful not to jolt her injured body.

“Just be careful not to eat it too fast,” he warned.

She reached for the coffee and nodded silently. Gosh, she had never been a fan of greasy bacon but right now she could eat the whole pack.

“It’s not one of those nasty health muffins you like, but it’ll work,” he said as he slid a plate in front of her.

“Just because you saw me eating one of those doesn’t mean I’m a healthy eating freak.” She rolled her eyes and took the fork.

“You don’t think that was the only time I observed you, do you?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “How long did you follow me?”

“Long enough.”

“How much did you see?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Enough to know what I needed to know.”

Maria opened her mouth to protest but decided to just let it pass. Instead she concentrated on her food, chewing it slowly like he had told her to.

“How’re the ribs this mornin’?” he asked as he wrapped a piece of bacon in a pancake and took a bite.

“My thigh hurts worse so I hardly feel them.”

He nodded. “It’s a deep tissue bruise so it’ll hurt for a while. You should ice it down after breakfast. It’ll help with the pain.”

“I’m developing a dislike for anything cold, but okay.”

He shrugged one shoulder and fell silent, waiting until she had cleaned her plate before he spoke again. “More?”

“No, I think I’m good for now. Don’t wanna upset my stomach.”

He nodded and took a drink of his coffee, his movements slow and deliberate as he went over what needed to be said. “I talked to Valkyrie.”

“How’s Alex?” She slipped from the chair to release the pressure on the back of her thigh and walked over to one of the huge windows, glancing outside at the snow covered landscape.

“Still busy workin’ on the files.”

“You know, I bet he’s totally excited about it. He’s always had a tendency to enjoy the mysterious.”

“Good for him.” He took another drink of his coffee. “They were at the marina yesterday, in Boston.”

She frowned and turned to look at him. “Where my uncle keeps his yacht?”

“Yeah, they found somethin’, more files, but I don’t know much more than that. The senator arrived while they were there and he went onboard. He didn’t make it back off the yacht.”

[begonia9508]

Another great part! Thanks - EVE

[Earth2Mama]

Wonder how Maria will feel about her uncle's death. This really could go either way - happy he's dead or sad that her last living relative is gone.

I'm hoping for the latter.

And I hope that Kyle and Tess are alright... would hate to see them bite it.

[Roswelllostcause]

Things were really starting to heat up for Michael and Maria then the phone rang!

[keepsmiling7]

That was some shower Maria had......
Thanks,
Carolyn