Roswell Fanatics

Hello to you all, and thanks for reading and leaving feedback it is greatly appreciated.

Katie: Maria was a little insane there and thanks.

Ginger: I think she’s a little of both

Carolyn : Thanks.

Phyco: ‘Holy Candy Epicness!’ ha ha I love that. Thank you so much and welcome to my little Candy World. I’m glad you stopped by.

This chapter is what I consider a ‘light’ chapter, to move away slightly from the intenseness of the previous ones. Enjoy.


Chapter 11

Tess, Isabel, and Liz were all lounging by the entrance, Isabel and Liz each seated in the elegant, ornate armchairs set in the foyer.

“You know, this whole thing was her idea. You’d think she’d have the grace to actually be on time,” Tess was grumbling as she paced, the clack of her heels resounding loudly on the marble floor.

“Can I just ask just to be certain? The whole point of this evening to get Liz laid, right?” Isabel quizzed.

“Yes,” Tess replied with a huge grin as Liz stated, “No!” with her eyes wide.

“Well, I’m glad we got that cleared up,” Isabel laughed.

“Come on, Liz,” Tess groaned as she walked back to their seats. “You need to show Max that if he doesn’t want the goods, others do. There is no way better to get a man moving than to display your womanly assets elsewhere.”

“Is that intimate knowledge you have there, Tess?” Isabel asked her facing beaming to the smaller girl.

“Of course,” Tess returned, disbelieving that Isabel would even ask.

“Guys,” Liz interrupted them. “Will you please stop talking about my sex life?”

“Liz, you have to have a sex life for us to be able to discuss it,” Isabel retorted her expression serious.

“I have a sex life,” Liz whispered indignantly.

“Anything you do by yourself and/or requires batteries does not count,” Tess giggled.

Liz’s mouth fell open, her eyes widening again.

Their attention was drawn from their conversation to the large bannister, Maria standing at the top of it.

“Well, look out boys, because the babes are about to hit the clubs,” Maria smiled, as she sauntered down the grand staircase into the foyer.

“At last,” Tess griped, pointedly looking at her watch, ignoring the shocked look still plastered on Liz’s face. The blonde looked stunning in a short bubblegum pink halter backless dress and a wide black belt that cinched tight around her small waist. Her long curls hung in waves and bounced with every move she made. Her outfit was completed with a simple pair of black heels and a cute little clutch purse.

“Oh, pipe down, Shirley,” Maria retorted, pulling slightly on the hem of her short outfit. Maria wore a tiny green shimmering dress with thin spaghetti straps that dipped extremely low on her back, falling in waves just above her bottom and the hem falling few inches below what would be considered indecent. A pair of high green pumps with a glittering heel finished the outfit. She wore her hair up in an untidy mass of curls which only made her seem more alluring, a glittering rose secured within the curls. Maria never carried a purse out with her. She never needed the cash because the drinks were always freely given, plus she was very rarely on her own, so someone was bound to have a cell phone or money if she needed it.

“Shirley,” Tess repeated, her nose wrinkling slightly at the name Maria had called her.

Maria giggled as she reached out and pulled on one of the smaller girl’s pristine curls. “Shirley Temple.”

“Oh, keep it up, Tinkerbell,” Tess laughed at her friend.

“Are we ready?” Maria asked the group, ignoring the other agent’s last quip.

“For Christ’s sake, Maria. We’ve been ready for the last hour. We’ve been waiting for your sorry ass,” Isabel chimed in. She looked as glamorous as always in a red gauze-y shirt which seemed to gleam in the light and a pair of black leather pants with killer boots. She wore her blonde hair in an elegant upswept style.

“Hey, you can’t blame me. It’s all Michael’s fault,” Maria huffed.

“How is it Michael’s fault?” Liz asked. She was wearing a fabulous electric blue tube top which emphasized her tiny waist that Maria had found in the depths of Liz’s closet and a knee length silver skirt that moved like liquid over her. Silver strap heels and a plain gray purse completed her outfit.

“He didn’t like my original outfit. Tore it right off me,” she smirked with a twinkle in her eye as she turned and headed for the door.

Tess rolled her eyes as she followed her, Liz and Isabel falling in behind them both, linking arms and giggling quietly.

**********************

Michael wandered through the house by himself. He was still undecided about whether to give up his apartment and move permanently into the house or to keep his place so he had somewhere to retreat to if he needed it.

He did feel the need to return home to collect some of his belongings, there were definitely some of his personal possessions that he would like to have with him if he was going to stay. Though clothes seemed to be materializing in the his section of Maria’s huge his and hers walk-in closet. Mind you, some of that space was already taken by Maria’s garments. He had never known a person to have so many outfits. And that didn’t count the three drawers of underwear or the complete wall of double shelving that housed her shoe collection.

He walked through to one of the many living areas to find Max, Sean, Billy, and Kyle lounging on the leather sofas, beers in their hands and watching a re-run of some football game on the huge, wall-mounted TV.

He paused cautiously at the door, then figured – what the hell? – and walked into the room.

“Michael,” Max called, his voice open and friendly.

“You wanna beer?” Kyle offered. Michael nodded, reaching for one of the bottles that stood on the table.

As he sank into the luxurious sofa, he twisted the cap off and tossed it back in the direction of the drinks.

“How have your first few days been?” Kyle asked.

Michael shifted his eyes from Sean, who was smirking, to Max, who seemed genuinely interested in his
answer.

Michael took a drink before he answered. “They’re been different.”

“Yeah, I can imagine,” Kyle chuckled. “It must seem extreme to you!”

“Yeah, and the rest,” Michael returned with half a smile.

“So you all live here?” he queried. He knew Sean and Billy were permanent residents, but he was not sure about the other two.

“Yeah,” Kyle answered for them.

“You can live in the house if you want,” Sean provided. “But you are asked not to bring dates back unless you are in a committed relationship. Though I guess that won’t be a problem with you, seeing as she lives here, too. But FYI, in case that doesn’t last, the bosses don’t expect you live a celibate life. There are a number of downtown apartments that can be used if you don’t want to keep an apartment. It’s like living in one big frat house. It’s fun.”

“Though if it’s a messy break-up,” Billy said with a smile, “You might want to move somewhere else. Maria can be hard to live with after a falling out.”

“Talking from experience?” Michael asked.

“Ha,” Kyle laughed out loud. “He wishes.”

Michael smirked at him, then turned his head back to Sean. “Has she had many messy-break-ups then?”

Sean took a sip from his beer. “That’s something to discuss with her, not me.”

Michael nodded as another guy walked into the room. He was fairly tall with dark hair and tanned skin, the sort of guy who never had a problem finding someone to keep him warm on a cold night.

“Speaking of,” Billy muttered low and Michael swung his eyes suspiciously toward the newcomer.

“Beers boys?” the man questioned cheerfully, his accented voice ringing melodically and his hands held behind his back. “You disappoint me.”

“What do you have there, Vladimir?” Sean asked with a knowing smirk.

Vladimir returned his grin as he produced a tall bottle of vodka and a hand that held a shot glass on each finger. “Ah, mother’s milk.”

He placed the four shot glasses on the table. “I seem to have lost my drinking partner,” he said, shooting a glare at Michael, “so you shit-heads will have to take her place.”

Michael leaned over to Max. “I take it that his usual drinking partner is Maria?”

Max nodded as Sean added. “She’s the only one who can drink this guy under the table.”

“Maria!” Michael exclaimed, liquid spurting from his mouth in astonishment. Maria was tiny, and he highly doubted she could hold her liquor, never mind outdrink a Russian national.

“I swear Mariya was a Russian in a previous life,” Vladimir informed him, opening the bottle and filling the glasses with the clear liquid. “This is her favorite,” he added, placing the bottle carefully on the table.

“Only four glasses, Vlad,” Max observed. “Who’s gonna sit this round out?”

“Not to worry, Maxwell,” Vladimir replied with a glint in his eye as he walked over to a cabinet, opened the bottom drawer and pulled out two more glasses. “Mariya’s secret,” he added conspiratorially.

He moved quickly back to the low table and quickly poured into the extra glasses. He picked one up and held it in the air. The others looked at each other, then cautiously followed his lead. “Na zdarov'e,” he said simply, then swallowed the liquid.

“Cheers,” Sean grinned and slung the liquid down his throat, coughing as the vodka burnt his esophagus.
Max, Billy, and Kyle all looked skeptically at Sean but quickly followed suit. A chorus of hisses and profanity filled the room.

Michael was the only one left who hadn’t drank from his glass.

“Pff, this one will not last long with Mariya,” Vladimir laughed, his head nodding to Michael.

“Nah,” Sean agreed. “She’ll soon tire of his body, then it will be cold for Michael all alone in his bed.”

Michael brought the glass to his lips and quickly tipped it before he changed his mind. As soon as the liquid hit his throat, it burned, and he forced himself to swallow.

“Shit,” he breathed out eventually with a cough as the others laughed out at him. “And Maria drinks this often?”

“It’s tradition. Whenever I come back from the Motherland, I bring her the best vodka. We drink together to forget our woes.”

“Vlad, they have not created the drink to make us forget our woes, but when they do, I’m sure I will be first in line to sample it,” Sean responded, slapping him on the back.

“Does everyone in this place have a story?” Michael asked, discreetly wiping the water that seemed to be leaking from his eyes. ‘Damn, that’s strong,’ he thought.

The others looked at each other cautiously. This man was part of their group now, and it was said, a little knowledge goes a long way.

“My parents were high-profile lawyers,” Max started, his voice low and strained. “Isabel and I grew up in Las Vegas, which was where our parents had their firm. They were used to dealing with undesirables, shall we say? I was 11, and Isabel was 13 when they were killed.”

Michael looked nervously at Sean, who just nodded to him, silently telling him he needed to know this, and he should listen as the other man recounted his story.

“They were killed at our home while we were out at a school dance. We found them when we returned.”

“Hey, Max,” Michael interrupted him, not wanting him to share anything that he felt uncomfortable with.

Max shook his head and continued. “We went to live with our grandparents. I joined the Army straight from high school, but not before I looked into my parent’s murder. They were killed by a man called Karl Ellison, a contract from the mob boss Vincent D’Angelo.”

Michael nodded at the name. Even in the LAPD, Vincent D’Angelo was well known for his extravagant lifestyle and his violent dealings with the underbelly of Las Vegas.

“I completed one tour of duty with the Army before The Company approached me. My parents had given The Company legal representation in the past so I had heard of the name Deluca from them. The Company pulled some strings, and I was released from the Army with an honorable discharge. I have been here since then. My only stipulation was that my sister joined with me.”

Michael was bewildered. Not from Max’s story; it seemed he would hear a lot of backstories like this one during his time here, but by the fact that The Company could arrange an honorable discharge for someone so young, he couldn’t have been in the Army long.

“How long have you been a part of this organization?” Michael asked him, hardly noticing that Vladimir had refilled the glasses, and the others had already drunk theirs.

“Four years,” Max replied simply before swallowing his shot.

Michael automatically drank the contents of his glass, too. The liquid was now warming his insides instead of burning.

“And do you still have your bullet?” Michael inquired, knowing that Vincent D’Angelo was still alive.

“That opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet, but I can wait. I am a patient man,” Max answered with a slow smile.

Michael nodded, silently wondering about the bullet he would make. Who would that be for? Mason had indicated that his father’s death was not accidental. Would the bullet be for the person behind that or someone else?

The silence in the room was broken by another man walking in. The tall man’s hair was light brown and his youthful features were covered partially by a smattering of facial hair.

“You do realize the girls are out there, let loose on the city without anyone to rein them in?” he asked the room.

“Ryan, calm down,” Sean laughed. “You know those girls can take care of themselves.”

“Sean,” he said exasperated, then he turned to Michael and said again in the same tone, “Michael.”

When he had their attention, he continued. “Just to let you know, Maria is the chief protagonist in this outing of theirs, and when they left, whew, they were dressed to kill.”

“I trust Maria,” Michael stated, assuming this new person was indicating that Maria was on the make.

“That’s not the problem,” he returned

“What is the problem then?” Michael asked.

“Shit, Michael,” Sean mumbled standing from the couch. “Maria can get herself into a shitload of trouble in a paper bag.”

“Yeah,” Kyle chirped up, standing quickly then stumbling slightly, presumably from the alcohol. “Time to hit the clubs and look for the babes.”

“Seriously?” Michael questioned as he watched Kyle and Vladimir head out of the room, discussing appropriate shirts for the night. “We’re seriously gonna go and spy on them?”

Billy moved closer to Michael. “They are,” he said pointing to the door, “and did you know that Vladimir and Maria were once close, very close, if you understand me? Like, as close as two people can get - in the biblical sense.”

“Yes, Billy,” Michael growled out from between his teeth.

“When did we get on biblical terrain?” Sean asked, scratching his head in confusion but refusing to admit that the alcohol had affected him a little.

Michael had stood quickly, then wished he hadn’t as the room spun before his eyes. He held his head for a second, willing the motion to stop. “So, those who are going should meet at the door in 20.” And he rushed from the room to see what clothes he could find in Maria’s closet suitable for a night out on the town.

*********************

Michael was the last to enter the club, and the way the beat from the music thumped through him, he wouldn’t be surprised if his eardrums were perforated by the time they left. It was the same club where he had first seen Maria just over a week ago, the day his life had changed forever.

He followed the others as they headed straight to the bar and grunted a little when Sean pushed back through them to grabbed him by the arm and move him closer to the bar.

“Brett,” Sean called to the bartender, and when the man in question turned to him, he continued. “This is Michael. He’s the newest member of The Company.”

Michael looked at the man Sean was introducing him to. He was a tall man with arms covered in intricate tattoo designs and a neatly trimmed goatee that matched his short, sandy blonde hair. He had a piercing through his right eyebrow and several in each earlobe. He was also chewing on a small red cocktail stirrer which he moved from side to side of his mouth as he spoke.

Brett nodded in acknowledgement and leaned over a little. “Are you guys on the clock tonight?”

“No,” Sean replied for them all. He turned his head and looked into the depths of the club. “Is she here?” he asked him over his shoulder.

Brett nodded a slow grin spreading on his face. “They have taken over one of the balcony booths.”

Sean looked up and spotted Liz leaning over the glass banister, watching the dance floor. Michael looked up, too, and, seeing Liz he swung his eyes down, following her line of sight to find Maria dancing with Tess and a group of unknown males in the middle of the dance floor.

“Get the beers in, Sean,” Max said quickly as he, too, observed Liz up on the balcony, then he set off, heading for the stairs and the brunette.

Ryan slapped Billy and Kyle on their shoulders. “Come on, guys. The babes won’t come a running if they don’t get to see the goods.” And the three headed out to the dance floor.

Sean turned back to Brett. “Seven beers then?” he said with a smile.

“No, Brett.” Vladimir stopped him. “I will take the vodka.”

“Haven’t seen you around for a while, Ruskie,” Brett said goodheartedly before asking with a knowing smirk. “Has she been keeping you tied to the bed?”

“Brett, did I mention that Michael here also works for the LAPD?” Sean said with a glint in his eye.

“And?” Brett asked as he filled a couple of shot glass for Vladimir.

“And,” Sean drew out the word, “he has also taken on the often arduous task of dating my cousin.”
Brett almost swallowed his straw.

“I…..well…….I……….didn’t” the bartender stammered out.

Vladimir laughed at his uneasiness as he slapped a hand on Michael’s back. “Ah, Mariya was just too much for me. She is now under the wing of her newest …. How do you say….. conquest?”

Michael smirked at Vladimir, the guy wasn’t so bad, though he wasn’t sure how he felt about the fact that he actually liked one of Maria’s former boyfriends, especially since they obviously saw each other every day. He vaguely wondered what it was that broke the two up.

“Ah,” Vladimir commented, as if reading his thoughts, “Maybe she will tell you. One day.”

Michael did a double take of the handsome Russian as he swallowed his second shot and then headed out onto the dance floor.

“No, he doesn’t read minds,” Sean informed him as they watched Vladimir retreating figure. “He’s just very good at reading expressions.”

Brett placed a tray laden with beer bottles and a few cocktails, obviously for the girls, in front of them. “You want me to send them up to the table?” he asked the two men in front of him.

“Yeah and add double shots for everyone,” Sean replied.

“You want to start your own tab?”

“Nah. Put it on Maria’s,” he grinned back.

Brett nodded then indicated to one of the waitress to take the tray as he set another one up with several shot glasses.

“How bad do you want to find her now?” Sean asked Michael with a smirk.

“Maria is a grown woman,” Michael answered as he picked up one of the longnecks and took a swig from it. “She can do whatever she pleases.”

“Even if she’s doing whatever she pleases with an old bedmate?” Sean continued, purposely taunting the taller man.

Michael caught a flash of shimmering green and instinctively knew it was Maria. She turned almost as soon as he had seen her, and their eyes found each other’s just like they had a week ago.

Michael was moving before he even knew it, handing the bottle absentmindedly to Sean, and he grinned as he saw her moving away from Vladimir and toward him at exactly the same time. They met in the middle of the dance floor, their lips reaching for their counterparts before anything else.

Maria held onto Michael like he was her lifeline, and Michael clung equally as hard to her. When they pulled apart, Maria moved her lips to his ear.

She sucked once on his lobe and then whispered, “What took you so long?”

He pulled back so she could see his smirk as he answered her. “Sean couldn’t decide what to wear.”

It was a good thing they were so close, otherwise his words would have been lost, drowned in the pumping dance tune that seemed to beat from the walls.

“You like my dress?” she asked his seductively.

“Love it,” he replied, though he had hardly glanced at it, and then he quickly claimed her lips again, just in case anyone around them didn’t see that she was his.


Up on the balcony, two figures looked down and smiled at the two agents making out in the middle of the dance floor.

“They are so crazy, aren’t they?” Max said to the slim girl beside him.

“Yeah. Perfect for each other,” Liz agreed.

“So, you wanna dance?” he asked her nervously.

“I don’t know, Max,” Liz answered, trying hard to make her voice sound unsure. She was doing as Maria
had suggested, though she had no intention of just jumping some random guy. She wasn’t like that. It might be okay for Maria, but not for her. However, she had every intention of making Max work for it and maybe make him jealous without the actual sex with a stranger part. “I mean, you just want to dance with me until something better comes along. I’m not that kind of girl, ya know?”

“Who said that?” Max quizzed her.

“What? That I’m not that kind of girl?”

“No, that I only want to dance with you until something better comes along?”

He watched as her eyes shifted a little, as though she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t have.

“Liz,” he continued gently. “You know that’s not true.”

“Do I, Max?” she said with frustration. “We’ve been skirting around this whole dating thing for months now, and I’m still no clearer about what’s happening between us than I was at the beginning.”

“Liz, you know that I have trouble opening up, that I have…..”

“Issues. Yes, I know that. And you know you’re not the only one. But what if, Max? What if you’re so worried, so scared to take that next step that it passes you by? That I pass you by? If knowing Maria has taught me anything, it’s that you have to go after what you want.”

She sighed and turned back to the railing of the balcony, her eyes unconsciously drifting back down to Maria and Michael. They were now sort of dancing. Liz couldn’t think of a more polite way to explain what they were doing.

“Look at them, Max. They can’t keep their hands off each other, and why is that? It’s because they want to live their lives to the fullest. Maria was so close to death when she was 15, so close that I truly marvel at the fact that she’s still with us today. In fact, if her uncle hadn’t insisted of removing her from the hospital and moving her into a unit, she would never have survived. And several times after that, she should have died, but she didn’t. She held on. And why?”

Max grinned at her. “Revenge.”

“Apart from that. You know what happened to her, what that monster did to her, but look at her, look, Max.” and she waited until he had turned and looked down on the girl. “Does she look like she never wants to experience life, love?”

“Maria’s story is completely different from mine,” he said softly.

“I know that. Max, I’m sorry. I’m sorry the girl you loved killed your baby, but not every girl is like that.”
Max looked at her. Her doe eyes contradicting the strength of character she had.

He moved closer to her, his hand moving seemingly by itself until he held her face in his hand.
“I’m sorry, Liz. That’s all I can say.” He smiled at her, his best innocent little boy smile. “Come dance with me?”

Liz grinned back. She’d said her piece, laid her cards out, so to speak. “OK.”

*************************

Na zdarov'e = For health

Hope you guys had a great week and are getting ready to meet to next one. Only 9 day left guys until the big day guys

Ginger: Thanks

Katie: and thanks Vladimir is just the best!

Sara: Yes, Liz said what she needed too. And the other stories will emerge as we continue.

Carolyn: Yes, everything looks rosy for Liz and Max at the moment.

My apologies for my poor Russian, it is very very rusty. Feel free to correct me if the need arises.


Chapter 12.

When Kyle had left the guys at the bar, he found Tess pretty easily among the heaving bodies on the dance floor. The shimmering of Maria’s dress caught the eye of everyone as Maria danced with Tess. He had to admit, the two looked pretty good tonight, and he was sure the way they were dancing together, it was fulfilling many of the surrounding males fantasies. He smiled to Ryan as he disappeared off to his right, his eye on a tall brunette.

He moved closer to the girls when he noticed Vladimir step onto the dance floor, his eyes scanning quickly over to Michael to gauge his reaction. Michael was watching every step Vladimir was taking but showing no obvious signs of jealousy.

Vladimir twisted his arm around Maria’s waist, sliding up behind the slim girl and moving his body flush against hers. Kyle watched as Maria smiled at Vladimir over her shoulder, moving back into his arms and away from Tess. Kyle took that as his cue and was instantly in front of the smaller blonde and lifting her arms to wrap them around his shoulders. Tess looked up at him and grinned.

“Didn't want you to dance alone,” Kyle said by way of explanation, his lips close to her ear so he could be heard above the music.

“I don’t think it would have been long before I had a new partner,” she responded, leaning into him.

Tess turned her head to watch Maria and Vladimir dance together. “How long do you think it will be before Michael intervenes?” she asked him, turning back to him.

Kyle just smirked at her and tipped his head back in the direction of their colleagues. Tess looked back over her shoulder to see Michael and Maria kissing passionately in the middle of the dance area, Vladimir moving silently off to the side with a grin on his face.

She leaned back into Kyle, and they moved slowly to the quick beat of the music, finding their own rhythm. She wasn't sure where their relationship was going, but they had been sort of dating for almost three months now. The Company did not approve of intimate relationships between the agents, but as they were partners in the field, their relationship seemed to have been accepted.

Kyle wrapped his arms tightly around Tess. He knew she flirted with the other guys - Maria did it, too - but he knew he and Tess had something special between them.

“Let’s go and sit down,” Kyle suggested after a few more minutes.

“Ok,” Tess replied, and she let herself be led from the dance floor and over to a row of bar stools against the far wall. As they moved, Kyle signaled to a member of the wait staff, who just nodded at his look and retreated to fetch their drinks.

“So, how has your day been?” Kyle asked her politely.

“Oh, are we making small talk now?” Tess returned with a laugh.

“Well, I thought it would be better than just dragging you from the dance floor and into a darkened corner!”

“Ever the gentleman, Kyle.”

Kyle looked at her and smirked. “Wanna go and find a dark corner?”

Tess’ eyes sparkled up to him. “I thought you’d never ask.” And she let herself be lead away by Kyle, smiling sweetly to the waitress as she turned up with their drinks.

****************

Michael climbed the stairs to the balcony, watching Maria in front of him. He smiled at the view of her ass sashaying before him and the glorious length of thigh that showed below her ridiculously short dress, revealing more and more each time she lifted her foot onto the next step.

They joined Isabel, Vladimir, Ryan, and Billy in a large semi-circle booth. Billy seemed to be grumbling to himself as he knocked back another shot.

“What’s wrong with Billy Boy?” Maria laughed as she flopped onto the plush velvet seating.

“Bemoaning the loss of his love,” Isabel grinned back to Maria, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Shit, Billy,” Maria moaned. “Get over it all ready. Find someone new to latch onto.”

“He has it bad, malinkaya,” Vladimir added with a smile to her.

“Oh please, Dimi,” she smirked back. “He only wants the unattainable. He wouldn’t know what to do with me if he had me.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Billy growled out to them.

“Then grow a pair and find someone else to obsess over,” Maria told him straight.

Billy looked intently at her, and when she raised her eyebrow, he turned away, grabbing a beer bottle from the table.

“Do I need to kick his ass?” Michael asked her quietly.

“No, Michael. Just leave it.”

“How is the training coming along, Michael?” Ryan asked him as he handed them each a shot glass of clear liquid.

“I don’t know?” he answered then he turned to Maria. “How is my training coming?”

Maria quickly swallowed her vodka, smiling as the liquid glided down her throat. “You’re doing just fine, Michael. You moved that bullet today. Now we just have to work from there.”

“Any of my special skills needed, Mariya?” Vladimir asked with a grin.

“I don’t know, Dimi. I haven’t decided yet?”

“How come it’s your call?” Michael asked as Liz and Max joined them. Maria caught the secretive smile on Liz’s face and returned it with one of her own, her brow lifting in question.

Liz rolled her eyes at Maria and sat next to Max at the end of the booth, elegantly crossing her legs.

“Maria?” Michael probed when she didn’t answer him.

“Sorry. It’s my call because I say when you’re ready,” she said simply.

“Ready for what?”

“For active duty.”

Michael accepted that. With her family being so involved with The Company and her abilities being as great as they were, he could respect that.

“So, how come I’m always training with Max and Sean? Why not Kyle, Billy, or Ryan?” he questioned her, grateful that the noise level was lower up here in the balcony so they could actually have a conversation.

Maria looked at Max and then back at Michael. “Because Max is going to be your partner. You have to be able to know each other, trust each other, so you are learning to fight with him and to work with him.”

Michael looked over at Max to see his smiling at him. “I have to say, Michael. I’m pretty impressed with your abilities so far. For someone with no knowledge of their Bender abilities, you have learned pretty quickly.”

Michael looked back to Maria, not wanting to remember why he needed to access his abilities so quickly.
He shifted his eyes down and caught the tattoo etched onto the side of Liz’s right ankle. He had seen it somewhere before and leaned forward to take a better look. Two swirling lines, one going up and one going down, surrounding a small odd shape in the middle.

“What?” Liz asked him, quickly looking down on the floor.

Michael looked back up to her and then turned to Maria, remembering where he had seen the design. “She has the same tattoo as you do.”

Liz looked at her ankle and laughed.

“Yeah, we all have it,” Maria said with a smile. “Every member of The Company has the same symbol.”

“You all have one?” he asked the people around the table.

They all smiled and nodded. Max turned in his seat and rolled up the short sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal his tattoo. Ryan turned completely in his seat and showed his at the base of his neck. Isabel stood and turned on the spot, carefully lifting her shirt hem slightly to reveal her tattoo located on her lower back.

“Can’t show you mine, unless the ladies want me to strip,” Billy said with a slight slur.

“Billy’s is in the center of his back,” Liz informed him.

“Mine is on my inner arm,” Vlad provided.

Michael looked at these people with an ever-growing respect. They all had something terrible happen to them in their past, he knew that much even if he didn’t know any personal details beyond what Max had disclosed to him earlier. But they had survived and made a new family, and this tattoo, it bonded them even more, like a family surname would. Only it was much more personal, and no matter where the placement was, it was intimate.

“You said you didn’t know what it means,” he said softly to Maria.

“Yeah, still don’t know what it means. The Company selected it as its symbol generations ago. I don’t think anyone knows what it means.”

Michael leaned a little closer to her and whispered low. “How come yours is in such an intimate area, and who did it?”

At that moment, Brett brought up another tray loaded with alcohol. He hadn’t bothered pouring the vodka; he just brought the bottle over to them.

“Brett,” Vladimir groaned. “I must have a serious talk to you about your supplier. I bet I could do you a better deal and for better vodka.”

Michael again was drawn to the intricate ink designs on his arms, his eyes suddenly widening in realization.

“Brett did them?” he asked looking up at the lanky man.

“Yes, Michael. Brett did all of our tats. Just like he’ll do yours when you have completed your training.”

“Wait. Nobody said I had to have someone mark my body – permanently – on purpose.”

“It’s tradition, Michael,” Liz said with a grin over the table.

“Yeah, and if you make a fuss, they don’t care,” Maria huffed.

“You didn’t want the tattoo?”

“No! I have enough……,” she paused, searched for the right word. She hated the word scar, to her it represented weakness. A scarier time. A time she would prefer to never think about again. “Blemishes,
shall we say? I didn’t want to add to them.”

“And the fact she hates needles played absolutely no aspect of her refusal to sit quietly,” Max added with a laugh.

“Then how?”

“Those bastards got me drunk and practically strapped me into the chair,” she said shooting a death glare to Max, Vladimir, and Ryan.

“Took almost three bottles of the absolute best vodka,” Vladimir said, almost in pride

“And half a bottle of Absinthe,” Brett added.

“Shit, Maria, do you like have an alcohol sponge or something hidden in your body?” Michael asked in awe.

Maria laughed out at that. “I don’t think there is such a thing.”

She turned in question to Liz.

“Not that I’ve heard of,” the brunette confirmed, also laughing.

“So why there?” Michael asked her again.

“I was drunk, Michael. It seemed as good a place as any.”

Michael nodded, not wanting to think that the bartender may have seen more of his girlfriend than he would like.

Maria took the shot glass that Vladimir had refilled and swallowed the liquid in a flash.

“Come on, Michael. Come and dance with me,” Maria said, tugging on the sleeve of his button down shirt,
her hand stroking the material distractedly.

She smiled as the silk of the shirt slipped easily against her fingers. She was glad he had chosen this shirt tonight, the deep green pinstripe that ran through the dark gray bulk of the shirt matched well with the emerald green of her dress. She silently wondered if Michael would blow a gasket or whatever if he knew how much she had spent on the shirt.

“I’m not really a dancer, Maria.”

“Please, Michael,” she repeated, her lips automatically pulling into a pout.

“Ah,” he smiled to her. “I wondered how long it would be before that look made an appearance.”

“Well, come and dance with me,” she asked again, over-exaggerating her pout.

“I’ll dance with you, M’ria,” Billy slurred from the other side of the booth.

“Not in that state, you won’t,” Maria huffed at him and turned back to Michael.

“Come on, Michael,” she pleaded, then she added with a twinkle in her eye. “Don’t make me dance with Dimi.”

“Xotite potancevat, malinkaya?” Vladimir asked her with a smile, knowing full-well she was using him to
force Michael dance with her.

“Thanks, Dimi. I was hoping to dance with this big lug but I guess not,” Maria replied with a deep, exaggerated sigh. Then she leaned over the plush booth seating and slid her long, delicate fingers into Vladimir’s waiting palm.

“OK,” Michael said, standing quickly and removed Maria’s hand from the Russian’s. “I’ll dance with you, Blondie.”

Maria smirked at Vladimir and blew him a kiss as Michael led her back down the stairs.

****************

Michael wrapped his arms around Maria as she moved sensually to the low beat of the song playing so loudly he was sure he’d have blood running from his ears before long. He felt awkward beside her, unable to move as she did> She dances as though she was liquid and could flow in whichever direction she wanted.

“I didn’t realize you spoke Russian?” he asked, his lips grazing her ear.

“Dimi taught me,” she replied simply with a shrug of her delicate shoulders.

“What did he teach you?” he asked, silently berated himself for asking.

“Well, I can say fuck in several languages,” she answered, her eyes dancing with mischief.

“Why does that not surprise me,” Michael replied dryly.

“Potzeluy menya,” Maria said with a smile.

“And just what does that mean?” Michael asked, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

Maria answered him by wrapping her hand around his neck and pulling his face toward hers. He smiled
against her lips, and she took the opportunity to sweep her tongue along his. Michael willing opened his mouth at her silent request and let her take what she wanted, not realizing they were now both moving as one to the music, that her body had taken possession of his, their kiss as slow and sensual as the song playing.

When she finally moved her lips from his, Michael struggled to catch his breath, and Maria laid her head against his chest.

“Ty nuzhen mne,” she whispered, and surprisingly he heard her, though he didn’t understand what she had said.

“I don’t understand, Maria,” he said gently, his fingers gently caressing her back, and he felt her sigh in appreciation of his touch.

She tipped her face back up to his and rose up onto her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “Ebats menya.”

Michael turned his head to look at her and noting the glint of mischief in her eyes he asked, “Is that something good?”

“Fuck me,” she smiled.

“Right now?” he asked, his grin matching hers.

Maria nodded, catching her bottom lip with her teeth as she pressed herself closer to him.
Michael looked around the dance floor and then back to the erotic creature in his arms.

“Right here?” he clarified.

“Well, not right here. Too many people around,” she laughed.

Michael lifted his hand to her cheek, and he kissed her again, his actions telling her all she needed to know.

“Ebats menya, Mikhael,” she whispered again.

“I think I love the Russian language,” he laughed.

Maria took him by the hand and led him away from the dance floor, back over to the bar. She moved to the left side of the bar, where the top swung down to close off the area behind for staff only.

She snaked her hand under the countertop, feeling her way rather than looking. When she couldn’t find what she was searching for, she looked accusingly at Brett behind the bar.

He grinned to her as he made his way closer to the couple.

“Had to move your secret hiding place, too many people saw you do that.” He then turned and reached behind the vast array for bottles that adorned the back of the bar area. He stretched his hand back to hers and brought the shining keys into her open palm with a grin.

“Don’t break anything in there,” he said sternly to her, to which Maria raised one immaculate eyebrow.

“And don’t give me that innocent it wasn’t me look, Maria,” Brett laughed.

Maria smiled to him and said, “Vaffanculo.” Her Italian was a little rusty but she was sure she got her point across.

“Hey, and don’t you cuss at me in some other language either,” Brett responded.

Maria closed her long fingers around the keys in her hand and blew a kiss to Brett before turning and, still holding onto Michael’s hand, walked off in the direction of the double doors that led through to offices, storage rooms and her own little hideaway.

**************

Sean finally made his way up onto the balcony area to see everyone had gathered together. Everyone except his cousin and Michael, that was.

Tess was looking a little disheveled, and Kyle had tell-tell lipstick marks across his neck. Tess was looking a little too intoxicated by now, with Billy and Kyle sharing her status. Though the three of them were still passing around half a bottle of tequila.

Liz and Max were in a huddle by the side of the booth, and Sean did not miss the casually touches between the two that were obviously an invitation for more.

Isabel and Vladimir were having a discussion: Vodka versus tequila, though Isabel may also have had one shot too many, and Sean wondered if Vlad was going to get lucky with the tall blonde, though with the exception of his cousin, Vladimir rarely messed with the women in the house.

He grumbled to himself, thinking that everyone in this group was sex-crazed, but then he had the grace to admit he was only jealous.

He had met a leggy, golden-brown haired temptress who he had plied with alcohol, only to be shot down when he had suggested they find somewhere more private to talk.

So he found himself with the rest of the group in their vantage point on the balcony, looking down on the rest of the club, people watching.

He could hear the others talking behind him, and it seemed that the major topic for discussion was his cousin.

“Don’t you think it’s a little soon for her to become so involved with another man?” Billy questioned the group.

“Wait,” Tess interrupted him by holding her hand up. “Since when has Maria really become involved with a man? They are all just toys, objects for her to use when she feels the need.”

Vladimir at that moment leaned forward to replace Isabel’s shot class on the table and Tess swung her eyes to him, suddenly remembering he was there. “Of course, it was different with you,” she back-pedaled quickly, holding her head as the room spun a little.

“Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, Tess. I knew exactly what I was getting into with Mariya,” Vladimir told her with a wistful smile. “She is a difficult person to tame.”

“And do you think Michael could do that?” Liz asked, concerned for her friend. She so desperately wanted Maria to find that one special person who could help her overcome everything she had been through, as well as find happiness and completion. She knew Maria used her sexuality to get what she wanted from her partners, but she never surrendered herself to them. She never lost herself so completely that she put their needs above those of her own. Liz understood why she held back and why she refused to give up her control, but she didn’t think Maria could continue this act for the rest of her life. And Liz seemed to think that Michael might be the person who Maris was able to make those first steps with.

“Michael, I think, will be the perfect man to help Mariya,” Vladimir said with a knowing smile to Liz. “He will never give up on her.”

“Is that what you did?” Sean asked, moving closer to group and lifting the bottle of tequila out of Tess’ hand, filling a shot glass with the golden liquid. “Did you give up on Maria?”

“Mariya is the one who gave up on me, Sean,” Vladimir answered. “She tires too easily with her ‘toys’,” he added with a smirk to Tess.

“So, when da ya fink she’ll give up on macho man?” Billy slurred.

“Not in your lifetime,” Tess giggled.

“Seriously, Billy. Give it up,” Max hiccupped. “You are making a fool of yourself.”

“Yeah, and it’s painful to witness,” Kyle added.

“If you had any chance with her, you would have been there already,” Ryan concluded, slapping Billy goodheartedly on the back.

“It could happen,” Billy grumbled.

“Keep dreaming, Billy,” Isabel laughed.

“Where are Maria and Michael, anyway?” Max queried.

“Do you think they ditched us?” Ryan asked

“Nah, they are off having sex somewhere,” Tess answered knowingly.

“How do you know that?”

“Oh please,” Tess laughed. “We are in a club. When in a club Maria is in one of three places: On the dance floor, on a bar stool, or on a guy!”

“That’s my cousin you are talking about!” Sean stated, refilling his shot glass.

“So? You know that I’m right,” she grinned back to him.

Sean thought about it for a second then agreed with her with a nod of his head, his glass held in front of his lips.

“Hey, guys,” Ryan said a little too loudly, standing on wobbly legs, wishing he hadn’t tried to keep up with Vladimir’s alcohol intake. “I gotta go pee. Will someone let me out?”

Max and Liz grumbled as they moved to let Ryan climb over the seats and make a dash for the stairs.
Liz glanced down to the area below to make sure he made it safely to the first floor, and her eyes were drawn to the other side of the large club to see Michael and Maria emerge from the private area.

“Well, there’s our mystery,” she said to Max and indicated with her eyes the couple below.

Maria, sensing someone’s eyes on her, looked up and smiled to Liz. She pointed to Michael then herself and to the door.

Liz turned back to the group. “It looks like Maria and Michael are leaving.”

“Party’s over, folks,” Isabel said, standing. She wobbled slightly at her movement, and Vladimir reached out quickly to steady her.

Isabel smiled her gratitude to him then moved away from the booth. The others all fell in behind her as she led the way down the stairs. Kyle helping Billy negotiate the challenge of the steps, with Tess giggling behind them.

“Brett,” Maria called over the bar, standing on the rung of a stool so she could be seen. While she waited for him to get closer she turned and draped her arms over Michael shoulders, wrapping them around him and moving him back to sit on the stool, her chest pressed against his back and her head resting against his.
Michael lifted his hand and gently rubbed her hands where they were clasped against him, his lips moving to brush along her flesh.

“Maria,” Brett’s voice called and she turned her head slightly to look at him. “You ready you settle your tab?”

“Sure,” she said, letting go of Michael and turning back to Brett.

“Just to let you know, Sean has been adding it all night,” the bartender told her.

“Fucking typical,” Maria grumbled, swinging her eyes to her cousin as he neared them by the bar.

“You still have my card details in the system?” she asked.

“I think so,” Brett smiled.

“Well, I don’t have anything on me right now, so if not, call my office tomorrow, and Riley will clear the tab,” she grinned.

“Maria, we’ve talked about this shit,” Brett tried to scold her.

“And I’ve told you, you can’t expect me to carry any money or anything like this,” and she indicated to her outfit. She leaned a little closer to him over the bar. “And just remember who signs your checks, bar man,” she said with a glint in her eye.

“Get out of here, Boss,” he grinned at her.

“Later, Brett,” she called before grabbing Michael hand and moving off the join the others waiting by the door.

“I’ve got a couple of cabs waiting,” Max told her.

“I’m not riding with horny and hornier there,” Tess said, pointing to Michael and Maria.

“Oh, behave,” Maria smiled.

************
Xotite potancevat? = Would you like to dance with me?

Malinkaya = term of endearment – little one.

Potzeluy meny = Kiss me

Ty nuzhen mne = I need you

Vaffanculo = Fuck you.

*************

Hey guys, did you miss me?

Sorry this update has taken two weeks but with the holidays, work and the need to party, something had to give.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and that you’re New Year so far is going well.

Katie: I agree – Sean and Billy need to have a good woman in their lives and thanks for the suggestion

Ginger: Yes, it’s amazing what The Company owns.

Carolyn: Ha ha – you don’t expect things to run smoothly do you? Yeah, poor Sean. And I hope Killjoy read that chapter too

Chapter 13.


The following week was a whirlwind of training sessions for Michael with Max, Sean, and Maria, all the time with Jim Valenti watching over the group, as vigilante as ever.

Michael continued his quick learning pace and was soon able to anticipate Sean’s moves and add that little something extra with his own hits to start causing some damage to his two opponents, though he still had yet to step up and actually hit Maria.

Mason dropped in on a couple of the morning sessions to watch Michael’s progress and noted, along with Jim, the ease and synergy between Maria and Michael. He was again surprised with how Maria’s abilities had grown and the effortlessness in which she used them. They truly were second nature to her. He left the session a wave of uneasiness of this. When Maria’s abilities had begun to develop, The Company had marveled. She was the first woman to ever display the attributes of a Bender, and even at the age of 16, she had more control over them than any seasoned agent. Mason remembered watching one of her training sessions when she had officially joined them and the feeling of fear that had washed over him had been overwhelming. He truly feared anybody who came up against her.

Michael’s afternoons in the units were needed less and less and he began working with Max on creating his bullet whilst Maria continued her work with The Deluca Group. Mason had purposely held Sean and Maria back from active duty to be able to concentrate on Michael’s training. If Michael’s abilities could equal, or even surpass, those of his fathers, then Mason needed his best agents and trainers to achieve this.

Michael was also finding it easier to control the air now, moving the bullet more and more in the right direction. He achieved the process of leaving only one hole on the target sheet but was still struggling to hit the target when it was obscured by a huge slab of meat. He could maneuver the bullet around the meat but haven’t yet hit the designated area on the paper behind it.

He continued to live in the house and had visited his apartment to bring some of his belongs over, and they were now integrated with Maria’s belongings in what had effectively become their room, his photo of his mother and father standing proudly next to hers.

His feelings for Maria grew each day, and he relished the touch of her hands on him, and her body next to his. He instantly knew when she was home each day. No matter where he was in the vast house, his body seemed to surge with electricity, and he had to seek her out. His new friends would laugh when he would suddenly leave a room, sometimes mid-conversation, knowing where he was going and who he was going to find. He had tried on several occasions to bring up the subject of her parents and the scars that marred her body, but she had an incredible way of distracting him and making his lose all thoughts of questioning her. He knew it was her diversionary tactics, but he couldn’t really complain. He was partially interested in the cluster of scars she had on her inner thigh, not believing her story of a bicycle injury.

The marks on her on her upper body she had explained away with the vague mention of a puppy. The ones he had found on her inner thigh had caused a hitch in her breathing. Of course, that could have something to do with what he was doing down there, but she had shuddered at some unknown memory and spun a tale of a bicycle accident. While he didn’t believe she was being completely truthful with him, he felt sure she would tell him when she was ready.

He had even learned a little more about some members of the company, hearing their backstories as he continued living and working in the house.

Liz had started talking one afternoon whilst he was in a unit. She had sat beside the bath at first, just chattering about mundane things and then had proceeded to share with him her story.

Liz’s parents owned an alien themed diner in Rachel, Nevada along the Extraterrestrial Highway. She had been an honor student in high school and was away at college in San Francisco when her parents and her sister had been murdered during a botched robbery attempt of the café.

Her high intelligence and ease of learning had alerted her to The Company. Gilbert Saunders was a member of The Company who traveled the country looking for potential recruits and he was alerted to Liz through an acquaintance on the faculty at Berkeley. When she was recruited, she didn’t return to college and was taken under Doc Brody’s wing. He had molded her to take over his job if he ever wanted to retire, and she earned her medical license a good two years earlier than expected.

Liz had not undergone the vigorous physical training that the agents did, but she had been taught how to shoot a gun and how to handle herself in a fight, as did every member of the Company, agent or not. She had made her own bullet, though it sat untouched at the bottom of one of her room drawers. The Company had used its many resources and had apprehended the people responsible for her family’s untimely deaths.
Each individual was now serving three life sentences for her three lost family members, and they would rot in jail, not being approved for early release.

To this day, the diner in Rachel was managed by the Company, and all proceeds were held in an account for her should she ever wish to leave.

Tess divulged her story another afternoon whilst they had been chatting. Her father was a military man and had died during an accident on base when Tess was 14. Her mother couldn’t deal with his death, and six months later, she took her own life. Tess was then taken into the care of the state of California and remained in the foster care system until she was 18. Through a series of misdemeanors, she had come to the attention of Jim Valenti and was brought into The Company as a kind of second chance deal. It was either that or prison. Tess attended a local community college and went to work for The Deluca Group with their real estate department. She had begun her training as an agent when she hit 22.

He guessed he would have these conversations with every member there until they each shared their history with him. Strangely, the one he was dreading the most was Maria’s.

*****

One night, almost two weeks after he had joined The Company, Maria had come to him dressed completely in black. The outfit, a tight black blouse and black pants accentuated her body to perfection. He knew she was about to go on a mission and was silently happy her partner was her cousin. How a guy was supposed to get any work done with her looking so delectable was anyone’s guess.

“You need to change,” she stated simply to him.

“Why?” he asked, looking down at his dark blue jeans and olive green t-shirt.


“Because, you are coming out with me tonight,” she answered with a slight smile.

“But, Sean?”

“Michael, just go get changed, or do you need help?”

“Blondie, if you follow me upstairs, we’ll never come down again until the morning,” he laughed as he
headed for the door and the long walk to their room, leaving Maria standing on her own in the middle of one of the many communal living areas.

“You really think he’s ready?” Sean asked from his spot in the room where he had been unintentionally hidden from view.

“Yes,” she answered, not at all surprised he was there.

“I don’t know, Maria. I think you just want him to be ready.”

“He’s hit the target several times now, he can beat the shit out of you, and he’s finished his bullet. The only thing left is his first mission,” she reasoned.

“Yeah, but he still won’t hit you,” Sean reminded at her like it was something he needed to be able to do. It wasn’t necessarily the ability to hit her, but it was a requirement to be able to hit a woman.

“And we all know why. I was thinking of bringing Tess in to try and help him with that. Or even Emma. I don’t think he’s met her yet. That might be easier,” Maria mused.

“You shouldn’t be trying to make things easier for him. You didn’t do that with Billy’s training or Noah’s.”

“And I wasn’t actively involved with them, either,” Maria retorted.

“You do know Max and I will be following you?” Sean asked.

“Of course. Just make sure you stay back and don’t interfere. No matter what, Sean, you stay out of the picture,” she instructed.

‘Yeah, we will. Unless your life is in danger, then I will feel obligated to step in and help a little,” Sean grinned, then added, “Maybe.”

“Your generosity knows no bounds, Sean,” Maria said dead-pan.

Sean shrugged nonchalantly. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”

Sean looked at her seriously for a minute before responding, “You be careful out there, Maria.”

“You know me, always the precautious one,” she returned glibly.

Sean snorted at that. “I have this feeling you have no idea what precautious means.”

“Then I’ll let you buy me a dictionary. Tomorrow.”

Sean nodded his head at her words. This was their thing and something they always did before they embarked on a mission: They made plans to do something the next day, silently acknowledging there would be a tomorrow. They never accepted there might be the slightest risk that one of them would not return.

“Tomorrow,” he agreed.

Maria crossed the small space between them and pulled him to her in a bear hug. This was the first time she had ever embarked upon a mission without her cousin, and while she was excited to be working with Michael, she dreaded the idea that Sean would not be there to have her back. He had always been there to protect her, ever since they were the children. The one only time he had not been there was when her parents had died, and she almost followed them. That haunted Sean almost as much as her all these years later.

“Be careful,” he whispered again in her ear.

“You too,” she returned just as softly.

Michael entered the room to see the cousins hugging tightly and coughed to announce he was there.
When Maria turned to him she grinned at his attire. Black jeans, with a black t-shirt finished with a black sweater. “Much better,” she declared.

“So, where are we going?” Michael asked her.

Maria moved away from her cousin and over to Michael, and Sean was filled with a sense of loss as he watched to two leave the room, dressed identically, as Maria filled him in on the details.

Max entered just as they left and looked to Sean, noting the look on his face.

“They look good together,” Max acknowledged.

“Yeah,” Sean grumbled. “Too good.”

“It was bound to happen, Sean,” Max offered sympathetically. “She has to move on with her life. Maybe Liz
is right? Maybe Michael is the one to help her with that?”

Sean nodded at his fellow agent’s words of wisdom. “So what’s going on with you and Parker, anyway?” he asked as he propped himself against the back of the sofa, giving Maria and Michael time before they discreetly followed.

Max smirked at Sean. He knew the guy had a thing for the brunette, but Liz never showed any interest in him. “I don’t know, but I think she could be the one.”

Sean whipped his head a round to Max. “The one?”

Max nodded.

“What? Is it mating season in here or something? Everyone is hooking up with someone else,” Sean moaned.

“Maybe you should get a clue then, Deluca, and do some hooking of your own.”

“And tie this body down to just one person? Not gonna happen, Maxie. Can’t do that to all those babes out there,” Sean said with bravado.

“Out where, Sean?” Max asked him. “If I’m not mistaken, you and Billy were the only ones to NOT hook up with someone the other night.”

“So, Isabel did go home with Vladimir?” Sean asked intrigued.

“I have no idea since I do not discuss or even think about my sister’s sex life,” Max responded curtly.

“Understood,” Sean nodded.

Max looked toward the door. “Do you think they have had enough time?”

“Yeah,” Sean answered. “Let’s go save their asses.”

******

Michael and Maria had traveled with ease to their destination in one of The Company cars. Michael’s new glock was securely placed in his worn-in shoulder strap and holster, hidden beneath his lightweight black jacket.

Maria also wore a black blazer to hide her weapon of choice: a custom-made Beretta. And in addition, she had a small Walther PPK concealed in the small of her back.

They chatted calmly throughout the drive with Maria giving directions along the way.

They pulled into an underground garage and left the car there, strolling out onto the busy street hand-in-hand. To any casual observer they looked like any regular couple strolling through Downtown L.A.

“The target is George Marrison, and he isn’t a nice man!” Maria told him in a hushed whisper, studying their surroundings as the two slowly made their way down the street.

“Why?” Michael asked his face expressionless.

“He finds it highly amusing to torture innocent people for fun,” she began after taking a deep breath. “He arranges an event where hunters from across this great country of ours pay him to nominate someone for them to pursue in the name of sport.”

“Wait. For them to pursue in the name of sport? Like, hunting them like you would a deer or a duck? Michael sounded confused.

Maria nodded before continuing. “These innocent people are violently killed, butchered, and demeaned. He often takes part in these challenges, getting his rocks off with others pain,” she shuddered at the thought.

“So what happened? How do we know about him?”

“This last time, somehow, the girl escaped, and the tales she told would give you nightmares for months.”

Michael swallowed the bile that threatened to escape at Maria’s words.

He knew The Company had learned his every move and knew where he will be at certain times, which is why they were in Downtown L.A. on this mild night.

Not long later, they stood side by side at the opening of a dingy alleyway as Maria instructed Michael on what was expected of him while she pulled a black beanie from her back pocket and pulled it over her blonde hair.

“We will only get one window of opportunity here, Michael: when he passes the end of this street. He always has the window of the limo down, and there are approximately 5 seconds to get the shot.

“Ok, Maria, I get it. Don’t mess up.”

“Yes, Michael,” she repeated sternly. “Don’t mess up.”

They stayed in the shadows watching and waiting for the target’s car to roll down the street. Maria saw the head lights and nodded to Michael, stepping back slightly to let him take point.

Michael stepped forward and pulled his weapon from his holster, remembering his training, both from The Company and the Police Academy. As the sleek black car inched closer, Michael fidgeted slightly in his stance, doubts creeping into his head. A few seconds later, and the moment was upon him and Michael hesitated, gun in hand. This man might have a family: parents, children. People who relied on him every day.

“Michael,” Maria hissed sharply.

His mind erupted with thoughts of the man’s life, imagining his day to day life. Did he have a dog?

“Michael!” she said again, harsher.

Michael squeezed the trigger a moment too late, and his bullet hit the back end of the window, shattering the glass. The limo suddenly sped up and roared down the street, and a black car came hurtling forward from further down the street.

“Michael,” Maria called as she turned and ran down the alley. Michael was hot on her tail, following were she led and was astounded when she burst out onto the active street. Maria headed over to a red Ferrari that was parked nearest to her.

She pulled something small from her back pocket and, looking both ways down the street, stuck it into the lock. Michael watched amazed as in a flash she had the door open and with lightning speed was slipping into the passenger seat. At her quick look and movement of her head, he slid across the hood on his hip and pulled the driver’s door open and practically fell into the seat.

Michael looked at her shocked as she reached down and pull a small knife from a sheath against her ankle. She leaned over slightly and jammed it into the ignition port. At her quick nod, Michael grabbed the handle and turned the knife, and the Ferrari roared to life. He smashed the gas pedal to the floor with his foot, and the car launched forward as he raced through the gears and ripped out into traffic. ..only to end up going the wrong way down a narrow, one-way street!

Michael now had to weave in and out of cars that were heading right for them, car horns blaring loudly at them, and the drivers expressing their displeasure through a variety of hand gestures and colorful words.

Michael saw the object coming toward them before Maria did. “Truck!”

“Go around it!” Maria said quickly.

“No!” Michael answered. “Shoot the tires!”

Maria looked at Michael incredulously, momentarily stunned by his idea, then she leaned dangerously out the window, pulling her PPK free and fired away at the oncoming vehicle. The front tires exploded and it veered hard right, where it bounces off a FedEX truck that sent it into a violent roll.

Michael gunned the Ferrari at the tumbling mass of metal as it flipped forward... right over their car!!!

Maria watched as it fly over them, amazed his idea worked and smiled when finally it smashed down into the street behind them.

Michael snapped back to reality as Maria’s eyes met his, her face beaming, and he sped the Ferrari off the one-way street and down a side road.

He pulled the car to a stop then looked over at Maria, stunned.

“Now that was fucking amazing,” she laughed.

Michael settled back in his seat, and his heart was thumping so hard he thought it was going to erupt from his chest. He took a few calming breathes, flabbergasted that Maria was so calm and collected after what had just happened. He had been in his fair share of car chases in the past with his job at the LAPD, but this seemed a little more intense than normal. When Maria placed her hand upon his leg and squeezed gently, he took her hand in his and eased a little more respectably into traffic.

They headed back to the underground garage where they had left their car, parking a few blocks away just to be sure. Maria grabbed her knife from the ignition before climbing from the car, Michael reluctantly following her. The Ferrari was a sweet ride and so different from his old Buick.

Maria pulled Michael away from the car and kissed him zealously. The adrenaline was finally settling within her body and now she just needed to feel his body against hers, preferably hot and sweaty, but she would take what she could at this moment. She eventually pulled away and looked at Michael seriously.

“Now I want you to look at me, and tell me something. And I want you to be honest with me.”

“What?” Michael asked, puzzled at what could possibly be running through her mind right now.

“Do you think I look fat in this outfit?”

“What?!”

“I thought so. Let's go.”


They arrived back at the house just before Sean and Max and met them out in the courtyard before the front door.

“What the fuck was that?” Sean demanded straight away, bearing down on Michael with fire burning in his
eyes.

“What?” Michael asked, unaware that the other team had been tailing them.

“You missed. You let the target get away,” Sean answered with a smirk.

Michael swung his eyes to Maria, questioning her silently if she had known they were being followed. Her downcast eyes and uneasy shifting of her feet told him she knew. Michael frowned at her, disappointed that she had lied to him, or at least didn’t inform him they were being trailed.

He turned back to Sean. “You know, for those of us who have not been doing this for a lifetime and who have pledged to protect, it’s kind of hard to just shoot someone.”

“To protect the innocent,” Sean spat out. “George Marrison was not an innocent. He was a violent man who took pleasure from making others bleed; for making innocent people bleed.”

“Sean,” Maria said softly, stepping forward slightly to calm her cousin.

Sean shrugged her attempt to intervene off and took another step toward Michael. “You are a liability, Guerin. You think too much. This job isn’t about thinking. It’s about instinct and reaction. And you obviously don’t have either.”

“Sean, that’s enough,” Maria said sharply.

“No, Maria. It will be enough when I don’t have to worry about you ending up dead somewhere.”

Maria stepped closer again to Sean and grabbed his face between her hands, forcing him to look at her. “I’m not going anywhere, Sean,” she said softly. “I’m not planning on dying anytime soon.”

Sean’s eyes searched hers as if looking for the answers he so desperately needed. “Then stop putting yourself in danger,” he answered her low.

Maria shrugged as she released Sean’s head. “It’s my job, you know that.”

“Fuck the job, Maria,” he said sternly.

Maria raised her eyebrow at him, and he attempted to stare her down, but as usual, Maria won.

Eventually, Maria smiled at him, and he grinned back and pulled her into the bear hug. When they moved back, Sean looked between Michael and Maria. “You need to tell him. Tell him what happens when someone
misses their target and the implications that has on other lives.”

Maria’s eyes widened, and Sean felt his heart break when he saw the sheer terror in her green orbs. She shook her head slowly, but Sean nodded his, and Maria looked away from him to Max, hoping he would give her a way out. Max also noted Maria’s obvious distress at what she knew she would have to do, and he nodded to her, echoing Sean’s determined look, and Maria could imagine him echoing her cousin’s words, too.

“Tell me what?” Michael asked, breaking the three way look.

Sean kissed Maria on her forehead and stood away from her, giving her a reassuring squeeze of his hands before turning to Max.

“Let’s go, Max. I feel the need for a stiff drink.” And then he left Michael and Maria without a backward glance.

Max moved over to Maria and swept her into a quick hug. “It will be ok,” he said against her ear so only she could hear, and when she nodded, he stepped back.

“Michael, don’t worry about Sean, he can get a little overprotective at times,” Max said to Michael.

“A little!” Michael exclaimed.

Max smirked at this, and then followed Sean into the house.

Maria looked shyly at Michael before taking a step closer to him and moving her hand down his arm to take his hand in hers.

“Come on, Michael. Let’s take a walk.”

“What do you need to tell me?” he asked, slightly worried and extremely nervous.

“I need to tell you what happens when an agent misses their targets.”

*****************

Hey guys, this is gonna be a rough one, but hold on in there – please

Katie: I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a little longer for your answers.

Carolyn: Yes, the residents of The Company all have sorrowful tales. And maybe Liz is ‘the one’

Warning: Dark subject matter in this chapter.

Chapter 14

Maria led Michael around the edge of the house and onto a stone path that wound through the impressive landscaping. They passed the building that held the armory and the shooting range and continued in silence.

As his eyes adjusted to the dimming light, Michael saw the large boulder in the distance. He had come to realize this was Maria’s go to place when she needed time to think or just to be alone, and he instinctively knew that’s where they were heading.

Once there, Maria pulled herself up onto the rock, and Michael resisted the urge to help her. Instead, he stood beside her legs, bracing his weight against the cool stone.

“Should I be worried?” he asked her with a slight smile once she had settled on the surface of the boulder.

“What makes you ask that?” she returned, her head motionless, and her gaze fixated on the smooth surface of the lake in front of them.

“Well, you said you were gonna tell me what happens when a mission fails. Is this where I get kicked out of
The Company? Should I be worried about becoming a target myself?”

Maria turned her head to him at his remarks, wondering how true his comments could be. Would her uncle want Michael out now that he had failed? Second chances were rarely given in The Company, as a failed mission usually led to the deaths of one of their own.

She couldn’t stop the swirling sensation that started in her abdomen. It wasn’t the good kind of sensation. This was full of fear and uncertainty, and it was making her feel nauseated.

“Michael,” she started after taking a few deep breaths to calm her rolling stomach. “I have to tell you something, and I need you to just listen. No interruptions, no comments.”

“Ok,” he answered her, noting the apprehension in her features. He found himself wishing she didn’t need to tell him what she so obviously didn’t want to disclose.

Maria took another deep breath and turned her head back to the water as she started her story.

*******

A few years ago, a teenage girl returned home from a party to find both her parents tied up in the dining room of their palatial house. She immediately rushed to them, desperate to unfasten the tight knots that bound them. She was so stunned and horrified at the scene that had greeted her; she immediately dropped to her knees, her fingers darting to the rope around her mother’s ankles, despite for father’s frantic looks.
She didn’t see the man approaching her from behind, and when he grabbed her arms, forcing her to stand, she screamed.

He held her tight to him, her back against his front, and in a swift, smooth movement, a knife was held out before her. The light bounced off the metal, and the girl averted her eyes, her head shifting to the side, and in that short space of time, the blade moved, slicing along the neck of her mother as if through butter.

The blood splattered, spraying the girl across her face and upper body with the warm, life-giving liquid. The room was silent except for the harrowing bubbling sound of someone struggling to take their last breath.

She never thought that blood had an odor to it, but it does. A coppery, sharply metallic smell, and as she watched, it flow freely from her mother’s neck. She struggled to swallow down the bile that threatened to spill. The blood on her face was warm and sticky as it flowed downward from where is had landed, and she pursed her lips together to stop it from trickling into her mouth, biting back a gag.


“Now, are we going to have any trouble here?” a dark voice echoed around the large room.

The girl shook her head slowly, her eyes moving from her dead mother to her father, his eyes wide and fearful.

The knife moved from where her mother’s killer held it beside her arm and was instantly held lightly against her neck, the tip of the blade gliding effortlessly, almost tenderly, against her throbbing pulse point; close enough for her to feel it but with no pressure to actually break her skin. His other arm still wrapped around her middle not relinquishing his tight hold on her.

“Ok, good,” her captor said, his voice smooth and deep, then his tone made a 180 to upbeat and cheerful as he added. “Let’s have some fun.”

The girl was tied into another chair beside the lifeless body of her mother, whose empty eyes stared down onto the dark hardwood and her blood collected around her feet.

She struggled against her bonds, and the man laughed at her attempts to free herself, his sharp features crinkling with mirth at her feeble endeavor, before turning to face her father.

The rope bit into her wrists, burning, stinging, as she pulled at the restraints, refusing to cry in front of this man. She stopped when their intruder advanced on her dad, a glint of excitement on the man’s otherwise handsome face.


He never said a word as he dragged the knife across the left forearm of her father bound to the chair, leaving behind a thin line of red.

More cuts were made, thin long ones, and short deep ones, the tape across her father’s mouth muffling any sounds he might have made throughout the process.

“Stop,” the girl cried out, begging on the behalf of her father, as she had not been gagged. “Please.”

Their tormentor turned back to her, his eyes dancing and his pupils wide as he moved closer to her. Her dad tried to call out to him, making nonsense noises behind his gag, and bouncing in his seat, and making the chair move across the floor. His eyes held his fear for his only daughter, only child, as the crazed man with the knife advanced upon her.

He walked from the room, and the captives looked at each other, both hoping this was over but knowing it wasn’t.

When he returned, he held a small, wet cloth in his hand and moved closer to the girl. She flinched back when he reached out to her and with surprising tenderness; he wiped the blood off her face.

“Beautiful,” was all he said, before turning back to the father with a smirk.

Soon, the father’s arms were criss-crossed with trickling blood lines as his cuts continued to bleed out slowly, and his daughter became frantic as his eyes began to close.

“Daddy,” she called out, “Dad!” and sighed when he snapped his eyes open again to look at her. His eyes, identical to hers, were dim and lacking in their usual exuberance.

“Please,” she whispered.

Their captor kept them there, barely alive with varying degrees of cuts across their bodies for another two days. During that first night, he had untied the girl, and she was forced to help move her mother’s dead body into another room. She was allowed to wander the room freely, but she was unable to escape, refusing to leave her father who was still tied to his chair. The smell in the room was becoming unbearable; the lingering odor of decay and rot with the ever-present scent of blood was nauseating and suffocating at the same time.

The pain she felt was unbearable as she moved against her will. The sound of his laughter and constant mumbling a soundtrack she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life, no matter how short that life would be. She turned her head away, her eyes tightly close to try and escape what was happening in their normally fun-filled dining room. On opening them again, a glint of light drew her attention, and her eyes landed on his knife which was lying, momentarily, forgotten on the floor, just out of reach. If only her hands were free again. Knowing the only reason he tied her down in this situation was to break her. He was definitely at a disadvantage at this moment, distracted. She shifted her gaze again and collided with her dad’s tortured orbs. Fresh tears began to flow, and in her mind, she wished the knife was closer then implanted in her torturer’s back. She saw a dim light flash in her father’s eyes, and when she moved her own again, she saw the knife flicker in slight movement. She flashed a look back to her father and recognized his surprised gaze. His eyes flashed encouragement to her and again she focused on the knife, concentrating with her desire for it to move. It inched slowly, turning on the spot, and despite her predicament, she smiled.

Three days. That’s how long the father hung on, desperate to not leave her alone to the whims of a mad man, but his body gave up, and he died, and his blood no longer flowing.

Two days later, the man eventually became bored, and after marking her creativity as his, he left her to die.

But she didn’t. She didn’t die.

********

Michael looked horrified when she finished recounting the tale.

“The man who had butchered her family and stripped her of her dignity, leaving her to die in pools of blood, he was a target; a mission that someone had failed to fulfill,” Maria said, her voice strangely devoid of emotion, a sound Michael never expected to hear coming for her.

“The fact that the trigger hadn’t been pulled started a chain reaction that is still flowing to this day,” she continued. This time, there was a waver in her voice, and Michael was almost afraid of what he knew he was going to ask.

“This family,” he started, then paused, swallowing nervously. “Who were they?”

He knew the answer, but for some reason, he needed her to tell him.

Maria turned her head to him, the first time she had looked to him since she had started with her grizzly tale, and gave a thin smile, telling him without words she had revealed to him her own story.

Maria turned her head to look out across the lake again, pulling her legs up onto the boulder in front of her, hugging her knees to her chest. She looked like a small, lost child, and Michael was suddenly aware of how young she actually was. While he understood that 23 wasn’t exactly considered old, sometimes he thought the people of The Company forgot that. She was highly respected, held an important position within the organization, was the Vice-President of the family company, and the only female agent who was a Bender. That was lot of pressure on her young shoulders. He fleetingly thought what her life would have been like if that agent had pulled the trigger and killed his target. Was the Deluca clan a target of a fucked-up crazed individual? Or would someone else have been sent in his place? His cop mind couldn’t help wonder if someone had wanted the family of Robert Deluca eliminated.

“Why did you tell me your scars were made by a puppy?” he asked quietly, wanting to hold her and keep her safe, but unsure if she would welcome his touch at that moment.

“I figured telling you I was butchered by a psychopath might have been a turn off,” she quipped with a shrug of one shoulder.

Michael was silent as his mind retraced all the scars that covered her delicate body, lingering on the cluster on her thigh.

“Maria, what else happened?” he probed before he could stop himself. “There are some huge gaps in your story.”

Maria moved almost without him noticing, and he cursed low at the ease she used her abilities, one minute being next to him on the giant rock, the next standing by the edge of the lake.

He moved slowly over to her, not wanting to startle her, though sincerely doubting he ever could. When he came to a stop beside her, he waited, giving her space but letting her know he was there.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Not yet. Can you respect that?” she asked him, her voice almost timid, unsure.

“Of course,” Michael answered, a little sad she hadn’t known he would give her anything she asked for.

He turned his body to hers, tentatively holding out his hand, and he brushed his fingers across hers where they were held tightly against her own body. He was glad she didn’t flinch or try to move away, and he worked his hand closer so their fingers were interlaced.

He gave a slight tug, giving her an out if she needed it, but she turned willingly to him, burying her forehead and subsequently hiding her face against his chest as he enveloped her with his arms.

“I’ll be here when you’re ready,” he whispered against her hair, needing her to know he would always be there for her, no matter how hard it would be her to tell him or for him to hear the full story.

She nodded slightly, finally moving her arms to wrap them around his waist and turning her head again to lay her cheek against him. Michael’s hand wound into her hair, his fingertips brushing against her scalp, giving her comfort the only way he knew how in that moment.

He wanted to know more, to ask her questions, but this was not the time too.

“Come on, babe,” he whispered. “Let’s turn in for the night.”

Hours later, and Michael tossed in the large bed again. His eyes flickered open, and he gave out an involuntary sigh, his eyes focusing in the darkness on the ceiling.

He heard a low murmur and turned his head to the side to see Maria stir a little in her sleep, her blonde hair half hiding her face, and he moved gently to sweep it to the side. Her features looked tormented, even in sleep, and he hated to think what she was dreaming about.

When they had returned to their room, Maria headed straight for the shower, leaving Michael to either follow or lounge on one of the large sofas. Despite the desperate need to follow her, to reassure her things were just fine between them, he decided to give her some space. If she had wanted him there, she would have led him into the cubicle with her. She wasn’t exactly shy in letting him know what she wanted.

He picked up the book he had been reading from the table beside his side of the bed and settled down to read, flicking the music system on and smiling as the relaxing sounds of classical music hit his ears.

Maria’s choice in music had been a surprise to him. There was hardly a genre out there she didn’t approve of – from greats by Chopin and Rachmaninov to Led Zeppelin, and his favorite Metallica. It truly astounded him that he could actually give the names of the classical composers along with their music, and that change was all down to Maria.

The knock at the door surprised him, and he looked over to the door leading to the bathroom, his eyes flickering briefly to note the time. She’s been in the shower half an hour now, and he wondered if he should check on her. The repeated knock drew his attention back to the door, and he stood quickly, striding over and opened it to see Dr. Paul standing on the other side.

Paul smiled politely at Michael.

“How is she?” he asked straight to the point, and Michael was taken aback by the question.

“Look,” Paul explained. “Sean came to see me. I know what happened this evening, and I know what she
would have told you.”

Michael opened the door wider for him and as the other man entered, he said. “She’s still in the shower.”

“How much did she tell you?” Paul questioned, leaning against one of the dressers.

“Just about her parents,” Michael answered and watched as Paul nodded. “Do you think she’ll tell me the rest?” he asked the psychiatrist.

Paul looked intently at him and Michael shifted uncomfortable under his gaze.

“I think she will,” he finally answered. “Just don’t push her. As you can understand, it’s not something she talks about freely, even to me. Sometimes I feel like I’ll have more success selling snow to the Eskimos then getting her to talk.”

Michael gave a snort at that.

Paul nodded to the door that lead through to the bathroom. “How long has she been in there?”

“Half an hour,” Michael answered, scratching his eyebrow with his finger.

“Go and get her,” Paul advised. Then he pushed himself off from the dresser, reaching into the back pocket of his jeans. “Let her know I’m available whenever she’s ready,” he said and then handed over a small medication container. “She’ll need these. She’ll say she doesn’t, but she will. Get her to take them.”

“What is it?” Michael asked hesitant to take it from him.

Paul shrugged. “Just something to help her sleep. If past experiences are anything to go by, she won’t sleep
without them. And when she’s tired…..”

“Yeah, I know. Tired Maria equals cranky Maria,” Michael snorted.

“Yeah, and an exceptional member of an elite organization with incredible skills in a cranky mood equals disaster for anybody who happens to walk into her path!”

Michael took the offered tablets and moved to place them on her bedside table, as Paul moved to the door.

“And, Michael,” Paul called out before he left, “If you need to talk, I’m always around.”

“Why would I need to talk to you?” Michael asked.

Paul looked at him disbelieving. “Your girlfriend has just told you her family was butchered before her eyes. And I know you know there is a hell of a lot more to that story than what she has told you so far. When the rest comes out, you may need someone to chat to about it. I’m just saying, The Company pays me to do a job, and talking is a vast part of it.”

Michael was stunned a little at first. This was the first time anyone had actually referred to Maria as his girlfriend. He focused on Paul again to see he was waiting for a response.

“Ok,” Michael said low.

Paul nodded in acknowledgement, then exited the room.

Michael stood there for a minute or two, his eyes drifting from the small bottle he had placed on her table to the door that lead to the shower.

He stripped down to his boxers as he moved through the large room, tossing his clothes into the hamper just inside the closet, before opening the door to the over-large shower cubicle.

His heart broke into a million pieces at what greeted him.

*******

Maria turned all the shower heads on after she had closed the glass door, cranking the temperature up to its highest setting and hissing as she stood under the hot water as it fell around her, too hot and scorching her skin.

Did she think she would be ending her day like this when she awoke this morning? Fuck no!

The water plastered her hair to her head within seconds, the long tendrils clinging to her wet shoulders, and she couldn’t stop the involuntary shudder that ran through her body.

She should have listened to Sean, he had been right. As much as she hated admitting that, even to herself, she had to acknowledge the fact. He had said Michael wasn’t ready for a mission, she just assumed he was holding on to the insane jealousy he felt toward the new guy. He obviously felt his position shifting; his importance in her life diminishing and that was bullshit, as far as she was concerned.

No matter who she had in her bed or in her life, Sean would always be someone she would want around her. Maybe his role would change, and he wouldn’t be her anchor anymore, but she could never foresee a time when she wouldn’t need her cousin.

If she had taken what Sean had said seriously, she wouldn’t have pushed Michael into the mission, he wouldn’t have hesitated, and she wouldn’t have needed to reveal what she did.

She understood perfectly the need to be honest with Michael and tell him her own tragedy, especially since others in the house had started to open up to him. But having that knowledge and putting it into action was something she had cringed away from. She was happy, surprisingly, blissfully happy, and she didn’t want that to change. She found something in Michael that was missing in every other man she had in her life. If asked, she couldn’t tell anybody what that was. It was impossible to verbalize what she had discovered, and the only thing she knew was that she never wanted it end.

And she was terribly fearful it would. When Michael learned the full truth, she was scared it would be too much, and he would leave.

She shook her head, refusing to think any more about that. What was meant to happen would happen, no matter how hard or far she ran from it.

Her mind wandered back to the days that had changed her life forever, and before she could stop, it an agonizing sob escaped her. And as usual, when she let herself be transported back to that room, she couldn’t stop the next one or the next.

She fell to the floor, the scalding water still cascading over her, leaving red marks over her thin white scars, and she ignored the pain as her hands and knees hit the tiles. She hoped the noise from the shower would drown out her crying. She had never cried in front of anyone over what had happened. The only two people to see her like this were Dr. Paul and Sean. She never even broke down like this in front of her uncle.

She let her body drop completely, laying her cheek on the surprisingly cool tiles as her body wracked with the pain she felt buried deep within. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a few scars along her leg, and she instinctively drew her legs up against her body, making herself as small as possible, her tears falling against her knees.

*********

“Oh fuck, Maria,” Michael called out as he scrambled into the shower, her body curled up in the fetal position before him, terrifying him.

He moved quickly, crouching down beside her under the searing water, moving her wet hair away from her face. “Fuck!” he cried again as the hot, hard, pin-pricks of water hit his body. Her eyes were open, though unseeing, as her body continued to shake, eerily silent as tears flowed easily down her cheeks.

“Baby, come on, sit up,” and he moved his arms to her shoulder, expecting resistance. His heart plummeted when he found none, and she let him re-position her against the wall of the shower. This wasn’t Maria. Not his Maria.

“Maria,” Michael said softly, not wanting to frighten her, and his hand reached tenderly for her cheek, moving her face to look at him.

She seemed to look straight through him, her mind locked in a place she feared, and Michael wondered if he needed help with her.

He shut the water off, cursing at how hot she had it, his eyes not leaving her and noting the red marks the water had left.

He looked lamely around the shower cubicle, not sure how to proceed. She was still shaking, her back to the tiled wall, and Michael quickly left, almost slipping in his haste. He grabbed one of the huge soft towels she adored from a shelf beside the glass door and returned, kneeling down cautiously in front of her.

“Maria, I’m gonna wrap you in the towel, ok?”

He didn’t get a response, so he tentatively moved the towel forward, brushing it against her arms.

He smiled when she automatically turned to him, practically collapsing against his bare chest, and he wrapped her securely in the fluffiness of the cloth, standing with her in his arms. He exited the shower again and placed her gently on the vanity space opposite.

He removed his soaked boxers and wrapped another towel around his waist, all the time knowing she was watching but not seeing.

Michael carried back into the main room and over to the bed, pulling the huge comforter back and sitting her on the edge of the mattress. He walked quickly back into the bathroom, filled a glass with water from the faucet and returned to see she hadn’t moved.

He popped the lid from the plastic bottle easily and tipped two small capsules out into his palm.

“Babe, I’m gonna need you to take these. Ok?” and he held his hand out to her. When she didn’t make a move to take them, he placed the glass on the table beside the bed and lifted the tablets to her mouth.

“Please Maria,” he said softly, not really liking the idea of forcing the pills down her throat.

She opened her mouth slightly, and Michael thanked every God he could think of as he popped them in. He offered her the water, but when she still refused to move, he tipped it toward her lips, hoping she would drink, and he wasn’t just going to spill it over her.

“Maria,” he whispered, and she leaned forward slightly to take a drink from the glass and swallowed the pills. When she was done, he replaced the glass and moved up onto the bed with her.

He crawled behind her and pulled her back flush against his front, laying them both down on their sides, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

After a while, he felt her body relax as she drifting into sleep. He had no idea how long she would sleep or how the medication would affect her, but at least she was asleep.


Now, as he watched her sleep fretfully, he knew he had to do something to make it better for her.

He moved slowly, unwrapping the towel that was tangled around his legs and inching from the bed.

He found a pair of sweats he had discarded that morning and pulled a t-shirt over his head. With one last look to the small form in the bed, he left their bedroom.


When he entered the room that held the full-stocked bar, he was hardly surprised to see he wasn’t the only one in the need of a drink.

Sean was slouched in a large leather armchair, his fingers clenched around a tumbler with golden amber liquid in it, the open bottle of whiskey on the table in front of him

Michael felt his eyes on him as he strode over to the counter, slipping behind and reaching for an identical glass. He moved back to the chair opposite Sean’s and grabbed the bottle as he sat down. He poured himself a good measure, tipped the tumbler to swallowing the contents completely, then re-filled the glass. He replaced the bottle before shifting back into his seat.

“How is she?” Sean asked him, not hiding the contempt in his voice.

“Asleep,” Michael returned.

They stared at each other as the clock ticked, each with their own thoughts, until Michael cleared his throat.

“This bastard, the one that did this to her…. is he still alive?”

Sean’s eyes flickered to his glass before he lifted it to his lips and drained the liquid. He leaned forward, snatching up the bottle and poured more into his glass. He took a small drink as he put the bottle back before looking back at Michael.

“The Company combed the country looking for him but came up empty. There is still a small group out there, tracking anyone who could be the one,” he replied.

Michael nodded in response. This man, and he used that word in the simplest of terms, he was probably still out there. And if he was, he must have someone who was hiding him because in the last few weeks, he had come to understand if The Company wanted something, or someone, then The Company would have it.

Michael took another drink of his whiskey.

“The agent that missed his target and let this man get away. What happened to him?”

Sean shifted a little in his chair. “After what happened, after Uncle Rob and Aunt Amy was killed, and Maria…………..” he stumbled over where he was going with this conversation. “She was brought here by my father. She would have died if left to the hospital. She had lost too much blood. Ya know, it was that mutt that saved her. Ran to a neighbor, barking, and wouldn’t leave until the guy followed him. Jacob led him straight to her, and he called the cops upon his discovery of Maria.”

Michael nodded at that information his mind registering if the cops were called there would be a report somewhere. Was he brave enough to take a look at that report? Or was too much like an abuse of his position within the L.A.P.D?

“What happened to the agent?” Michael repeated.

“He killed himself,” Sean answered bluntly. “It was touch and go for a while with Maria, even in a unit. She had sustained too many injuries. That’s why she still bears all those scars. The agent, he couldn’t get past that if he had done his job in the first place, this may not have happened.”

Michael finished his drink and quickly refilled his glass and when Sean held out his own glass to him, he poured some for him too.

“Sean,” Michael started cautiously. “I need your help.”

“What do you need?” Sean asked his brow quirking just like Maria’s would.

“I need you to come with me so I can eliminate my target. Complete my mission. I have to do this for Maria.”

Sean nodded to him, pleased with the direction Michael had decided to take.

“Tomorrow,” Michael told him. “I need to stay here tonight, in case she wakes.”

“You know,” Sean said, with a smirk. “You may just be alright, Guerin.”
Michael returned his grin.

“But if you hurt my cousin in any way, I will hunt you down. And what that bastard did to my family will not compare to what I will do to you.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way, Deluca.”

*****

Hey there.

Hope all is well in your part of the world today.

Katie: Yes, unfortunately there are some sick dicks out there! It was a tough chapter to write, believe me.

Carolyn: Yeah, it is a terrible story and only half told. And how does one go on after that? One day at a time, I guess. Let’s just say her guys won’t stop looking.

Chapter 15.

Michael woke to the sensation of soft, delicate fingers gliding over his hard body. He kept his eyes closed as Maria moved over him slightly, her lips peppering kisses on his chest, and he resisted the urge to smile. He loved it when she woke him this way, but after yesterday, he didn’t want to push her in a direction she might not want to go.

His eyelids eventually opened when she settled herself across his hips, and he looked up straight into her eyes. The green he found there haunting and unsure. The towel she had been wrapped in had become lost during the night because of her restless sleep, and Michael was grateful for the pills which knocked her out, knowing that without them, she probably wouldn’t have slept at all.

Michael’s gaze inadvertently fell on the long scar just below her right breast, and he lifted his left hand, his fingers gliding over it tenderly.

Maria shivered at his touch, and when he moved his other hand to trace the white line above her left hip bone, she closed her eyes. Did this mean he still wanted her after what she had told him, and especially after what she had obviously left out?

Michael sat up, his hand sliding up her body until his hand cupped her cheek, the pad of his thumb caressing gently under her eye, as if sweeping any tears away.

Maria opened her eyes at his tender gesture and fell into the golden amber of his. Again, her body shuddered as she felt a ray of a feeling of love and acceptance emitting from him, and it sent a tantalizing ripple down her spine.

When his lips touched hers, her eyes closed again as she lifted her own hand to graze the wiry hair on his jawline, letting herself fall into his kiss and hoping she could convey what she felt without the need to verbalize anything.

Michael sensed her give him control of their kiss and he now understood all those time they had fought for dominance during sex, and all the times he had lost, her refusing to back down and give into him. The only thing he was really able to take control of was their kisses.

He shifted his other hand around her body, his fingers spread across her lower back, pulling her as close as
possible. The feel of her slim body plastered against his was strangely comforting.

Maria leaned herself greedily into him, needing to feel his hard body and his heat against her soft skin.

They eventually broke their kiss, and she gently pushed on his chest, lowering him back down to the bed.
Michael willingly moved to where she wanted him and groaned loudly when she trailed her fingertips over his nipples. Maria smirked slightly at his reaction and inched herself further down his body. When she felt his hardness press against her, she lifted her hips and settled down upon him, taking him where she needed

Michael watched her as she began to move, his hands falling on her hips, only to steady her while not guiding or leading the movement. He left her control how deep she took him and the speed in which they moved.

She rode him hard and deep, and he let her take what she needed from him, his gaze constantly on her face, watching the myriad of emotions that flittered across her striking features. Her eyes upon him until that moment when her orgasm hit. The sight of her glistening body coming apart over him triggered his own release, and he followed her into ecstasy.

She eventually collapsed against him, their breathing in tandem as they struggled to regain control.

The room was silent, only their harsh breathing breaking the stillness, so he couldn’t miss her quiet voice.

“I’m sorry,” Maria finally whispered against his chest.

Michael lifted his hand and tilted her chin so he could look into her eyes.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” he told her sincerely.

“I should have told you sooner,” she explained.

“You told me when you needed to. And when you are ready to tell me the rest, I’ll be here. I’m not going
anywhere, Maria.”

Maria smiled thinly at him, her eyes roaming his features and looking for signs he was being truthful.

Michael rolled them in the bed, covering her small body with his much larger one and then suddenly wondered if she was okay this. He made a move to pull away from her, but she stopped him, securing her arms around his shoulder and holding him in place.

“Don’t,” she said softly, her voice almost breaking with sorrow. “Don’t change what happens between us.”

So he settled his weight over her, his legs entwining with hers, and they lay together, Maria’s arms still around his shoulders, and Michael’s head against her breast.

***********

The bullet rang true and straight as Michael made quick work of his target. In his mind, he envisioned Maria broken in the shower, and he vowed he would never see her like that again or put anyone else in the any position where that could be a possibility. The bullet hit George Marrison square between the eyes, and Sean had to admit he was impressed.

Michael hadn’t told Maria he was going with Sean to complete his mission. Following their morning sex, she had been closed off, not going into work, remaining in their room, and eating very little. Following a hallway chat with Dr. Paul, he found this was the norm for Maria after taking the medication he had given her last night to help her sleep. He was assured she would be fine within 24 hours.

He celebrated, though he wasn’t sure celebrate was the right word, with Sean at a local bar, seeming to have come to some understand with Maria’s cousin.

On returning to the house, he couldn’t find Maria anywhere. He made a frantic search of the huge house, asking anyone he encountered if they had seen her but came up empty-handed.

He stood beside one of the glass doors which led out onto the wide terrace that ran the length of the house, leaning his weight against the door frame, his eyes straining to the rock in the distance. Seeing no figure outlined there, he rejected the idea of walking over.

His mind wandered to the variety of hiding places this vast estate held, and he knew he would need assistance in locating her.

He turned and headed back into the depths of the house, finding some of his fellow agents in a room they frequently used to hang out.

He moved quickly to Sean. “I can’t find her,” was all it took for the other man to stand quickly from his seat and tear from the room.

Michael looked bewilderedly at the others and was surprised to see Tess stalk over to him, coming to a stop directly in front of him, her feet planted wide and her hands on her hips.

“If you hurt my homegirl, I will personally beat you down,” she scowled up to him, poking a sharp finger in his chest for emphasis.

Michael could help the snicker that escaped his lips at the sight of the slight girl threatening him.

Tess quirked an eyebrow as she folded her arms across her chest. “Do you doubt that I could?” she asked.

“Just because I don’t have any of your freaky bender abilities, and I’m,” she paused and snorted, “a woman does not mean I can’t seriously whip your ass.”

“Tess, babe,” Kyle’s smooth voice floated through the room. “Let him be. Let him find Maria.”

Tess looked over to Kyle and then back to Michael. “You’d better find her,” she finished before turning on her heel and moving quickly back across the room to Kyle.

Sean reappeared, his expression blank as he looked to Michael and gave him a slight shake of his head. He had come up empty in his own search for his cousin.

Michael turned to look at Liz, hoping she might have an idea where Maria could be. The brunette shook her head slowly, not knowing where to look.

He swung his head back to Sean, now seriously becoming concerned and watched as Sean seemed to search his memory for some clue. Michael watched as his eyes lit up, and he ran from the room again, this time with Michael following.

Sean moved quickly through the house, taking the wide staircase two steps at a time, then turned to head down the east corridor instead of the west where all their bedrooms were located.

He stopped suddenly in front of ornate double doors and lifted his hand to turn the handle. When it didn’t rotate, he banged loudly on the wood.

“Maria?” he called out before turning his head to listen for any movement within, explaining to Michael,

“She’s the only one with the key.”

Michael copied him, hitting the door with his knuckles. “Come on, Maria. Open the door.”

Sean looked to the other man. “She may not be in there.”

“Whose room is it?” Michael asked, hoping he wouldn’t say any other guy’s name.

Sean swallowed. “It was her parent’s room. They used it whenever The Company held events here.” He shrugged. “It’s always been their room.”

“Does she often come here?” Michael asked, his hand knocking again.

“Sometimes. Look, it’s obvious she’s not here,” Sean returned frustrated.

Michael looked down the hallway toward the west wing and their room. “Has that room always been hers?” he asked, his hand pointing down the corridor.

Sean looked to him. “No,” he answered and moved again further down the east hallway until he came to a door painted pale pink, causing it to stand out among the other natural pine doors.

“The Deluca’s all have rooms here, even those who don’t necessarily want them. This was hers as a kid. After her parents died, she refused to step inside this room and took the one in the west wing,” Sean explained. He reached out, and turned the knob, and the door opened before him.

Michael stepped through into a room that obviously belonged to a young girl. The walls were covered in a pale pink paper with a silver swirl pattern repeated through it. The main focus of the room was a white canopied bed with pink material hanging gracefully around it. The furniture in the room echoed the pink and white theme, and Michael wasn’t completely sure he could imagine the Maria he knew calling this room her own.

Yes, she was girly, delicate, and feminine in every way a woman should be, but there was also a hardness to her, a toughness that he now understood. The girl she’d been when she last used this room was not the one who returned to it after her parents’ deaths. This room represented fairytales and childhood innocence, and she had lost that.

“She’s not here,” Sean acknowledged, and Michael bit back a sarcastic remark.

“Where else would she go?” Michael asked him, trying to keep the worry from his voice.

“I don’t know,” Sean exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“Think,” Michael growled.

After a few minutes, Sean still came up blank.

Michael took a deep breath, calming himself, needing to move out of boyfriend territory and into his police-trained mind.

“Any place you two played together as children?” he asked Sean.

Sean searched in mind for places they would have played as kids, places away from the grown-ups of The
Company.

His eyes lit up, and he looked at the Michael. “The attic.”

They turned as one and left the room to its ghosts of a lost girl, Michael closing the door quietly behind him, and he again followed Sean down the corridor, heading back to the top of the stairs. Once there, Sean opened a door that Michael had assumed was a store cupboard and was greeted with a narrow flight of stairs.

Sean slapped his hand against a switch, which illuminated the space above, and they bound up the stairs at once.

The attic was vast, incredibly so, probably covering the whole length of the house.

“Wow, there’s a lot of places to hide up here,” Michael whispered, unsure why he had lowered his voice.

“Yeah, and Maria was an expert at hiding,” Sean mumbled.

An image flashed in Michael’s mind of looking for something within the chests, wardrobes and boxes in this large area. He could almost hear a soft light voice giggling, and he turned to Sean.

“I think I must have joined you in some of your games,” he told the younger man, and Sean nodded, maybe sharing the same memories.

“OK, we are splitting up. I don’t want to waste time looking in one place,” Michael instructed him, not taking no for an answer. “You stay here, I’m gonna get hold of the estate security and make sure she hasn’t left the estate.”

Sean nodded and moved further into the attic. “Call me on my cell if you find her,” Sean said to him.

Michael nodded as he left, taking the stairs two at a time, and then the main staircase until he was at the
front door.

A quick conversation with Gavin told him that she hadn’t left the house through the front door, and after a short talk to someone in the garage, she hadn’t requested or taken any of her cars.

Michael was now scared, and he stopped in the middle of the hallway, at a loss of where to look.

He turned sharply and hit the wall with his fist, frustration and desperation pouring from him.

“You can hit the wall all you like, but all that will do is break your hand and force you into a unit,” a smooth voice said. “How do you expect to find your girl if you are stuck trying to mend your hand?”

Michael turned to face the Russian immigrant who had once had a closer relationship with his lover than he would have appreciated.

“Do you know where she is?” he asked, his voice sounded not like his own. He sounded desperate.
Vladimir smiled to Michael and then turned, walking further down the corridor, and Michael had no option but to follow. He couldn’t help the conflicting emotions that hit him, thinking that Maria’s past lover had been the one she had gone to in her time of need.

They walked in silence, out of the house, across the stone terrace, down the marble stairs, and Michael stopped short when he came to what looked like a golf buggy, something that the grounds people used to move around the estate.

Vladimir indicated for Michael to climb into the vehicle, and when he had, Vladimir pointed down a path that ran off the other side of the estate. “Follow the path all the way.”

“Thanks,” Michael said with honesty, despite his inner contrasting emotions, and he pressed down on the pedal, the buggy setting off, slowly.

**********

What seemed like an endless time later, though it had only been 10 minutes, Michael watched as a few stone monuments came into view, and Michael’s heart dropped when he recognized what could only be described as a family cemetery.

As he drove nearer, he finally made out the figure down on the damp grass between two tall statues.

She was sitting Indian-style, her hands in her lap, and her gaze straight in front of her.

He stopped the buggy beside the iron fencing and walked slowly across the grass until he stood behind her.
Maria didn’t acknowledge his presence, slightly surprised he’d found her. She felt him crouch down behind her and then settle back onto his bottom. He inched closer to her slowly, bringing his legs either side of her knees.

“Are you cold?” he asked her softly, to which she shook her head, then leaned back against him, and Michael wrapped his arms around her waist holding her close, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder.

“I was worried,” he told her honestly.

“I’m sorry,” Maria whispered, her voice so far from what he was used to that it almost broke his heart.

“Hey, don’t you be sorry,” Michael chastised her gently. “Just maybe tell someone where you are heading next time.”

Maria smiled at his soft reprimanding and nodded her head, her left hand coming up around the side of Michael’s head, her fingers curling into his hair.

“He’s dead,” Michael said low.

“Who?” Maria asked, freezing up a little.

“George Marrison.”

Maria turned around in Michael’s arms until she faced him, kneeling between his legs.

“How?” her face showing her confusion.

Michael trailed his fingertips across her cheek and down to her chin, a soft smile on his face. “I asked Sean to help me. The target hadn’t stepped up his security, so we had a window of opportunity. I took it. He is eliminated.”

Maria lifted her hand and splayed her fingers across his cheeks, holding him in place so she could look deep into his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, her own eyes a washed-out, watery green, projecting the internal turmoil she had be through the day before.

“Why?” Michael asked, confusion evident in his voice.

“Because you had to give up a piece of yourself, lose something that is fundamentally you.”

Michael was amazed that Maria, the girl who had lost so much too early in her life, was concerned about him.

“Silly girl,” he whispered, pulling her to him in an encompassing hug. “I gave up a piece of myself the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Maria shifted from her kneeling position around so she could curl up against him.

Michael held her close as his gaze wandered over the monuments beside them, angels in flight, faces tipped upward to the heavens. While it was obvious to him whose gravesite this was, he was reluctant to bring the subject up and happy just to hold her and comfort her.

“So,” Maria whispered, her voice breaking the silence. “Are you ready for your tat now?”

“Ah, Maria,” Michael groaned having forgotten all about that unpleasant factor of joining The Company. “Do I really have to?”

“You won’t be a part of The Company if you don’t,” she returned with a slight smile at his whining. “And besides, they won’t take no for an answer anyway.”

“Well, I was hoping they would forget about that,” he admitted.

Maria gave a snort of laughter, and Michael grinned, happy she was at least making the effort again.

“Do the words three bottles of tequila and half a bottle of absinthe mean anything to you?” she retorted, reminding him of how she had her own tattoo done, and Michael bristled at the fact her friends had gotten
her drunk and held her down, knowing her past.

“Don’t worry about it, Michael,” she said, her hand gently caressing his chest. “We’ll go get it done tomorrow. Meet me for lunch?”

“Are you going back to work in the morning?”

Maria nodded. “I have a meet with some investor.”

Michael huffed good-heartedly. “CEO of Acquisitions and Distributions, indeed.”

They were silently again for a few minutes, Michael stroking her hair softly and Maria listening to his heart beating.

“I was actually thinking of going back to the PD tomorrow.”

“So you want to still work there? Won’t that be a conflict of interest?”

Michael shrugged. “Maybe. I just want to try if for a while to see if it will work.”

“Ok, Michael. If that’s want you want.”

He didn’t tell her that he had every intention of looking further into the case which involved her parents’ deaths, hoping a fresh set of eyes would reveal something that had been missed.

“Will you still be able to meet me for lunch?” she asked.

“Sure,” he grinned, thinking he would like to see someone try and stop him.

“Good,” and she turned again, sitting back on her heels. “Let’s go back to our room.”

Michael nodded and swung his legs around so he could stand, helping her up at the same time.

Maria turned to one of the stone statue and leaned over slightly, placing her lips against the cold stone.

“Goodnight, Mom,” she whispered, then repeated her gesture to the other effigy, saying, “Goodnight, Dad.”

Michael held his hand out for her, hoping she would take it and smiling when she did, and they left the area together.

**********

The mid-day sun beat relentlessly on the figure lying with ease on the graveled surface of the rooftop of an anonymous downtown building. His gaze was focused on a building down the block from his current position.

He moved the binoculars once again, rubbing his eyes and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He felt a little lighthearted and fleetingly wondered if it was because of the hot blaze on his back or the knowledge that he was going to see his prey again after eight long years.

He had been informed that she would be taking lunch away from her office today, and he was waiting not so patiently for her to exit her tall building. He had been warned to keep his distance for the time being. Her instincts were heightened, and he was not to mess up with this job. Not again or it would be his life on the line.

He brought the binoculars back to eyes and watched again for a few minutes until he saw a glimmer of blonde hair.

His heart sped up as he watched her walk with graceful ease through the plaza in front of the buildings, her hips swaying naturally in a way that was sensual and enticing. She had grown slightly since he had last seen her, filling out in all the right places, but her body remained tantalizing, just as he remembered. Her hair was a little longer, and he could almost imagine the feel of the silky strands running through his fingers.

His internal fantasies came to an abrupt end when she greeted a man with an impassioned kiss. He studied this guy intently, taking in his rugged looks, his beat-up leather jacket, hair brushing the collar of his shirt and stopped when the sun bounced off the police badge clipped to his belt.

He watched as the man secured her under his arm, her own snaking around his waist, and they turned as one heading down the street.

He removed the binoculars once more, collapsing them back down and into their carrycase, and stood quickly, brushing at the dirt from his jeans.

She had a boyfriend; and a cop boyfriend, at that. He wondered why he hadn’t been told this pertinent piece of information. The only thing he had been informed was not to underestimate her. She was stronger and more powerful than any average person could imagine.

His lips twisted into a sardonic grin. She had a boyfriend. He could use that to his advantage, and as he moved quickly to the door leading down from the rooftop, his mind began conjuring the varying ways he could torture his victims.

**********

Hello to everyone out there, I hope today is shaping up to be a good one for you.

Thanks to everyone who stops and reads this fic.

Katie and Carolyn : Thanks for leaving feedback. As always, it’s greatly appreciated.

Chapter 16

Michael felt uneasy as he followed Maria into the darkened club they had visited with their friends from The Company. He had met her outside her office building as she had requested and he hoped she had forgotten about the tattoo thing and they would have a pleasant lunch together.

Of course, he knew better to think Maria would forget anything and when they entered the club he knew he’s hopes of a quiet lunch with his girlfriend were shot.

“We don’t have to do this today,” he offered, part of him hoping to stall her while the other part wanted it to just be over.

“No way, Guerin. You are not getting out of this. I’m not too shallow to resort to underhanded tactics to get you in that chair,” Maria winked at him.

“Underhanded tactics,” he repeated, his lips curling up to match her grin. “What do you have in mind?”

“Using my womanly charms, of course,” she laughed as she stopped him from walking any further into the club, placing her open palm on his chest. “Look, if you really don’t want to do this, I could probably talk Brett into making a transfer or something. We could put that on so you could show the others and then just forget out it.”

“No,” Michael answered softly, his heart flipping at the knowledge that she would be willing to cheat the system for him. “I’ll go through with it. It can’t be that bad, right?”

“Trust me, it doesn’t hurt. I didn’t feel a thing,” she told him as she ran one hand up his body and around his neck, her other wrapping around his side as she tried to pull him closer to her.

“That’s because you were piss-assed drunk, Maria,” Michael replied straight-faced, trying to resist the pull of her, but of course, she won.

“Semantics,” she whispered before covering his lips with hers, and Michael gladly kissed her back.

“Have you ever had sex on a bar?” she asked as she nibbled at his jawline.

“Not yet?” he grinned.

Maria moved her hands back to his chest, then up again to help rid him of his jacket, taking every opportunity to feel his hard muscles beneath her palms, which had become more defined over the last few weeks with his training. Her lips curled into a smile as Michael watched as she moved liked liquid, walking around him to press her front against his back.

Maria was certainly grateful for her heels as she leaned into him, her hand wrapping around, and she deftly stroked his growing erection through his jeans.

“Maria,” Michael hissed at her touch.

“Ssh,” she whispered against his ear, turning him around to face her. Michael took this opportunity to remove her blazer, dropping it to the floor, and Maria almost berated him for his treatment of her $2,000 jacket but held her tongue when his lips attacked her neck.

“Michael,” she breathed out, and pushed him gently, maneuvering him back across the expanse of the large bar room and through the door that led down to a small area which Brett used as a makeshift studio to tattoo the people of The Company.

By the time they stumbled into the room, Maria had his t-shirt off, and he had unfastened the buttons of her shirt. The room was dark, and the only light coming in was from the hallway.

Maria grinned as she pushed Michael down into a larger leather chair. Michael appreciated the cool material on his back as his body heated up, her hands trailed down his body, popping the button of his jeans as she climbed up on top of him, settling herself astride his legs, her skirt rising dangerously high on her thighs, and she moaned softly as his hand reached out to cup her lace-covered breast.

“Maybe we should stop them now,” a soft voice commented with amusement, causing Michael and Maria to stop with Michael’s hand on her breast and Maria’s hand dipping into his jeans.

“Hush, Tess,” another voice growled, “They are just getting to the good stuff,” and Maria sighed loudly.

“Shit,” Maria hissed, blinking quickly when the light snapped on.

Michael twisted his head around and groaned when he saw several members of The Company standing against the back wall of the room, and most prominent in the group was Brett, his tattooed arms folded across his body and Michael a feeling of impending doom.

“You can remove your hand, now,” Sean said with a grin, and both Michael and Maria quickly removed their hands from the other’s body.

“What are you guys doing here?” Maria asked the group as she scrambled off Michael, Sean shooting forward to give her a hand.

“Moral support,” Max offered with a smile. “This is a big day, Michael. We are here to support you.”

“And to try and get a look at the goods,” Tess piped up as she peered around Kyle’s shoulder.

Michael made a move to get up from the chair, but Maria put her hand on his bare chest, pushing him back into the seat with a smirk, her other hand pushing her skirt back into place.

“Have you decided on a place?” Brett asked, moving over to the chair and rummaging through his equipment, placing needles on a stainless steel table next to his tattoo gun.

Michael shook his head at Brett’s question, his eyes landing warily on the instruments being laid out, and that was all it took for his erection to deflate.

His gaze swung back to Maria as she moved away from the chair, fastening her shirt as she walked over to Tess. The smaller girl made some comment on Maria’s clothes, and he watched as she beamed at whatever Tess was saying to her. Then her gaze shifted to meet his, and she winked to him, her smile turning into a cheeky grin.

“Hey, Blondie,” he called to her. “You promised me lunch, remember?”

“It’s ok, Michael. Pizza’s on its way,” she answered him, her eyes searching for his t-shirt which she had so easily removed a few moments ago. She found it on the floor just inside the door, and she made a move to retrieve it for him.

“Hey, Maria, let’s not be too hasty. If the guy wants to leave his shirt off, who are we to stop him?” Tess quipped.

“You are incorrigible,” Maria said to her friend, ignoring Michael’s discarded shirt, preferring this look way better anyway.

“Yeah, I learnt from the best,” Tess returned, bumping her hip against Maria’s.

Michael, who had been watching the easy conversation between Maria and Tess, said to Brett without taking
his eyes from Maria, “On my hip.”

“What?” Brett asked, turning back to Michael.

“I want the tat on my hip,” Michael repeated.

Brett followed Michael’s eyes and grinned, understanding what the cop was saying without words.

“The same place?” Brett asked, and Michael nodded.

“You’ll need to drop your pants,” Brett smirked, “and anything else you have on under there.”

Michael’s eyes turned quickly to Brett, and the barman knew instinctively what he was thinking.

“You know, a tattooist is like a doctor,” he said to Michael.

“What do you mean?”

“We see without actually seeing,” Brett answered.

Michael analyzed Brett’s statement for a moment before understanding what the other man meant. Though his client might be naked before him, he took little notice.

“And she didn’t take anything off,” Brett added.

Michael looked down to his already unfastened jeans, and his hands reached in preparation of moving them lower. He stopped when a shot glass appeared in front of his face.

He turned his head to see Sean standing beside him, offering him the drink. “For courage,” Sean said, by way of an explanation.

Michael debated about taking the shot. He was due back in work this afternoon, but he figured one wouldn’t hurt.

He took the small glass and tossed back the liquid, grimacing as it burned his throat. Sean slapped him on his back as he moved away, refilling the glass and taking the drink himself.

Michael’s hands returned to his jeans, and he lifted his hips a little, pushing the denim further down his legs.
He heard a low whistle and immediately knew it was Tess. This was then echoed goodheartedly throughout the room by the guys, and Michael couldn’t help the smirk he threw over to Maria.

As he settled back into the chair again, he watched again as Tess leaned over, saying something to Maria, something that made her eyes twinkle and her lips curl into a smile, and she nodded quickly, which caused Tess to laugh, her eyes swinging back to Michael.

Michael turned back to Brett when the chair started to move, the middle lifting and the back lowering until Michael was laid out straight. As Brett turned back to the table, Michael positioned his boxers so they hung extremely low, but still covered the essentials.

Maria walked over to the door and picked his shirt up from the floor and tossed it over to him with a smirk, one to which he returned with his own before slipping the material over his head and covering his upper body.

Brett made his preparations, and Michael relaxed back into the leather of the chair, his mind half-listening to the conversations taking place around him and half-trying not to think that he was about to be permanently marked.

When Brett moved his stool closer to the chair, tattoo instrument in his hand Michael’s attention was brought back to this situation.

“Hey, don’t you need to draw the symbol on first?” Michael asked, not really sure what happened when a tattoo was created but almost certain there would be some kind of outline or something.

“Michael, I’ve done this pattern so many times I could draw it with my eye closed,” Brett informed him.
He jumped when Brett’s tattoo gun whirled to life and cautiously watched as it lowered to his skin to an almost identical place on his body as the ink on Maria.

Michael raised his eyebrow in question to Brett when he noticed he was about to draw the pattern on the opposite side to that of Maria’s.

“Trust me,” Brett answered his silent question, and when Michael gave a short nod, the needle hit his skin, and he bit down on his tongue, closing his eyes at the sensation. He let out a curse, his eyelids opening quickly and he shot Maria an accusing look. Holy fuck, it did hurt, like a burning feeling with a million pin-pricks hitting in the same spot or like having a hot knife slice against your skin.

He heard a cheer go up from the others and glasses clinking together as he was wished health and prosperity but he lost all thought of them when Maria’s hands wove into his hair.

He knew instinctively it was her, though her scent would have given her away anyway, and he opened his eyes to see her beaming to him. She lowered her lips to his and gave him a gentle kiss.

Maria was a little shocked when Michael had lowered his boxers slightly, and Brett had started to mark out his tattoo in a place that matched her own, and her heart leapt to know they would now share the intimate placement of their Company marks.

“He is so pussy-whipped,” Sean said loudly, intending for Michael to hear.

“Why?” Kyle asked before hiccupping and reaching for another shot.

“Maybe you should take it easy, babe,” Tess reasoned with Kyle. “You have to be back at the garage this afternoon.”

Kyle smirked at the small blonde before drinking the liquid and turning back to Sean and repeating, “Why?”

“Because,” Sean grinned, “he’s having his tattoo in the same place as hers.”

“Isn’t that an intimate place for a cousin to know about?” Michael said, showing he was listening to their conversation.

“Oh please, it would be easier to say who hasn’t seen it,” Sean quipped.

“Hey,” Maria exclaimed. “Make it sound like I’m a slut, why don’t you?”

“I haven’t seen it,” Max threw out, his voice soft and kind.

“Me, neither,” Billy added with a hint of misery.

Michael twitched his eyes to Kyle. “Nope,” Kyle answered with a shake of his head.

Michael by-passed Vladimir, knowing full well he would have seen it.

“I’ve seen it,” Tess grinned, and all eyes swung between her and Maria. “What?” she exclaimed at their looks.

“Get your minds out the gutter, boys,” Maria laughed.

“Hey, mine is definitely not in the gutter,” Kyle responded, turning to Tess, “Do you want to repeat whatever you two were doing?”

Maria shook her head with a smile and turned back to Michael, leaving this one up to Tess. Though that might not be the best idea as she tended to only make things worse.

“You doing ok?” she asked, sinking into a chair beside his head, one hand still in his hair.

“Yeah, it tickles.”

“Really?” she queried disbelieving, her other hand clasping his.

“Well, you could distract me if you want,” he smiled to her.

“Oh, and how am I supposed to do that?” she probed.

“Kiss me,” he answered simply.

“I can do that.”


It didn’t take long before the tattoo was finished, and Michael was cautiously pulling his jeans back up.

“How long will it take to heal?” he asked.

“It will take about a week for the scabbing to go,” Brett told him. “Moisturize it well, and Maria, be gentle with him for a while.”

“I don’t do gentle,” she grinned.

“Gentle is good in the right circumstances, babe,” Michael grinned as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against his chest, then hissing when she made contact with his sore skin.

“Pizza’s here,” Billy called loudly as Ryan entered, carrying a large stack of pizza boxes, and they moved from the small room into the larger bar area, Brett opening some beers as they settled into chairs around a few tables.

Maria stood behind Michael as he relaxed back into his seat, a huge slice of pizza in his hand. He lifted it to his lips and folded half of the slice into his mouth as Maria wrapped her arms around his shoulder, resting her body against his back, her head on his shoulder. He offered the rest of the pizza to her, and she took a delicate bite.

Once she had chewed and swallowed she said, “I have to get back to the office.”

“As lunch dates go, Blondie,” he started, “this has got to have been the most interesting one I’ve been on.”

“Well, I promise to make it up to you,” she offered, “as soon as you are healed,” and her eyes twinkled with
meaning.

“Ok, I’ll hold you to that,” he grinned before moving his hand to hold her head as he twisted his face to kiss her.

“I may be home late,” he told her when they broke their kiss.

“Ok,” she acknowledged as she moved away from him.

“I’ll walk you back, M,” Sean offered with a nod to Michael.

“It’s ok, Sean,” Maria dismissed him. “I have to make a stop on my way back, anyway.”

“A stop where?” Sean probed.

“None of your busy, Seanie,” she answered, and with one more swift kiss to Michael, she swept from the room, leaving her boys alone with Tess.


She was a little late back to her building but grinned to Riley and Kathleen as she entered her office, swinging a paper bag which contained her new purchase in her hand.

Riley followed her into the office. “You have a 3 o’clock meeting with Johann from the Matthews Consortium,” he informed her.

“Oh, great,” Maria moaned dramatically. “Just what my afternoon needs. Being ogled at by the one ball wonder.”

“So, it’s true?” Riley asked, his eyes wide.

“How am I supposed to know?” Maria exclaimed.

“I’m sure if there was anyone out there to get the information, it would be you,” Riley replied with a smile.

“Riley, are you suggesting I use my personal assets to debunk a rumor?” she asked in mock shock.

“Wouldn’t you like to know for sure?” the P.A. probed.

Maria pondered his question for a moment before concluding, “Nah. I don’t really give a shit. I just want him to see I’m more than a pair of tits.”

Riley laughed loudly at that just as the door to her office opened.

“There is far too much laughter coming from this office,” a deep voice boomed. “Obviously, you need more work.”

“Uncle Harry,” Maria squealed as she jumped up quickly from her chair and dashed around her desk, into the arms of her favorite uncle.

Henry Deluca was a large man, almost as tall as her father had been, and was eight years his junior. His features were soft, and he had very few wrinkles, only those that showed his joy of life. At 42, he was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in L.A. His hair was a light brown, which was beginning to be peppered with gray. He had broad shoulders and still kept in good shape, though there were areas that were starting to expand with age. He wrapped his large arms around his small niece, a smile spreading quickly over his face. “Hey Pixie-child. Not working too hard, I hope.”

“Ah, you know me, Uncle Harry,” Maria answered glibly with a toss of her hair. “How was Milan?” she asked.

“And by that, you are actually asking, ‘what did you bring me?’”

Maria smiled as she bounced a little on her toes. “What did you bring me?”

“You’ll have to wait and see,” he told her, as if it was a great secret, and he indicated for her to sit back down.

“Would you like a drink, Mr. Deluca?” Riley offered with a smile. He, too, liked Henry Deluca so much more than Mason. Mason was cold, arrogant, and unapproachable where was Harry was the complete opposite.

“Thank you, yes,” Harry answered as he settled into a chair across the desk form Maria. “Coffee will be just fine.”

Riley nodded and scurried off to prepare the beverages.

“So I hear The Company has a new member?” Harry said, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Yeah,” Maria answered, her own orbs lighting up at the thought of Michael.

“And I see it is this new guy who has put that sparkle back into your eyes.”

Maria beamed at her uncle and nodded quickly.

Henry’s smile dissolved slowly as he looked at his niece. “Maria,” he started seriously. “Paul stopped me back at the house. He told me what has been happening over the last few days with Michael and him missing his target.”

Maria’s body stiffened at her uncle’s words and silently cursed Paul for tattling on her.

“Don’t give me that look. Maria,” Henry said almost sternly as Riley returned with their coffees.

“Thank you,” he said to the younger man. “I have some information for you regarding a project I want Maria to participate in,” he informed him. “I’ll have Catlin make sure you get it.”

Riley nodded as he left the two to talk.

“What project?” Maria asked suspiciously narrowing her eyes to the man she looked on as a father figure.

“We’ll discuss that in a moment. First, back to Paul,” Henry instructed, and Maria huffed as she slumped in her enormous leather chair.

“You need to talk to him, Maria. You can’t just reveal what you did to Michael and expect to be just fine. Paul told me he had to medicate you that night.”

Maria looked anywhere but at her uncle, knowing he was right but refusing to accept it. She was coping just fine.

“Maria, remember how you were those months after you came out of the unit? Those days were like hell on earth for you. And not just for you, but for me, your Uncle Mason, your Grandfather, and Sean. We lived those days with you, and we worried constantly.”

Henry watched as Maria shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “You never knew this, but every morning, I would check in on you. Watch you as you slept, making sure you were still breathing, because I have to be honest with you, I was terrified. Terrified that he would get to you again and terrified that you wouldn’t be able to face another day and do something stupid.”

Maria had stopped moving at his words, and she couldn’t stop the tear that fell. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, her voice almost like that of a child seeking forgiveness for stealing a forbidden cookie.

“For Christ’s sake, Maria. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for!” Henry said, standing and moving quickly around her large desk.

Maria wrapped her arms around his waist from her position in her chair as he hugged her close. “I’m not saying these things to hurt you, child. I need you to understand. You are everything to me, you are all I have left of my brother, and the main goal of my life is to keep you safe. But you have to help, Maria. I can’t do it all on my own.”

Maria sniffed loudly against him, burying her face against the bulk of his stomach.

“You need to talk to someone about all this. I understand your reluctance to talk to me or your Uncle Mason, and I expect there are parts you don’t want to talk about with your new boy. But you have Paul, and he is concerned for you, Pixie.”

Maria nodded against him, her tears soaking his shirt. Henry pulled away from her and knelt down beside her chair, grunting as he went. “Geez, I’m getting too old for this.”

Once he was on her level, he cupped her cheek. “You are a precious thing, Maria. All this; all that your uncle and I do is for you, you and Sean. You two are the only ones left of this Deluca clan. And, Pixie-child, can you image what will happen if we let Sean have full rein?”

Maria couldn’t help the snort that escaped her at that thought.

Henry looked seriously at her. “Talk to Paul.”

Maria closed her eyes and nodded once at his instructions. Henry stood again placing a soft kiss against her forehead before returning to his seat.

“Now, enough of that shit. Let’s talk about this new project,” he grinned as he brought his coffee cup to his lips.

Maria wiped her tears away, loving her uncle even more then she thought possible.

“Is this about that auction again?” she asked as she stood from her seat and walked over to the drinks cabinet behind her. She quickly opened the door and snagged a large bottle of whiskey before returning to her desk and pouring a liberal amount into her coffee.

Henry grinned to her as he held out his own cup for his share of the malt goodness. Maria smirked to him as she poured a small amount and then almost dropped the bottle when he tipped her elbow, adding more alcohol.

Once she had recapped the bottle and set it on the desk, she returned to her seat and took a grateful sip
from her cup.

“Well,” she probed, her eyebrow rising in question because he hadn’t answered her.

“Maria, it’s one night out of your life.”

“And like I’ve said before, I’m not a piece of meat.”

“Well, think of all the money you could help raise for the desolate children in L.A.”

“So, donate some money, and have it be done.”

“Ok, think of the publicity for The Deluca Group.”

“Uncle Harry,” she stopped him, “let me think about it, ok? I need to talk to Michael about this.”

“Since when did Maria Deluca have to get permission from her man to do anything she wanted to do?” he laughed.

“This affects him, too,” she said with a shrug.

“Do my eyes deceive me?” Henry mocked. “Do I detect a certain glow about you when you talk about this man?”

“Michael’s different,” Maria answered vaguely.

“Yeah, Harvey Guerin’s son,” Henry smirked. “You know, you two had a strong bond as children. He was always following you around, making sure you had what you wanted.”

“I can’t have been more than two, Uncle Henry,” she said, disbelieving.

“You weren’t but even then, you had him wrapped around your little finger,” he told her.

Maria smiled at that, and when Henry laughed out loud, she looked quizzically at him. “What?”

“I’ve just remembered something. Just before Harvey left us, we held a dinner in his honor, and you, Sean, and Michael were there. And after the usual toasts to wish Harvey success in his endeavors, Michael climbed up onto the table and stood there as proud and strong as his five year-old body would allow and said, “I can’t leave Daddy. I have to stay here and marry Maria.” And you, you tried as hard as you could to clamber up next to him. In the end, your dad picked you up and placed you beside him on top of the table and that, my little pixie, was the moment you first kissed a boy who wasn’t a member of this family.”

Maria smiled, wishing she could remember that moment and wondering if Michael did. She felt in awe at the fact that the two of them had found each other again after all these years.

The intercom rang on Maria’s desk, and she leaned over, stretching a delicate finger to press the talk button. “Yes?”

“Just letting you know, Johann Phelps will be here in about 20 minutes,” Riley’s smooth tone filled the room.

“Thanks, Riley,” she said gratefully.

“Ok, I’d better leave you to put your game face on. Johann Phelps is a shithead,” Henry grinned.

“Don’t I know it,” Maria huffed, and she watched Henry stand and rearrange his jacket. Her eyes lit up as
she looked up to him. “So, what’s my gift?”

“Why, Pixie-child, what do I always bring you?” Henry laughed as moved to the doors that led from her office.

Maria beamed at his words. “Shoes.”

“Would I dare bring anything else?” he answered her.

“I love you, Uncle Harry,” was her simple return.

*********

Thanks to all still reading this fic. I really appreciate it.

Carolyn: Yes, every member of The Company has a tattoo, though the positioning differs with each person. And whenever have you known this Maria be gentle


Chapter 17


Maria paced the room for the umpteenth time, lifting objects every so often and inspecting them closely before replacing them.

“You need some new shit,” she huffed to the man sitting in a large armchair, his hands folded on top of a notepad on his lap, waiting patiently for her to settle, a small recording device on the table beside him.

“Maria, are you going to sit down?” he sighed, his voice smooth and calming.

Maria knew his voice helped with his job, but sometimes, it annoyed the hell out of her. This was one of those times.

“Geez, Paul, did they train you to talk like a sex line operator in shrink school?”

Paul smiled to her. “Had a lot of experience with sex lines, have you?

Maria smirked back as she flopped down into the large overstuff couch. “As a caller or an operator?”

“Either,” he grinned back to her, knowing the answer.

“Nah, that stuff doesn’t work on me.”

There was silence again for a minute as Maria rested her head against the back of the couch, slouching down a little, all the time knowing that Paul was watching her and evaluating her.

“Am I done yet?” she asked eventually, slipping her hand into the front pocket of her jeans.

“Nobody makes you stay here, Maria. You know that.”

Maria stretched out her other hand and picked at a thread on the cushion at the end of the couch, desperately wanting to get up and walk out of the room, but knowing it wouldn’t make difference.

“Shall we pick up where we left off last time?”

Maria exhaled loudly, showing her annoyance but nodded nonetheless.

“We were talking about college, I believe,” and when Maria gave a small nod, he continued.

“It must have been difficult for you, being so young and surrounded by all those older kids.”

“I wasn’t that young,” Maria countered miserably.

“Maria, you graduated Harvard when most are starting their freshman year. With a triple major, I might add.”

Maria shrugged, down playing her intelligence.

“Why do you think you acted the way you did in college?” he asked suddenly.

“Why not just give me a hard question?” she muttered low before she shrugged. “I don’t know, you’re the
psychologist. I was the hardcore slut, remember?”

“Is that what you think?” Paul queried, writing something down in the pad.

“That’s what I know,” she answered quickly, sitting upright again and leaning forward. “What are you writing?”

“And why were you like that?” he probed, ignoring her question and throwing back his original one.

“Fucked if I know,” she breathed out, settling against the back of the couch again.

“Maria….”

She looked at him and then stood again, resuming her pacing. “Seriously, Paul. You need to change things up in here.”

Paul didn’t answer her, he just watched as she walked nervously around the room. They’d had this discussion before, but after what happened the other night, he felt they needed to touch on this sore topic again.

Maria knew he was watching her, and eventually, she turned to face him, leaning against a cabinet. She regarded him for a moment. He was a very handsome man with a look of George Clooney about him, and for an older man, George was certainly on the celebrity men to do list.

“Control,” she answered finally. “I need to have control.”

She again watched him as he again jotted something on the notepad.

“I’m not twisted,” she continued in a rush. “I don’t crave what he did to me. I crave the need to forget what he did to me.”

“Do you ever think of that man as a person with a name?”

Maria quickly shook her head.

“What name springs to mind when you remember him?”

Maria began to pace again. “Nothing. I don’t think about it.”

“Maria, the key to these sessions working is being honest. With me and yourself. You know that. And those days when your parents died, they changed your life forever. You can’t tell me you don’t occasionally think about it.”

Maria had come to a stop by one of the large windows that looked out across the green expanse of the estate, and she could make out the lake in the distance. “He doesn’t have a name, he’s a faceless person. I can’t…..” she stopped herself from saying anymore, shaking her head trying to erase the images in her mind.

“Ok, Maria,” Paul said sympathetically. “Let’s go back to my original question.”

“I don’t know why I did what I did, Paul. I guess sex has been my therapy,” she told him as she turned and headed back to the couch, this time perching on the wide arm rest at one end.

“Control?”

“Yeah, it’s all about control. Taking back what I lost.”

“Tell me, Maria. In your sexual experiences, have you ever let anyone dominate you in bed?”

“No,” she answered all too quickly.

“What about during sex games? Do you restrain your partner?

Maria shrugged one shoulder as she answered with a smirk, “Yeah.”

“Do you let them tie you down?”

“Fuck, no,” she replied.

“Why?”

“Are you shitting me? You really want me to answer that?”

“Giving up control means you trust your partner,” Paul offered, watching her closely.

Silence fell over the two of them as Paul let her think on what he just said.

“Do you trust Michael?” Paul probed.

“What?” she asked, surprised by his question.

“Maria, you would trust Michael with your life if you were out on a mission together, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course,” she answered easily.

“So, why can’t you trust him in your bed,” he threw back at her.

Maria was silent, her mind buzzing with his question. “I trust him,” she whispered almost inaudibly, “I trust him completely. I know he won’t hurt me.”

“Maria, I can’t imagine what you went through,” Paul said gently. “And I can sit here until the end of time and try and help you to move on, but only you can do that.”

He watched as she sniffled, so far managing to hold back the tears he knew were lurking in her eyes, knowing he wouldn’t see them. He never did. Maria usually did her crying in private, not wanting anyone to see her weak side.

“Even by giving that control to Michael, you still have some say in what happens. All you need to do is say no, and he’ll stop. Try a safe word if that would work better for you.”

“It’s not just that,” she murmured. “I’m scared.”

“Scared of losing control?”

“Scared that I’m…….” she stopped.

“What?”

“That I’m falling too deep.”

“Do you love him, Maria?” he asked, his eyes boring into her, and Maria squirmed under his scrutiny.

Again, Maria was up and pacing the room. “I can’t explain it,” she answered quickly, her hands moving just as fast as if they would help get her point across. “When I first saw him…… I don’t think I can articulate what I was feeling.”

“Try,” Paul pushed.

Maria searched her mind for the right words. “To see a stranger for the first time, and for them to immediately become a part of you, it’s overwhelming. And that feeling, it hasn’t changed. It’s only getting stronger. I can’t imagine my life without him, and that scares me.”

“Why?”

“Because……… because…….that’s when they leave. I can’t love him, Paul. I can’t condemn him to a life with me when I’m not a whole person.”

“What makes you think you aren’t a whole person?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she cried sarcastically, “maybe it’s all the scars on my body that remind me every day of what was taken from me; violently taken by a rat bastard who still lives while my parents are in their graves? Oh, or maybe it’s the fact that every time Michael tries to do any of that restraining stuff, I freak out and use my abilities against him so that I have the upper hand again?”

Paul watched her intently as she ranted to him. When she was quiet again, she almost deflating into a chair opposite, and he asked, “During that time in your parent’s house, did your captor always use restraints?”

“I’m not talking about that,” she answered curtly with a sharp shake of her head.

“Maybe it’s time you did,” Paul probed gently.

“This meeting is over,” she said abruptly as she stood and strode quickly to the door.

“Maria!”

“I said no, Paul. Why can’t you get that through your fucking head?” and she was through the door and
quickly moving down the corridor before Paul reached the frame.

“Maria,” he called after her to no avail as he watched her dash from view.

*********

Maria lifted her hand again and brought the large bottle to her lips, taking another long gulp of the liquid.

“Now that’s classy, drinking straight from the bottle,” she heard.

“Fuck off, Tess,” she answered, not bothering to turn her head.

Maria listened as Tess collected a glass and joined her on the couch. “It’s a sad thing to drink alone, Maria,” the other girl said, taking the tequila from her hand and pouring some in her tumbler. She noted that Maria was drinking the expensive stuff again and that was never a good sign. While Maria loved her tequila shots, she enjoyed savoring the drink more. Though, from the looks of the half empty bottle, she wasn’t as much as savoring the alcohol as devouring it.

“What are we drinking to?” Tess asked as she handed the bottle back and lifted her glass to her lips

Maria shrugged. “Because it’s a day ending in y. As good an excuse as any.”

Tess looked at her friend, knowing what this was truly about. Maria hadn’t needed to deal with the things that had happened to her in a while, and in true Maria fashion, she had swept it all aside. Now with the need to reveal the information to Michael, all those feelings had come rushing back, and as usual, Maria had hit the bottle.

“You know,” Maria started as she turned her head to Tess, “It’s times like this I wish I could get drunk more easily.”

Tess laughed. “You are the only one I know who wishes she could get drunk.”

Maria took another long drink of tequila as Tess swallowed the rest in her glass. Maria leaned over slight and sloshed more liquid into the now empty tumbler.

“We’re gonna need another bottle,” she sighed as she drained the last drop.

“Did you drink all of that?” Tess asked, pointing to the empty bottle.

“No,” Maria exclaimed. “You’ve just had some.”

“Shit, Maria. It’s a wonder you aren’t dead.”

Maria gave a snort of laughter. “Ain’t that the truth?”

“Hey, I didn’t mean, you know, about what happened, and all……”

“Don’t sweat it, Tess,” Maria laughed as she stood, one arm outstretched as if to keep her balance and then she shook her head. No, she wasn’t unsteady yet.

“I know what you mean,” she continued as she moved over to the bar and placed the empty bottle on the
wooden top. She ducked down behind the counter, searching the shelves.

“Damn it, I know he has that good shit here somewhere,” she grumbled to herself as she moved bottle after bottle.

Tess’ head suddenly appeared from above the counter.

“Whatcha looking for?” she asked.

“Dimi’s vodka,” Maria answered.

“Babe, you know I can’t drink too much of that,” Tess moaned.

“It’s not for you. You can stick to the tequila,” Maria mumbled, and she tossed another bottle of the alcohol up to Tess, hoping the girl would catch it, and that the bottle would not hit her on the head on its way back down. That would seriously put a damper on her planned evening to get totally trashed.

“Shit, Maria,” Tess called out, her fingers only just clasping the bottle.

“Tess Harding,” a stern voice called. “You do realize you are showing everything you have to whoever passes this room.”

Tess turned her head quickly at the voice and grinned. “Well, it’s a good thing it’s just you, Parker,” she laughed. “Unless you are planning on switching teams?”

“Ha, hardly,” Liz shot back, moving across the room. “I’ve only just got Max to open up to me. I’m not about the change my affiliation now.” She looked quizzically to Tess leaning over the bar top. “What are you doing?”

At that moment, she heard a hard rattling followed by a string of expletives that made her ears burn. She, too, leaned over the bar and looked down on Maria’s head as she shook the locked cabinet again.

“Fucking dick,” she whispered.

“Hey Maria,” Liz smiled and Maria looked up.

“Hey Liz. Ohh, can I borrow a bobby pin?” Maria asked.

Liz looked skeptically at her friend, but nonetheless, reached for a pin in her hair and handed it over.

“Thanks, babe,” Maria grinned and went back to attacking the cabinet.

Tess moved back from the bar top, tequila bottle still in hand and returned to the couch.

“Grab a glass, Liz,” she instructed as she flopped down. “We are helping Maria celebrate a day ending in y.”

“Why?” Liz asked, collecting a glass and following Tess.

“Yes, y.”

“No, why are we helping her celebrate?”

Tess lowered her voice and moved closer. “We aren’t. Do you really want her to drink alone in her present state of mind?”

“I can hear you bitches, ya know,” Maria voice floating over the bar.

Liz understood Tess now and held out her glass for her share of the alcohol.

“Fuck,” Maria swore from her place in front of the cabinet, the bobby pin digging into her palm again as it slipped from the lock she was trying to open.

“You ok?” Liz called to her.

“Never better,” she mumbled sarcastically.

Tess and Liz looked to each other, both worried for their friend.

“Maybe one of us should get Michael or Sean,” Liz said low.

Maria stood quickly, her eyes flashing at the two on the couch. “Don’t you fucking dare,” she warned, her voice low and dangerous. She stared at them for maybe a few seconds more than she needed before returning to her arduous task.

“We can handle this,” Tess whispered to Liz.

Isabel entered at that moment, spying Tess and Liz drinking and the bottle between them.

“You’re having a party, and you didn’t invite me?” she asked, her voice showing her hurt.

“Totally spontaneous thing,” Liz answered quickly.

“Go grab a glass,” Tess finished.

Isabel squealed and dashed to the bar just as Maria stood.

“Ah-ha,” Maria exclaimed gleefully, a bottle of Vladimir’s vodka in each hand.

Isabel jumped and shrieked loudly when Maria appeared. “Holy shit, Maria,” she cried, a hand on her chest.

“What?” Maria asked innocently.

“You scared the shit out of me,” Isabel explained.

“Sorry,” Maria said with a wrinkle of her nose, looking at the tall blonde.

“Are we drinking vodka or tequila because I don’t think I can drink both?” Isabel asked as she returned to the couch opposite the one Liz and Tess were comfortably seated on.

“Drink which ever you want,” Maria answered as she followed, picking a glass up on her way. “But these beauties are mine.”

“A little possessive there, Ria,” Tess grinned to her.

“My contraband. My alcohol,” she informed the curly blonde as she uncapped one bottle and poured the liquid.

Isabel watched Maria fill the tall glass she had chosen, her eyes flicking to Tess and Liz, and at Tess’ small shake of her head, she held her own tumbler out for Tess to pour the alcohol into.

Half an hour later, all four girls were giggling, the tequila was over half gone, and Maria had already nearly finished one bottle of vodka.

“Ok, so, why do men always name their penises?” Tess asked the group seriously.

“Because they don't want a stranger making 90% of their decisions for them,” Maria replied glibly, then
watched as the others collapsed into fits of laughter.

“I’m not joking,” she added, her tone deadpan.

“It’s true,” Tess chuckled as she wiped at a tear that had fallen with her mirth.

“So, what is Kyle’s called?” Isabel enquired, leaning forward in her seat a little.

“Harry,” Tess answered with a smile, and Maria giggled.

“Harry?” Liz quizzed, her eyes shooting between the other girls. “Why is that funny?”

“Happy Harry Hard-on,” Maria told her between her giggles. “It has to be one of the most commonly used names.”

Tess huffed at Maria before turning back to Liz, “Well, what about Max?”

“I haven’t slept with Max yet,” Liz informed then quietly.

“Oh, girlfriend,” Tess groaned loudly. “You have seriously got to nail that and soon.”

“Excuse me,” Isabel chimed in, maybe a little louder than she expected. “I do not want to have a conversation about who my brother is sleeping with, or what he calls his John Thomas.”

“Is that what he calls it?” Maria asked Isabel with a smirk.

“How the hell would I know,” Isabel returned. “God, this conversation is weird,” she concluded, draining the liquid in her glass and reaching for the tequila again.

“What about Michael’s?” Tess asked Maria with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“I’m not telling you that,” Maria said as she shook her head.

“Ah, come on, girl,” Tess moaned. “You’re not playing fair.”

“Ok, I’ll tell you what he used to call it. It’s been renamed since it met me,” Maria grinned to the smaller
blonde.

Maria giggled again as the three girls all leaned eagerly toward her. She quickly drank a mouthful of vodka and then smiled to them. “He used to call it Captain America.”

Again, the four girls looked at each other and then fell into a fit of laughter.

“And now?” Tess probed, hoping Maria had tipped her alcohol levels enough to share.

“Not gonna tell you, Tessie,” Maria repeated with a grin as she refilled her glass with the clear liquid.

Once they had settled again, Isabel rubbed her stomach and muttered, “God, I’m starving.”

Maria bounced from her seat and half leapt, half slid over the bar top, landing surprisingly gracefully on the other side.

“How the hell do you do that with all that alcohol swirling in your body?” Liz exclaimed, her eyes wide in wonder. She turned back to Tess and Isabel. “She should be passed out by now.”

“Natural talent,” Maria grinned from beside Liz, making the brunette jump at her sudden closeness.

“Shit, Maria,” Liz breathed out. “That’s not cool.”

The three girls chuckled again as Maria tossed the packets of bar snacks on the low table between them.

Isabel reached for a packet of pretzels, opening them quickly and grabbing a handful, and shoving them into her mouth.

“Now that’s attractive,” Tess groaned.

“Bite me,” Isabel replied around a mouth full of food.

“Speaking of biting,” Maria started as she grabbed a jar of macadamia nuts. “Is it true you screwed Vladimir
after our night out?”

“What?” Isabel exclaimed, looking at her three friends, and they all waited not-so-patiently for her answer.

“Enquiring minds need to know?” Maria probed.

“Jealous?” Isabel asked, her brow rising in question.

“Hardly,” Maria snorted. “While I admit Dimi is quite the lover; I mean, he certainly knows how to please a woman, I’m afraid he falls short compared to Michael.”

“Ohh,” Tess grinned, scooting to the edge of her seat a little. “Do tell us more?”

“Nu huh,” Maria answered, matching Tess’ grin and then turned back to Isabel, waiting on her answer.

“No,” Isabel relented with an over-exaggerated sigh, and Tess sighed loudly, too, and then fell form the couch, landing hard on her ass, which caused Isabel and Maria to burst into laughter again.

Maria looked over to Liz when the room was filled with a loud snore.

“Wimp,” Maria giggled, tossing a few of her nuts at her sleeping friend.

An hour later, Maria was the only one still awake. Tess and Isabel had both passed out within minutes of each other, and Maria had finished the last of her second bottle of vodka in silence.

She now stumbled down a corridor in search of Michael and was feeling blissfully drunk.

She pushed open the door to the room she knew he was in and smiled to see him sitting opposite Sean and Kyle with Max beside him.

She practically fell into the space, giggling uncontrollably as she staggered over to her lover and collapsed into his lap.

“Take me to bed and fuck me until I can’t think straight,” she whispered loudly in his ear.

“Can you think straight now?” he asked her, concerned about how drunk she was and the amount of alcohol it had taken to get her into this state.

“God, you’re good,” she answered seriously, a smile on her face.

“M, what have you been drinking?” Sean asked from the other couch.

“I broke into Dimi’s vodka stock. Ssshh, don’t tell him, it’s a secret,” she told him conspiratorially.

“How much did you drink?” Michael asked when she laid her head as his shoulder and she shrugged slightly.

“Maybe two bottles,” she replied as she yawned. “And a bottle of tequila.”

“You drank that all by yourself” Michael questioned loudly.

“No. Isabel, Liz, and Tess were there,” she told him.

“And you let them share your vodka?” Sean queried with a smile.

“Fuck no, they had their own. But they’re pussies,” she giggled.

“Why?” Kyle asked, laughing with her.

“Because they’ve passed out, and I’m still awake,” she answered sitting straight up. “I’m awake and horny, Michael. What are you gonna do about it?” she grinned as she brushed her hand against his dick.

Michael moved her over onto his lap and then stood, holding her tight to him as she wrapped her legs around him, her lips fastening onto his neck.

“Come on, Blondie. Let’s get you to bed before you pass out yourself,” Michael replied, truly believing she would be asleep before they made it to their room.

“No way, Loverboy. No sleep until I’m sore and stated,” she mumbled against his neck.

“Ok, Babe,” he laughed as he moved to the door.

“Wait,” she stopped him. She turned her head back to Sean and the others. “Can you guys make sure my girls get to bed?”

“Sure, M, you go and do whatever you are going to do,” Sean smiled, waving her and Michael away.

“We are gonna go and screw like there is no tomorrow,” she told him with a smile. “Right, Michael?”

“Whatever you want, babe,” Michael returned.

Maria beamed over to Sean, Max, and Kyle. “See, whatever I want.”

Michael shook his head at her and wondered if she would remember this in the morning.

“Good luck, Michael,” Kyle called as he moved through the door, and Maria attacked his neck again.

Michael laughed, silently thinking he was going to need it.

*********

Thanks guys for continuing to read this fic and for your terrific feedback.

Katie: Yeah, even drunk Maria needs to see her friends taken care off.

Carolyn: Yep, those guys


Chapter 18.

The morning light flittered gently across Maria’s face, and even though her eyes were closed, she whimpered slightly.

“Hey, Blondie,” a soft voice called, “How are you feeling?”

Maria slowly turned her head on her pillow, moving her body slightly and rolling onto her stomach, her face turning to Michael.

“Like I’ve been hit by an 18-wheeler,” she answered, her tongue darting out to moisten her dry lips, and she swallowed thickly.

Michael chuckled softly at her words. “Yeah, I bet you do after the amount of alcohol you consumed last night.”

Maria lifted her heavy head from the pillow, one eye opening to look at Michael, then she moaned and lowered her head again.

Michael chuckled again at the sight of her seriously wild hair and sleepy, hung-over expression. “Come here,” he told her and smiled when she scooted over in the bed, snuggling as close to his body as she could get, her left arm falling over his stomach and her head resting on his chest.

Michael sighed at the feel of her flesh pressed closely to his, his own arm lifting to caress hers were it lay over his body. When he finally got her to their room last, he tried to talk to her and find out the reason she crawled into a bottle – or in Maria’s case, several bottles. He knew she and Paul met earlier in the day, and he deduced they had probably spoke about her parents’ deaths or the events surrounding that tumultuous time in her life.

But Maria being Maria had distracted him as only she could and he was a weak man, succumbing to her charms after a battle of wills. He knew that he would eventually have to get her to talk and let him in emotionally, as well as physically. So far, she had restricted him to the physical realm, and while he was content with this for the time being, he knew their relationship couldn’t last in the longrun if she kept hiding her emotional self.

Maria closed her eyes again as she settled against his bare chest, her mind whirling with images of their wild adventures last night.

She moved her hand from his waist and rubbed her behind gingerly. “Did you spank me last night?” she asked, her voice unsure.

“I do believe I did,” Michael answered her with a smile on his face as his own hand moved down to slowly caress her ass. “But only because you had been extremely naughty and bit me on the ass.”

Maria giggled again as visions of their nighttime activities invaded her mind again.

Surprisingly, she remembered most of the evening in spite of the amount of alcohol she consumed. She recalled removing the dressing which covered his new tattoo and wiping the area gently with a cloth to rid the area of the small accumulation of blood that gathered around the edge.

She recalled Michael trying to talk to her about her session with Paul and why she was so drunk, but she soon stopped that when she took him into her mouth.

She also remembered the moment he managed to move her under him and every time their hips clashed together, their tattoo’s met and matched to their counterpart on the other body perfectly.

She relished in the knowledge that he intentionally placed his mark in that particular spot just so this could happen……that his feelings for her were probably just as strong as hers were for him.

She desperately wanted to tell him in that moment: To tell him she was falling too deeply for him, but the words didn’t come. And as she came undone beneath him, she had an innate feeling he felt exactly the same way.

“What are you thinking?” Michael whispered.

“I need to get up and shower, or I’m gonna be late for work,” she lied.

“Maria, you’re one of the bosses. I’m sure you can be late,” he answered, his hand roaming up from her bottom to her back and back down in long, gentle strokes.

“I’m not sure what my schedule is this morning,” she returned, but she moved over him so she laid completely on top of him, her lips curling into a smirk. “Shower with me?”

“Do you really need to ask?” Michael grinned to her, his hand lifting to stroke her hair.

Maria wriggled a little, lifting her body until she was sitting, her knees landing on either side of Michael’s hips. And then she groaned loudly, her hand moving to hold her sore head.

“Oh my God,” she whimpered. “Now I remember why I actually enjoy being able to hold my liquor.”

Michael laughed at little as he struggled to sit up, too. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him as he swung his legs free of the comforter and out of the bed.

“Let’s have that shower, and then I’ll let you let me drive your Bentley and take you into work.”

“Oh you will, will you?” she chuckled against his skin as he carried her into their large bathroom. “That’s mighty magnanimous of me, don’t you think? You know, if you want a new car, you can have one.”

Michael paused before entering the large shower, his eyes meeting hers as he spoke. “I don’t want you to buy me things, Maria,” he told her.

“Michael, I won’t be paying for it. The Company will. And even if I was paying for it, what’s wrong with that?”

Michael lowered her to her feet so her toes were firmly planted on the cold tile before he reached for the many knobs that operated the shower.

“I don’t expect you to buy me things,” he ground out, a little harsher than expected. “I have a job. I can pay my own way.”

“Fine,” Maria retorted as she moved quickly under one of the shower heads, then wished she hadn’t as the floor seemed to move dangerously. She wobbled a little, and Michael reached for her quickly.

“You ok?”

She nodded hastily, then groaned again, her hand lifting to hold her head again.

“Here, let me help,” Michael said low and moved closer to her, his hands weaving into her hair, smoothing the strands. “Do you want me to wash your hair?”

Maria nodded slowly. “Thanks.”

Michael kissed her forehead as he reached for her shampoo.

“So, do we need to talk about last night?” he started softly as he massaged her hair gently, inhaling the floral scents that wafted around the shower.

“What do we need to talk about?” she answered timidly, one hand reaching out to rest on the tiled wall to steady herself.

“About why you felt the need to drink WAY too much alcohol? Maria, it’s scary the amount of liquor need to get you drunk.”

“Don’t I know it,” Maria grumbled.

“Maybe you should have your liver checked,” he half-joked.

Maria waved her hand dismissively to him. “We have physicals all the time, Michael. If something was wrong, it would have flashed some lights by now.”

Michael reached to grab the detachable shower head and gently rinsed her hair of suds, and Maria went quiet.

“Maria?”

“Mmh?”

“Are we gonna talk?”

Maria moved closer to him and took the chrome nozzle from him and flashed him a flirtatious smile.

“No, Maria,” he said firmly, determined to stand his ground this time, and turned her around again, repeating his shampooing actions.

“You’re turning down sex?” she asked incredulously.

“Not at all. I just think we need to talk, and whenever we try, you pull that sexy smile, and then things get out of hand, and we are fucking instead of talking. We need to talk about what happened to you.”

“We will, Michael,” she answered almost dejectedly, knowing he was right. “Just not in the shower. Later. Is that ok?”

Michael moved her wet golden hair to the side so he could place a gentle kiss against her neck. “Ok, as long as we do.”

“We will,” she agreed, though she was already thinking of ways to wangle out of that conversation.

********

It was late….or early….depending on who one asked, and Maria was pacing the room that her group of agents had occupied earlier that evening. She looked down at her watch and noted it was nearly 2am, and she resumed her pacing.

The night had started off as any regular night would: A fabulous meal cooked by Greg followed by a little snuggling with Michael as they relaxed with their friends, watching re-runs of Family Guy.

Then she had waved Michael off as he departed with Max to go on their first mission together.

Now, four hours later, everyone had retired to their rooms and she was nervously pacing.

“Will you relax, M? You’re making me feel ill,” Sean moaned as his eyes followed her from his comfy spot on the couch.

“It’s late, Sean. They should be back by now.”

“They will be back when they are back,” Sean answered her dismissively.

“Thanks,” she shot back sarcastically. “You’re a great help.”

She moved over to the couch he was sprawled on and flopped on the opposite end.

“Something is wrong,” she said with a shake of his head.

“Nothing is wrong,” Sean replied as he tipped his head back and threw another chocolate into the air and caught it in his mouth. “Max the Ever-Cautious, will make sure your boy toy makes it home in one piece.”

“Will you stop calling him my boy toy?” Maria groaned and caught the next candy as he launched it into the air. She dropped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

“And stop eating all my m&m’s, too,” she added, reaching over and grabbing the packet from him.

“Hey, I thought they were for everyone,” Sean moaned as he watched her pop a couple more of the sweet treats into her mouth, her eyes lingering absentmindedly on the couch opposite them.

“They’ll be ok, M. You know that,” Sean countered. “You have never been this jumpy before when a new agent has gone out.”

Maria turned her head to her cousin and gave him her are you shitting me look.

“Michael is a little more than a new agent, Curly,” she returned, using his old pet name that Uncle Harry had given him years ago.

When he didn’t answer her, she turned to see him watching her intently.

“What?”

“You really like this guy?”

“Well, yeah,” she shrugged.

Sean smiled to her, “So, when’s the wedding?”

“Hey, let’s not get hasty now,” she laughed. “Let’s at least get past our first month together.”

There was silence again as Maria munched on a few more m&m’s.

“Milan seems to have agreed with Uncle Harry,” Sean observed as he watched her eat the candies.

“Yeah,” Maria grinned. “And my new shoes certainly agree with me.”

“When do you think Dad will send me out on one of the international business trips?” he asked her, his voice taking on a whiny quality.

“When you stop acting like a playboy and take a serious role in The Deluca Group,” she answered honestly.

Sean huffed. “I would if dad would let me. He treats me like I’m still a little kid,” he moaned.

“You and me both,” Maria added.

“At least you have an active role in The Deluca Group,” Sean complained further.

“I wish I didn’t,” Maria replied in a soft voice.

Sean wished he could physically kick himself, instantly regretting what he had said. He knew the only reason Maria was working in The Deluca Group was because her father left his shares to her. In fact, Maria should be technically in charge, as her father was the eldest of the three Deluca brothers.

When their grandfather, Theodore Deluca, decided to take a step back from running his multi-billion dollar company, he divided the shares and responsibilities between his sons. Henry and Mason each received 33% of the shares while Robert was given that all-important one extra share, making him the head of The Deluca Group.

After Robert’s death, Mason had offered to take over as President of the group for her, and Maria was all too willing to hand over her one extra share, giving him control. After a private conversation with her grandfather, in which Theodore expressed to Maria his concern with Mason having the overall say of the group, almost like an innate feeling of dread, she proceeded to pass that one percent back to him.

Now Mason, Henry, and Maria ran the group together with Maria letting her uncle Mason take the President role, though all three signatures were needed on all documents and agreements, and Theodore kept that all important last share. Nevertheless, Maria knew on his death that it would come back to her, and she would be in control of the group again.

“Do you want me to find you something to do in the group?” she asked her cousin. “Because you know that will mean you have to be in the office by 9am every morning, and sometimes, we have meetings that run over, and you won’t be out until seven or eight in the evening.”

“Really! That sounds like shit, Maria,” Sean moaned as he settled himself further into the comfy couch.

“And then, of course, there are nights when you have to go out on a mission, but you are expected to be all bright and cheerful the next day at the office.”

“Fuck that, Maria. I don’t know how you do it. Maybe I’ll just go on vacation.”

Maria laughed. This was not the first time they’d had this conversation, and she had previously found Sean a job within the group: A job where he could jet around the country, sometimes even internationally, and for a week, Sean had truly enjoyed himself. Then the late nights clubbing and working within The Company had crept up on him, and one day, he simply hadn’t been in the office. That day stretched into two and then a week. After a month, Maria had to tell her cousin he no longer had an office within the group, and to be truthful, he hadn’t been too devastated.

“Yeah, a vacation would be the way to go. We could go to the French Riviera. We haven’t been there in, like, forever,” Maria said with a smile, warming to the subject.

“That’s because we were politely asked to vacate our rooms after the manager found you in that rather compromising position with the Prince of whatever country he came from.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” she returned with a wistful smile. “And I’m sure there were other contributing factors leading to our dismissal.”

Sean raised his eyebrow at her as he asked, “Do you really need me to answer that?”

Maria giggled, having a slightly disturbing memory of singing something completely inappropriate rather loudly in the middle of the hotels oh-so-sophisticated lounge area.

“So maybe we won’t go back to that hotel. I’m sure there are plenty of others,” Maria said.

“Sure, M. Will it be just us, like the good old days?” Sean probed.

Maria laughed out at that. “God, Sean. You make it sound like we are so old. It was only a couple of years ago.”

“Yeah, and a couple of years makes a difference. A month makes a difference.”

Maria nodded, understanding what he was saying. “Yes, Sean. Michael will most probably be going with us.”
Again, the room fell into silence until Maria suddenly stood up.

“That’s it. I’m going to look for them,” she said as she moved toward the door, returning to their original conversation.

“You can’t, Maria,” Sean returned, jumping from his place on the couch and dashing over to stop her leaving the room.

“Why not?” she asked, her eyes narrowing at him.

“You’ve got to trust him,” Sean replied, his hands falling onto her shoulders.

Maria huffed. “I do. It’s the others I don’t trust.”

“Well, trust him to do his job.”

“Sean,” Maria warned, shrugging his hands off her. “Don’t make me hurt you. I’m going to look for them.”

“Maria, you don’t even know where they are,” Sean stated as Maria pushed him away from him and stalked from the room.

“I can’t just sit on my ass and do nothing,” Maria returned sternly.

“But it’s such a cute ass,” she heard behind her and turned quickly to see Michael and Max strolling down the hallway as if they were taking a walk through the park.

“Where the fuck have you been?” she practically screamed at the two of them.

“Working,” Max answered with a wry smile as he and Michael walked closer to her.

“Funny, Max,” Maria scoffed.

Maria looked intently at Michael, making sure he didn’t have any physical injuries, her hands wandering over his body, checking for wounds.

“Hey, M. Maybe you should do that upstairs,” Sean countered, and he moved closer to the trio in the hall.

Maria ignored her cousin as she held Michael’s face between her hands. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, Maria. Everything went to plan,” he reassured her, wrapping his arms around her. This felt good. It had been a long time since anyone had been worried for him, and even longer since that person was someone who he cared about.

“Good, good,” Maria answered nodding her head crazily. And then she wacked him on his arm. “You little fucker! Next time, call me when you are through. I was all concerned and shit.”

“Owww, Maria. That hurt,” Michael moaned rubbing his arm as Sean and Max laughed under their breaths at him.

“Pussy,” Max coughed.

Maria whirled round to the shorter man. “And you, Max Evans. You knew that I’d be worried, and you didn’t
call me,” and she repeated her sweeping hit on his arm.

This left only Sean to laugh at the two grown men being chewed out by his small, delicate but deadly, cousin.

“And you,” Maria spun around to him, poking him hard in the chest. “Stop eating my m&m’s.”

******************************************************

Mason Deluca was a proud man, an elegant man, and always suspicious of others, despite who that other person was. And as he looked across his mahogany desk at his younger brother, he felt that familiar bubbling of uneasiness that always plagued him when he was around his brother.

The truth was Mason Deluca wasn’t a real Deluca. He had been found, abandoned on church steps, by Gabrielle Deluca wife to the influential business tycoon Theodore Deluca during her one of her daily visits to the building. Gabrielle immediately fell in love with this small scrawny baby and begged Theodore to adopt him. After complications with the birth of their first born son, there were doubts whether she would be able to conceive again, so Theodore relented. He always spoiled his wife and could refuse nothing she asked.

Mason grew up within the opulence that was the Deluca lifestyle, unaware of his adoption. He hadn’t been an easy child to raise. He was unruly and had a tendency to be cruel. It was during his rebellious teenage years that he learned the truth about his adoption while overhearing a conversation between his parents when he was 16.

After searching for several years, he finally gave up on looking for his birth mother. There were no records of his birth. From that point on, he was determined to be the best of the Deluca brothers, Henry Deluca being a miracle pregnancy and born six years after his adoption. His behavior settled slightly, though he still had a streak of evilness within him that surfaced when he felt the need to hold onto something he though was being taken away from him. Of course, no one knew he wasn’t truly born a Deluca: only his brothers and their parents. Not even his son knew.

The morning sun blared brightly through the tall, wide windows of his office, which was previously the office of his older brother.

He changed the room completely when he had taken over the office, moving most of Robert’s furnishings into his old work space, which was now occupied by Maria. The rich mellowing blue tones which had graced the walls when Robert was in charge were now a dark red, the deep color of the wood furniture accenting the walls well. He had soundproofed his room after several confrontations with his niece. In his opinion, he feared she was attempting to make him deaf with the high decibel level she played her music throughout the workday.

“So, things went as planned in Milan?” Mason asked his brother.

“Yes, Mason,” Henry returned. “The D’Soroia Consortium is pleased to be under our wing now.”

“Good,” Mason countered.

“And how are things working out with the new agent?” Henry questioned. He liked to be in the know with what went on with The Company but generally left the running of it to his brother. Henry was too much like his elder brother, Robert, and he didn’t really have too much input with The Company.

“Michael is definitely his father’s son,” Mason returned cryptically.

“Harvey Guerin was a good man,” Henry observed.

Mason gave a snort. “A foolish man, more like.”

“Why do you say that? Because he wanted to protect his son? I don’t think that is foolishness at all.”

“Oh, Harry. You aren’t still holding onto the glimmer of a change that slut is out there somewhere with your child, are you?” Mason retorted in a slightly condescending tone, reverting to his nickname Harry instead of his given name.

“She just disappeared, Mason. I can’t help but wonder if she is still alive,” Henry answered, his anger bubbling within him.

Henry would never forget the moment Lila came to him, tears in her eyes, telling him she was pregnant. Henry was ecstatic. Robert and Amy had been married a few years now and still no sign of a baby, and he was pleased his child would be the first of the Deluca grandchildren. Robert was out of the country at this time, so Henry shared this exciting news to his brother Mason. They had celebrated together, and Henry asked Mason to help him pick out an engagement ring.

Four days later, on the night he planned to propose to the girl he loved, she had disappeared completely, seemingly from the face of the planet.

“Harry, you had the best team from The Company looking for her for over 26 years ago. She’s gone; accept it, and move on with your life. You’re still young enough to marry and have children.”

“I’m 42 years old, Mason.”

“And old enough now to know the difference between true love and infatuation,” Mason added, as though he was talking to a much younger man.

“I loved Lila, Mason.”

“Exactly. Loved. You need to move on.”

Henry shook his head. His brother didn’t understand. Lila was everything to him, and she was gone, taking their child with her.

Not long after that, Mason’s own wife had announced her pregnancy with their son, and then, a few years later, Robert’s wife, Amy, had Maria. These two children became the substitute for his lost child, and he settled down to a life of bachelorhood.

“So, Maria and Michael are pretty tight,” Henry said.

“Please Henry, use language that denotes your age. And yes, they have become extremely close, extremely quick.”

“And you don’t approve,” Henry noted with a slight smile.

“Maria should not get so involved with him. You know there are rules within The Company regarding relationships, and as a Deluca, she should respect them.”

“As I understand it, they were close before he became an agent,” Henry continued. Over recent years, he had seen a change in his brother. As this happened around the time of Robert and Amy’s death and the despicable things their niece had endured, Henry thought it was a reaction to those events. But as time moved on, Mason seemed to hardened more and more, as though he was a child and someone had taken his favorite toy away.

“Maria gives her body over too easily,” Mason huffed.

“She’s young,” Henry reasoned. “Young people are impulsive.”

“She’s a Deluca, and she should act accordingly,” Mason returned sternly.

“Maria has never acted like she should, and she never will. That is part of her charm,” Henry smiled fondly.

“And given her history, it astounds me she acts the way she does,” Mason continued.

“Everyone copes differently, Mason. Don’t judge her. She’s a good person. She works hard for The Group and The Company. She has proved herself time and time again.”

Mason studied Henry for a moment before saying, “She seems to be getting stronger with her abilities.”

“Really?”

“Yes, she’s already at a level which outranks Harvey Guerin by a long way, and by all accounts, Michael has the potential of being just as good as his father.”

“So these two could make a formidable team,” Henry observed thoughtfully.

Mason thought on what Henry had said. Yes, Michael and Maria would probably make an exceptional team, but why change things? Sean and Maria worked just as well together. And secretly, he hoped Sean would work harder at his abilities to out-match Maria.

He was hoping Sean would prove himself worthy to take over The Company, because it would break his heart if he had to leave it to a girl.

**********************

Can you believe another week has flown by?

Thanks to all who are reading, leaving feedback and taking the time out of your day to join me on this adventure. And for those of you who are lurking out there, don’t be scared, leave feedback.

Carolyn: Ha! Maria here is an extension of myself. It’s ridiculous the amount of alcohol I need to get drunk! I kinda like the idea of Michael as a boy toy


Chapter 19.

They moved through the backstreets of downtown Los Angeles with an effortlessness that belied their uneasiness.

Things were not going as planned, and Maria was pissed.

Tonight, Maria and Sean had teamed up with Michael and Max to take down the notorious head of a crime ring which specialized in kidnapping and selling children into slavery. This time, the plan was to make a gift, so to speak, as they were to take him in to the L.A.P.D., and Michael was beyond excited. There was a task force within the police specifically created just to capture this man, and so far, they their lack of progress and to have Serrelli delivered to them, well he could imagine their reactions.

Mason had been given a tip-off regarding the movements of this pond scum, and in response, he sent his best agents out to bring this evil man down. But if things continued the way they were going, the P.D. would not be getting their Company express delivery anytime soon.

The evening started off well. The four of them found their target and moved in, Maria taking point, as usual. That was until Michael felt he needed to protect his girlfriend and moved her behind him.
Of course, Maria was having none of that and was soon ahead of them again.

“Maria, would you just get out of the way?” Michael hissed sternly to her, trying again to push her behind him.

“Michael, let me handle this. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have,” Maria returned, her eyes blazing.

“No. It’s too dangerous, Maria,” he answered with a shake of his head. Michael knew she could take care of herself, and others if need be, he just had this uncontrollable urge to protect her, shield her. This, he presumed, was the fall out from learning about the suffering and lost she had been through. His natural protectiveness had kicked in and he wanted, no needed her to be safe and happy.

“For fuck’s sake, Michael!” she hissed, getting angrier by the second. “Don’t make me shoot you.”

“Leave her be, Michael,” Max said, his hand on Michael’s arm as he pulled his partner’s fingers from Maria’s. “She knows what she’s doing, just trust her, ok?”

“But……”

Michael didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence as Maria turned her full body onto his much larger one and slammed him against the wall of the dingy alley.

“Michael, let me do my job, ok? You go with Max,” she said with a smile, her mind flashing back to their first meeting, and them being in this position against the wall in the alley behind the club.

“Come on, Maria,” Sean whined, his eyes dashing back and forth between them, becoming bored with this battle of wills. This was a mission, not a Sunday walk in the park.

“Go,” she told Michael, pushing him gently in the direction of Max.

“But we’re supposed to stick together,” Michael responded, unbelieving that she would want to split the group up and hating the whining quality his voice had taken on.

“Then stay behind and learn how to take orders,” Maria answered sternly. “This isn’t about the bedroom, Michael. It’s about work, and the two can’t cross.”

“I think it’s too late for that, if you ask me,” Sean observed mockingly.

“Nobody asked you, ass wipe,” Maria ground out, refusing to take her eyes from Michael to glare at her cousin.

“Yeah, and it’s not just about the bedroom, either,” Max added with a smirk. “I mean, for you two, it’s about anywhere you can get it on, right?”

“Will you two shut the fuck up?!” Maria whipped around quickly on the two other men beside her, her eyes blazing as she moved away from Michael. “For Christ’s sake! I’m working with a bunch of fucking idiots.”

Michael smirked at Sean and Max, pleased that he wasn’t the only one on the receiving end of Maria’s anger and frustration.

“You know,” Maria continued, headed back down the alley in the direction they were initially going before Michael attempted to protect her. “It’s a miracle Serrelli doesn’t know we are coming from the noise you ladies are making.”

The three men looked at each other, each pointing to the other as if to say, – it’s your fault, – and Maria shook her head again, a smile threatening to escape from her lips at the antics of her boys.

They continued down the dark alley and out onto a partially lit street, and after she swiveled her head a couple of times, first checking up the street and then in the other direction, Maria quickly moved off down the sidewalk, the guys following her silently.

“How does she know which way to go?” Michael asked Sean in a whisper.

Sean simply shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea, but I’ve learnt to trust her instincts.”

They entered another alley, moving further away from the bustle of the downtown area and into the poorly lit area. Michael slowed, feeling a sudden wave of uneasiness.

“Maria,” he cautioned, his hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah, I know. I feel it, too,” she returned as Max, Sean, and Michael moved to stand beside her. Maria’s eyes narrowed as she strained to look deeper into the darkness of the backstreet.

The sound of the gunshot echoed like the crack of a whip through the night air, and the four figures scattered, each searching for cover from the unknown gunman.

“Shit,” Maria ground out from where she was hunched behind a pile of crates, pulling her PPK from her shoulder holster, holding it close to her body.

She looked back to see each of the guys in their various hiding positions, her eyes meeting with Sean’s and asking him silently what had gone wrong.

Sean met her gaze and shook his head. He was at a loss, too.

“You know,” a voice called through the alley, “you shouldn’t be walking these streets without protection.”

Maria huffed. Like she needed protection.

“I don’t need protection,” she returned, and she could just imagine Michael’s disbelieving look at her brazenness. She smiled, in spite of herself, at that thought. Her body was pumping with adrenaline, and she practically bounced on her heels wanting to get the action going.

“And what do you think we are?” Sean’s voice rang out in disgust, and Maria laughed loudly at his tone.

“The flying monkeys,” she retorted before she could stop herself.

A small noise behind her made her pivot on her toes, her smile falling quickly. With her body still low and her eyes scanned the area behind them, the blonde hairs on the back of her neck springing to life.

“My spidey-senses are tingling,” she said out low to the others and watched as Michael, too, turned to look behind him.

“Take the guys out first,” another voice drifted down the alley to their position. “And then we can have some fun.”

Maria shuddered at those words, her mind transporting her back to her parents’ dining room, but she refused to be affected, to let them get the better of her.

Maria laughed out loud at his threat. “When you’re man enough,” she shot back. She saw a slight movement, and in the next heartbeat, her hand shot out, her finger squeezed the trigger of her small gun, and one of the men fell half a second later.

There was silence for a minute, then a harsh voice yelled, “Bitch, you’ll pay for that.”

“Yeah?” she teased. “You and whose army?”

“Maria,” Max said gently. “Don’t taunt the bad guys. Remember what happened last time?”

Maria turned her eyes to Michael and grinned. The last time she had been foolish enough to provoke a target, she had almost been shot, but could she really complain? After all, she had found Michael, or had he found her?

The next gunshot took them by surprise, as it came from the behind them, and Maria dropped to the ground, narrowly missing the bullet as it whizzed over her, just where her head had been a few seconds ago.

“That was a little too close, Blondie,” Michael’s deep voice filled the air, and Maria lifted her eyes to his, too stunned to move completely. She swallowed back her acknowledgment that he was right, only nodding her head slightly. She really must learn to hold her tongue, or her sarcastic remarks and comebacks would get her killed eventually.

“Time to move,” Sean informed the others and Maria was up on her feet again, weighing their options.

She knew she had taken out someone in front of them, but she was unaware just how many people they were dealing with. And would the men behind them be willing to risk taking out one of their own in front of Maria and her small band of not-so-merry-men?

She figured not and boldly stood, quickly moving into the alley and stalking forward toward the multiple guys in front of them.

“What the fuck? Maria!” Michael called out, unbelieving that she would be so stupid. Or daring. Either way, it looked like she was on a fast track to getting herself shot.

“Does she have a death wish or something?” Michael ground out to Sean before he, too, stood and made his way over to the small blonde, cautiously moving down the alleyway in her footsteps.

“I’m beginning to think she does,” Sean returned as he copied the other two, filing that though away to discuss with his cousin when they were safe at home. Max just swore as he, too, followed his fellow agents into the darkness, blindly trusting Maria’s instincts to get them through unscathed.

They moved as one toward the group of people at the end of the alley, Maria grinned when her analysis of the situation was correct. The group behind them was too concerned about shooting their own to aim at the four figures moving toward an exit.

Unfortunately, the group in front didn’t hold the same worries, and gun fire erupted around them. They scattered again, and Maria turned quickly into a side alley, praying her friends and family would find cover, too.

She heard the pounding of feet behind her and turned, her arm outstretched, gun in hand, and ready to shoot. “Shit, Michael,” she gasped. “I almost shot you, you dick.”

“Now that would have been a downer on our sex life,” he replied with his trademark smirk as he jogged closer to her, and Maria laughed. When he stood in front of her, she clasped a hand around his neck and pulled him to her in a searing kiss.

Michael responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her, and delving deeper with his tongue in her mouth. His body became wired, more alive, the blood rushing loudly within him with the thrill of the chase and this spontaneous, if ill-timed, kiss.

It was the cold metal of the barrel of her gun as it grazed his cheek that brought him back to the moment, and he reluctantly pulled away from her.

“This is SO not the right time for this, babe,” he grinned down to her and at the nonchalant shrug of her shoulder, he chuckled before turning her around and pushing her back down the alley in the direction she was heading when he interrupted her.

They rounded another corner only to be confronted with Max and Sean in the midst of a fist fight with five or six other guys.

Michael and Maria turned to look at each other. When Maria grinned, Michael shook his head. Only she could find the prospects of a fight exciting and entertaining. Then, as one, they entered into the fray.

The four of The Company agents seemed to effortless work together as they fought with the enemy, setting hits up and using each other to their advantage.

Sean nodded once to Maria and crossed his arms as she leapt toward him, her right foot landing on his crossed arms, her left leg close to her body. With the added boost from her cousin, Maria sprang higher into the air, her right leg pushing off Sean’s arms and whipping out with added force in a roundhouse kick, smashing into the face of one the biggest guys there, sending him sprawling to the ground, not moving, as she landed gracefully beside his prone body.

“I have this sinking feeling this is a set-up,” she smirked to her cousin, her enjoyment of the added danger all too obvious, and Sean nodded back, equally excited.

Michael dodged a punch and swung his body around to throw the deadbeat, who was currently driving his fists into Max’s side, off his partner and into the dirt.

“Are they always this pumped at the prospect of dying?” he asked Max as he helped the brunette to his feet.

“Wait until the real fun starts,” Max returned glibly as he dodged another hit, throwing one of his own,
twisting his fist to add more force and pain to the point of impact in his opponent’s gut.

The mêlée continued with the four agents taking out some of these obvious gang members, who were clearly not the associates of a crime circle they had been looking for. And it seemed whenever one of their opponents went down, a couple more took their place.

Sean watched, while attacking another foe, as Maria and Michael coordinated perfectly with each other. They moved as if they had done this together for a lifetime, each seeming to know where the other was and using that to their advantage. Sean was more than aware he and Maria worked like that, but he also knew they had been training together for years to become the well-oiled team they were. With Michael and Maria, it seemed natural, as if they were one person split in two.

Michael whipped around at the surprise exhale that came from Max and watched as his partner dropped to the floor. Michael quickly dispatched the man who was currently beating on him and rushed over to his partner, his eyes searching the fight for Maria. His fingers groped at Max’s neck, and he sighed with relief as he felt the steady thump of Max’s heart, happy his partner was alive but unconscious, a serious lump forming on his temple. At the same moment, he caught a glimpse of Maria’s golden hair as she used the bulk of one man to push another one off her, bringing her opponent down with a thud on the hard concrete.

She stood immediately, her gaze meeting his, and she winked before turning, snapping her elbow and then her fist into the face of the next man who thought he could take the small girl down.

A few minutes later, and Sean fell to the ground, his hand rising to his waist line and blood spilling between his fingers.

“Sean!” Maria called out, her eyes wide in panic, and Michael turned as she tried to rush to her fallen cousin.

The two guys beside him used his hesitation to their advantage, with one executing a kick to the back of his legs, causing Michael to fall forward onto his knees and the other punching him hard in his back. Michael fell forward into the dirt.

“Michael,” Maria whispered, ignoring the pain and familiar feeling of a knife slicing at her arm as a huge man grabbed her around her waist, lifting her from the ground. She kicked out with her legs, fighting a battle she was beginning to think she may have lost.

A hand wrapped around her neck, and she quickly bent her head, biting hard at the hand, and smiled when the man yelped and almost dropped her.

Her grin grew when she saw Michael push himself up onto his hands and knees, a moan escaping his lips. At least he was awake.

Two goons beside him pulled him back by his hair so he was kneeling, and his eyes flashed to Maria, making sure she was ok. He almost laughed as he watched the two large men struggling to keep her at bay.

The fighters all held their positions, believing they had the four agents under control, but they were ready to spring into action at any given moment if not. A new figure walked into the group of people clicking his tongue at the damage done. This small group of four had taken down some of his best fighters. He was tall with a scruffy beard and a casual, nearly congenial manner, evident by the way he smiled at his comrades. It contradicted his dark under-handed dealings and evil nature.

“Dying is a messy, bloody, ugly thing,” the scruffy man in front of him gloated to Michael, and his eyes lifted to Maria, who was still being held tightly between two burley men. “Man, you don't want me to kill you in front of your bitch.”

Maria answered his remark with a smirk as she blew a kiss to him, her eyes laughing. The gang leader gave a snort of laughter, astounded by her arrogance and cheek.

“Michael, honey,” she drawled, her voice sugar sweet. “Do you mind if I take out the trash?”

“Go for it, baby,” Michael answered her, his own lips twisting into a smile.

“Remind me to thank you when I get you home,” she answered, her eyes flashing to meet his once again.

Their opponent watched in disbelief as the two, who were very much contained by his men, exchanged pleasantries as if their lives were not about to be snuffed out. Though, looking at the girl, he thought he might keep her around for a little longer.

His expression quickly changed when the air seemed the crackle with electricity, and the two guys holding onto Maria were pushed back, as if hit by a great force, and Maria answered his remark to Michael with a quick, double roundhouse kick, hitting his face twice with all the force her abilities could muster, which sent him sprawling to the concrete, out cold.

The surrounding gang members looked down in disbelief at their fallen leader then back to Maria to see her looking casually at her nails.

They seemed to rush at once, forgetting Michael, who was still on his knees, all heading in on Maria. She moved at the last minute, springing up and into a back tuck, clearing them easily as they charged at her, some colliding comically with each other as she landed firmly upon her feet, a mocking grin crossing her lips as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

With one look to Michael through the crowd, she nodded and turned in her heel, heading back down the alley, her blonde hair flying behind her as she pushed the air with every step to make her faster than those pursuing her.

Michael soon dispatched the few gang members left with him, and looking around the dank alley, he bent down and hauled Sean to his feet.

Sean’s eyes snapped open at the feeling of his body being lifted, and he looked straight into Michael’s whiskey orbs. Then the pain in his side hit him.

“Shit,” he howled. “That bastard stabbed me.”

“Yeah, and unfortunately, you’ll live,” Michael retorted quickly, and he moved Sean over to the side of a one-story building, hoping the man would truly live through this.

Sean’s head moved, his eyes searching the alley. “Where’s Maria, Michael?” he asked, his voice taking on a seriousness Michael rarely heard.

“Saving our asses,” Michael returned, hardly keeping the anger out of his voice.

Michael looked up to the flat roof of the building, and Sean followed his eyes.

“No way, Man,” Sean laughed out. “Not a chance in hell.”

“We need to get up to higher ground so we can see where they are coming from. And to call for back up,” Michael explained, his eyes glancing back to Max who was still out on the ground.

“How the fuck do you expect me to get up there?” Sean asked, bewildered at what Michael was suggesting.

“I expect you to use your Bender skills to haul your ass up onto that ledge there. If Maria can use the air to do shit like that, so can you.”

Michael moved closer to the wall and cupped his hands together to make a foothold for Sean.

“I’ve been knifed, Man! I’m bleeding here,” Sean reminded him.

“Yeah, that means this is gonna hurt like a bitch. Now come on, you’re wasting time while Maria is out there somewhere being chased by some fucked up shitheads. And I swear, Sean, if anything happens to her because you are whining like a girl about climbing a small wall, I will string you by your balls to the nearest tree.”

Sean swallowed nervously, his hands automatically moving to cover his genitals, as if to protect them, and his eyes glazed over at the vivid imagery of Michael’s cruel words.

“Sean!” Michael bellowed, and Sean moved, gritting his teeth as he placed his foot into Michael’s waiting hands. Michael pushed up at the same time that Sean pushed the air, both added their abilities to move the particles and gave an extra boost and Sean sailed into the air, higher than needed but not high enough to reach the roof.

He landed heavy on the ledge with a grunt and a groan of pain escaped his lips as the impact ripped through his body, vibrating around his bones and the wound at this side opened more.

“You ok?” Michael asked him.

Sean mumbled his affirmation, and Michael moved quickly to lift the still unconscious Max onto his shoulders, all time wondering how he was going to get the other man onto that ledge, nevermind higher onto the roof.

“Sean,” he called up, “you need to lean over and grab Max’s arms.”

“Are you trying to kill me?” Sean voice filtered down.

“Yes,” Michael snapped back, “slowly and painfully. Now shut the fuck up, and help me.”

Michael had an innate feeling time was running out. He needed to find Maria and quickly.

He watched as Sean’s hands appeared over the ledge and inched lower, then Sean’s head became visible, and Michael winced at the obvious pain he saw etched onto Sean’s face.

Michael somehow found the strength to lift Max high above his head, now believing those tales of how adrenaline could make your body do miraculous things. Sean grabbed ahold of Max’s hands and pulled with all his strength, again using the air the help him, and he howled out in pain as he pulled Max up beside him, Michael pushing Max’s legs, then feet upward.

Michael then hauled himself up onto the ledge, and they repeated the whole process, Michael’s muscles beginning to protest, but eventually, Sean and Max were on the flat roof, and Michael still standing on the ledge.

“Call for back up,” Michael instructed Sean as he turned, ready to jump back down.

He saw her just before he leapt to the ground, running flat out toward them, though not knowing where the rest of her team was.

He vaguely heard Sean on his phone, giving their location to the dispatcher, as his focus shifted from Maria when he caught the glimmer of metal, illuminated by a street light, and his heart almost stopped. A gun. And she had no chance escaping it.

He reached for his own, then remembered he had lost it during the fight earlier.

With no time to turn and ask for Sean’s, he flattened himself down on the ledge and blindly reached out his hand. Then, somehow, Maria's hand was suddenly in his open palm, and he clasped tightly, lifting her easily off the ground, swinging her up, around, and behind him.

“Hey, baby. That was close,” she whispered huskily against his ear, but he could feel her smile against him as she seemed to wrap herself around his back. Her breathlessness was making things surprisingly tight below the waist. How the hell he could be thinking about sex in that moment amazed him, but when she placed soft a kiss against the nape of his neck, he almost blew a load right there.

The group of men gathered below, the man who Maria had knocked out only now coming to and struggling to stand. They hurled vulgar insults up at the two on the ledge, threatening all kinds of gruesome, painful deaths as Sean crawled nearer to the edge of the roof, his gun ready, just waiting for the command.

Maria pressed her own weapon into Michael’s hand, as if knowing he was without his own.

Michael smiled his thanks, thinking she had another stashed on her body somewhere.

Maria turned her head to Sean and flashed him a grin. “Good you see in you in the land of the living, Curly,” she quipped.

“Yeah, well, didn’t want you to have all the fun,” he returned, equally happy to see her alive.

Maria nodded once before looking back at the group of six or seven men below them, each trying to find a
way up to them, and she laughed.

“On the count of three boys,” she said, and the guys below looked up stunned and puzzled at her words.

“One….”

She stood from her position at Michael’s back.

“Where’s your gun?” Michael hissed, and his stomach turned when she smiled down to him and winked.

“Two….”

Before Michael could say anymore, Sean started firing, so he followed automatically as he watched Maria jump from the ledge into a somersault, twisting her body in the air. On her way down, she manipulated the air, moving aside the jacket of the leader of this now almost dead gang, and her hand slipped in undetected to take his gun from the hidden holster. When she landed in front of him she flicked off the safety, the man stunned at having his own gun staring him down.

“Three,” she finished sweetly and pulled the trigger.


Michael jumped from the ledge, his eyes glancing around at the bodies lying haphazardly around Maria in the dirty ground.

“This whole thing stinks,” she finally observed after a moment’s silence.

“What?” Michael asked.

“Serrelli wasn’t here and never was,” she told him, moving around the men, tapping one every so often with the tip of her boot.

“Yeah,” Michael agreed, his palm rubbing the back of his neck where the hairs had stood earlier that evening.

“Which means they were out for one of us,” Maria concluded, her eyes finally closing in on Michael.

“And they knew where we were,” Sean added from the top of the roof.

“Shit,” Maria spat out. “I knew this was a set up.”

Michael looked toward Maria and then up to Sean, his expression one of concern. Had one of them been a target themselves? Was there someone out there trying to take one of them down? And who was helping this unknown enemy by sending them here in the first place? That was the worst thing: knowing someone within The Company had to have known about this.

The next body that Maria tapped with her foot groaned, and she bent down, grasping his chin in her hand and roughly turning it to her.

“Who sent you?” she asked harshly.

“Fuck you, bitch,” the deadbeat answered, blood oozing from a split on his lip.

“Wrong answer, fucktard,” she returned, bending her knee up slightly before pressing it down on his chest, kneeling on him. Her hand reached down, applying pressure on the gunshot wound in his thigh, causing the man the scream out in agony.

“Who sent you?” she asked again, determined and through clenched teeth.

“The Easter Bunny,” he replied, his lips twisting into a sardonic smile.

Maria glanced up to Sean and then back down to the man beneath her knee.

“Hey, if you want to play, I don’t give a shit. I have all night,” and she held her hand out and called out,

“Sean?”

Michael looked up to Sean, wondering what was going through the cousins’ minds as they almost communicated silently, and he watched Sean move slowly, painfully. And then an object was flying through the air, and Maria caught it without looking or moving from her position atop this dirty, huge bulk of man.

He nearly laughed. She looked impossibly small against the built figure, but it was obvious she was the one in control of the situation, and he wondered if that was how others saw their relationship.

A glimmer beside Maria brought him back to the moment, he registered that the object was a knife, which Maria deftly opened with a swift flick of her wrist.

She dragged the knife over the guy’s clothing, easily splitting the material, then lay the cool metal against his skin.

“So, are you gonna tell me what I want to know, or do I get creative?” she asked sweetly, her outwardly firm voice contradicting the turmoil she felt within her at what she was about to do. But she couldn’t back down,
not now, not in front of this scum bag.

“You don’t have the balls,” the man below her gloated.

Maria snorted at that, and Michael had to admit her resolve scared the shit out of him.

“I may not have the balls, but I know all about torture, so...” and she didn’t finish her sentence or give him a chance to tell her anything as she sliced delicately into the skin below his right ribcage, resisting the urge to close her eyes. She had to detach herself from what she was doing and what needed to be done as she was not willing to back down or ask Michael to take over. She had started this, and she would finish it.

The guy screamed out in pain as the knife dragged along his skin and Maria snickered, covering her need to bite back the bile that rose within her at the sound of his scream.

“Looks like we have a screamer, boys,” she gulped, covering her disgust with a smirk as her eyes caught the blood on the metal of the knife, and Michael felt like he was going to vomit. He truly could not believe she was going through with this, knowing some of her history about what had happened during her parents’ brutal murder. As he watched her with the knife, skillfully slicing through the giving flesh, he knew her takeaway from her own torture wasn't only the memories, and he expected rape, but the most effective way to slice someone open just enough to cause them pain and not enough to kill them straight out.

“Ya know,” she continued, almost conversationally to the man she was torturing. “All the times I was cut up by a crazed bastard, I don’t ever recall screaming.” She shrugged her shoulder, “I guess some are just stronger than others, despite what lays between their legs, huh?”

Michael moved over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing how hard this must be for her, and he hoped he could give her an out of she needed it. Maria shrugged his hand off her, her eyes swinging to his once, and she almost gave in. She very nearly handed him the knife, silently asking him to do want she couldn’t, but she steeled herself. She had to do this.

And she moved the knife over a little, lifting it higher and pressing the point just below her captive’s right nipple.

“So, who sent you?” she probed, a dazzling smile on her face.

The man turned his head to Michael. “This is getting you all hot?” he asked with a sneer. “Watching your girl on top of me, sticking me with a knife?” And he turned his head back to Maria, “Because it’s definitely doing something for me.”

Maria swallowed nervously as, indeed, she did feel him harden where her leg was placed between his thighs, her knee still against his chest.

When the man laughed at her uneasiness, Maria steadied herself. She was in control, not this dickwad, and she, again, reached down to grasp at his wounded thigh.

His scream ripped through the night again, and Maria wondered if she could actually follow through and torture this man until he told her what she needed to know.

She sliced against his chest again, this time a little deeper, and pushed the molecules around the area to intensify the pain. When he called out in pain again, she was instantly transported back to an opulent room with rich green walls that were splattered with blood. The smell of the blood oozing from the man beneath her seemed to overwhelm her. It was as if the memory was intensified 100% in that moment, and she wasn’t exactly sure if it was because of the coppery aroma that was currently overwhelming her senses or the one she lived with for a week eight long years ago.

She swallowed thickly, lifting her eyes, not seeing the brick wall but instead the walnut china cabinet her mother had filled with porcelain adorned with a delicate pattern of green vines.

The guy was panting with pain now, and Michael felt the building need to turn his back on what his small, delicate girlfriend was doing, but he didn’t, he couldn’t. He knew she wasn’t enjoying this, and that comment from the shitbag must have stirred the memories within her regarding her own torture. He had to remain strong for her, a part of him repulsed by what she was doing to this man, but knowing it was necessary and she was in no way having fun.

“Black,” the man suddenly shouted out gasping for air as the tip of Maria’s knife brushed against his skin once more.

Maria stopped, looking into his eyes, her eyebrow raised.

“It was a bounty from a dude named Black,” he hissed out.

“Who?” Maria asked urgently.

“What?” came a strained replied.

“Which one of us?” she probed.

“I don’t know,” he breathed out, grateful she had stopped the movement of her hand and that the cool metal of the knife was only resting against him instead of digging into his flesh. “Only Gus knew.”

Maria looked at the unmoving bodies around them, and her eyes fell on the huge man she had shot, obviously the leader of this now practically extinct gang.

The man chuckled a little. “Don’t think you’ll have much luck getting anything from him, sugar tush!” he grinned as blood bubbled from his mouth.

Maria moved back, stumbling a little as she scrambled to get off him. She reached for Michael’s arm as he shot one out to help steady her, and he pulled her away.

They stood looking at each other for a minute, before Maria turned from him quickly, her dinner making a reappearance as she vomited beside one of the bodies sprawled out on the ground. Michael gently rubbed her back, as her body expelled all it could, until there was nothing left but her dry heaving.

She unsteadily lifted her arm and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, turning back to Michael, with tears in her eyes, her throat raw and her stomach still a little queasy. As he took in her slight body shaking, he was again concerned about the effect this torture was having on her.

Maria collapsed against him, deflated, the moment seeming to overcome her, and breathing hard, she let out a sob. Michael wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, his eyes lifting to Sean, who was still perched on the roof. He could see the fear in her cousin’s eyes, and Michael rested his head atop hers as she returned his embrace, her arms moving around his waist and holding on tightly.

After a moment, he moved her back, a hand to her face so he could look into her eyes, the other on her shoulder so she couldn’t run from him.

“Are you ok?” he asked, the concern evident in his voice making her feel weak.

“No,” she returned simply, not needing to hide from him.

“We will talk about this, right?” he probed, not wanting to push her but needing her to know she would talk about what had just transpired.

Maria nodded, but her eyes were distance, glazed, as if she was replaying something in her mind.

“Promise me?” Michael pushed.

She nodded again, her gaze refocusing on his.

“Say it, Maria.”

“I promise,” she whispered.

“Absolutely promise?”

“Absolutely promise,” she answered with a weak smile, knowing this time she would do as he asked.

Michael nodded, his hand moving from her shoulder and slipping down the sleeve of her jacket. That’s when
he noticed there was blood covering it, and that the splotch appeared to be growing. His fingers slipped into gash in the material and came away with blood on the tips.

He looked at her with concern in his eyes, and she brushed him off with a wave of her hand.

“I’m fine, Michael,” she answered his unvoiced question, her voice unsteady. “It’s just a flesh wound.”

“That’s a shitload of blood for a flesh wound, Maria,” he returned sternly, pulling on her jacket to remove it from her.

Maria needed to get a hold of her emotions again, so she did what she did best when she was uncomfortable.

She grinned at him. “Can’t wait until we get home, eh?”

“Jesus, can’t you keep your mind off sex for one minute?” Michael mumbled low with a shake of his head, bewildered that she could go from an almost breakdown to thoughts of sex in less than two seconds.

“You can’t tell me that with all that adrenaline pumping through you right now, you couldn’t get down and dirty,” she quipped back, her mind finally becoming clear, then she winced as he dragged the jacket from her arm.

“Later, Maria,” he answered with a smirk, though he did not look at her. He knew there was a huge chance of falling into her trap if he gazed into her eyes again, and then who knew what would happen? So he intently studied the gash on her arm, which appeared to be maybe an inch or so deep, and it was oozing blood.

“A flesh wound?” he asked, raising his eyebrow at her, finally looking at her, and she answered him with her trademark shrug and cheeky grin.

He shook his head, again amazed she could switch her emotions so easily.

At the sound of a vehicle entering the alley, they both turned, their eyes narrowing and both praying it wasn’t the cops.

Just to be sure, without turning her head, Maria said low, “Move back, Sean.”

She knew he would obey, and they would have a gun on the roof should they need it.

She breathed a sigh of relief as Charlie climbed from the vehicle. Cleanup was here, and she could relax. She slumped against Michael again, suddenly drained of all energy as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. They both pondered the same thing: Who was this Mr. Black and which member of their team was
he after?

******************

Sorry that this update is a day late, but better late than never, right

Thanks to you all out there taking the time to read this, and huge thanks to those who leave feedback, it’s really appreciated.

Carolyn: Hey, come on, would I really kill Max off ?

Chapter 20.

Mason looked with concern at his four best agents as they fidgeted on the leather couch in the library. They looked tired, despite the fact two of them spent time in units to heal their wounds.

The fire crackled in the library’s fireplace. It wasn’t a cold night, but Paul always liked to make a calming environment for the de-briefing sessions, and he thought a burning fire helped create a soothing atmosphere.

Sean returned from the mission with a knick to his liver, and he was immediately rushed into a unit for healing. The wound could have potentially been something a lot worse than it was, and he spent two hours in the unit to soak in its healing properties.

Max regained consciousness during the ride in, but he was suffering from blurred vision and an almighty headache. For him, the healing process had been a little different, and he had been fully submerged in a tank filled with the liquid, as it was the only way to deal with head injuries effectively.

Maria, as usually, was being a pain in the ass, refusing to sit in a unit for the simple cut to her arm.

Liz diffused the situation by soaking gauze bandages in the liquid and quickly wrapping them around her arm, causing the fluid to seep into her wound and work its magic. Maria then settled into Michael’s lap as they waited in Liz’s office, as Liz was convinced Maria would immediately remove the bandages as soon as she was out of the doctor’s sight, and she had fallen asleep against his chest.

Michael wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him, his head resting atop hers. He let her have this peace, knowing their teams would be grilled when it came time for the debriefing meeting in the large library.

She wouldn’t be happy when they finally returned to their room, either, as he was determined to have her talk through what she had done in that alley. This was something he wasn’t about to let up on. And his hope was if she opened up about that, she might tell him more of what had happened during her imprisonment in her own home.

She whimpered in her sleep, and he made a soothing noise in her ear whilst stroking her back gently, lovingly.

“Was it bad out there?” Liz asked cautiously, her eyes flickering between the two in the chair and through the glass in the door to the unit room and to Max.

Michael nodded. “It wasn’t the best of evenings, that’s for sure.”

He watched Liz as she observed Max, her eye twitching every so often.

“Hey,” he called to her, and the small brunette turned back to him. “He’ll be ok, right? I mean, in that goop?”

“Yes, he’ll be just fine in an hour or so,” Liz reassured him.

“Then come and take a load off,” Michael returned with a slight smile. “Staring at him won’t speed his recuperation up.”

Liz gave a short laugh as she moved away from the door and over to the recliner she dragged into her office a few years earlier. It was a dull yellow with large red flowers all over, and it was ugly, but it had been her mom’s, so….

Michael looked down at the woman in his arms and gently brushed aside a strand of her hair which had fallen across her eyes. When he looked back up, it was to see Liz smiling.

“You’re good for her, ya know?” she said, her voice taking on a hushed quality.

“How so?” Michael asked, intrigued.

“She needs someone who won’t let her have her way all the time. The guys around here, they tend to do that. They feel the need to protect her, and while I can see why they think that, they have to know she can take care of herself. I mean, she’s probably ten times as dangerous and lethal than any of them.”

“Yeah, and some,” he smirked back to the small doctor.

Michael looked at Liz for a minute before asking. “Were you here when she was brought in, ya know, after….?”

Liz shook her head sharply. “No, that was before I came here. But I’ve read her file, and it’s certainly not for the faint of heart. And that’s only the physical side, not the psychological shit.”

Michael’s eyes involuntarily wandering over to the large filing cabinet Liz had against one wall.

“I can’t let you see, Michael,” she responded with a sad, knowing smile.

“I know,” Michael returned, turning his head back to Liz. “I don’t really need to see it anyway. I’ve seen the scars.”

Liz acknowledged her understanding with a slight incline of her head.

“Michael, can I ask a personal question?” Liz queried timidly and at his succinct nod, she continued. “Do you love Maria?”

It was a simple question, but Michael felt his heart speed up until it was pounding erratically within his chest. His eyes involuntarily shifted down to Maria where she rested against him, and he just bobbed his head.

Liz smiled at his non-verbal response. “Don’t let her push you away,” Liz told him, her eyes imploring him to listen to her and heed her advice. “She has this crazed idea that no one could love her, and as soon as those emotions become evident, she runs. Stand your ground, make her listen to you, and accept your love.”

Liz giggled at little as she looked at her friend, resting against the body of this man. “It might get ugly, but please, if you love her, don’t let her ruin this for the both of you.”

“Has she done that often?” Michael asked, not sure if he really wanted to know. “Pushed people who love her away?”

“I’m not really the one to ask, Michael,” Liz returned with a sly grin, “but I will say there was another, almost like you, and we thought he would be the one to settle her, but I guess she wasn’t ready.”

“And is he another agent here?” Michael queried, always a glutton for punishment.

Liz just nodded at his question.

“Have I met him? Is it Vladimir?”

“No, he’s away on assignment at the moment. But he could be back any time soon,” Liz answered. “I just felt you should know, so it’s not a surprise when he does come back.”

“And she broke it off with him?”

“Yes. It wasn’t pretty. They argued constantly. Finally, he asked for his assignments to be out of area. That way he’s only around for a few weeks at a time.”

Liz looked at him cautiously. “He took her relationship with Vladimir pretty hard, and that was just a casual thing. So, don’t be surprised if he has a few harsh words for you when he learns your level of involvement with Maria.”

“Why doesn’t he just leave The Company if he’s so hung up on her?” Michael probed, his hold on the girl in his arms tightening a little.

Liz shrugged. “This is his home, his life. He’s been here for a long time.”

Michael understood that. The Company was like one huge family, and it could become an intricate part of a person’s life. He was learning this, and he had only been here for just over three weeks, and he was sure to leave would be like leaving your family and forgetting their very existence.

He realized what a huge choice that must be, and one his own father had taken to keep him safe. And yet, he ended up as part of The Company anyway; regardless of the fact his father moved them from Los Angeles and out of the state.

Michael knew as he looked at Maria again that some things were just meant to be, and no amount of ex-boyfriends or scared girlfriends was going to alter that. He was here for the duration, and Maria would just have to deal with that. She wasn’t going to run him off like she so obviously had her other boyfriends.

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this,” Liz’s voice interrupted his inner thoughts. “I just thought you should know, and I know Tess won’t tell you out of loyalty to Maria. Not that I’m not loyal, I just think you could use a heads up. I want you two to work out. You are a good guy, Michael, and Maria deserves a good guy.”

She blushed a little when Michael gave her one of his killer smiles.

“Of course,” Liz grinned sly again, “you hurt her, and I’ll be forced to end your miserable existence in this world. I still have yet to find someone to use my bullet on.”

Michael beamed back to her. “Perfectly understood, Doc.”

Liz shook her head at Michael, completely seeing why Maria fell so hard and so fast for this man.

“Why don’t you get some rest, too?” Liz suggested with a nod in the direction of her cot.

Michael nodded and stood with Maria in his arms and crossed the room to the small cot. He sat down gingerly, trying not to wake the sleeping girl and then moved quickly onto his back, bringing her with him so she lay on top of him, her head on his chest. She muttered something in annoyance but soon settled when he caressed her back again.

He blinked up at the ceiling a couple of times, wondering if he craved his old, relatively peaceful life. When Maria squirmed a little against him, he immediately decided no. He wouldn’t change it for anything, despite the knowledge that Maria’s old boyfriend could be re-entering her life in the immediate future.

He knew Maria felt something more for him then the fleeting emotions of a casual fling. He could feel it with every cell in his body. When they joined together in moments of passion, it seemed to him as if the world stopped moving, like everything paused, waiting for the two of them to become synchronized, become one, and when they did, the world rushed into motion again, the blood pumping in his body and his heart beating in time with hers, his vision became sharper, and he felt he connected with every fiber of her being.

He only hoped it was the same for her, because it was something too beautiful and wonderful to not share with the person who created those moments with him. He made a mental note to ask her sometime.

Now, a few hours later, the four of them finished recounting the events of the evening and the failed assignment to Mason. This wasn’t by far the first time a mission had failed, but it was the first time it happened to Sean and Maria, not counting Michael’s initial target.

Mason sat in stony silence as he thought through the story the agents told him.

“I have to say,” Maria’s voice interrupted his internal thoughts. “This whole thing has left me unnerved. I don’t like it. I don’t like the fact that someone in this Company feels the need to eliminate one of its own. I thought we were a family.”

“This doesn’t leave this room,” Mason told them. “I don’t want this leaking out to the rest of The Company.
If someone is out there targeting us, we need to keep it contained.”

Maria shuddered, an uneasy wave rippling through her. There was something niggling at her, almost knocking on her consciousness, like she knew the answers they needed, but they were eluding her.

Maria looked back up to see her uncle staring interestedly at Michael. She turned her head, trying to see what had him so intrigued with the newest agent.

Sean, too, saw his father studying Michael intently.

“What?” Sean asked, his head swiveling between the two.

“I’m just curious,” Mason answered evenly. The older man switched his gaze from Michael to Maria and then Sean. “We’ve never had any problems within this organization or from any outside groups until recently.”

“Wait a minute,” Michael interrupted him, standing from his seat beside Maria. “Are you saying I had something to do with this?”

“No, I’m not saying that at all,” Mason relented quickly, his eyes again swinging to Maria, and he almost squirmed at the intense look she shot back at him.

“Do you really think it was Michael who set this up?” she asked her uncle disbelieving, the shock on her face speaking volumes.

Mason shook his head, “No, no. Of course not,” Mason answered quickly, a small smile playing on his lips.
“I’m only voicing what some of the others may think. Michael is new here, and we have never been targeted by any other organizations before.”

“Is that what you think this is?” Max asked, worried about this situation more than he would admit. In a way, he hoped it was some outside faction which had placed a hit on one of them because, as bad as that was, it was ultimately better than knowing one of your own wanted you dead.

“What else could it be?” Mason replied.
“But the tip off came through you, Dad,” Sean interjected. “So, who was it?”

Mason glanced around the room, from the four agents in front of him to Doc Brody, Paul, and Charlie. They were each looking at him intently, as if he held all the answers.

“I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “To be honest, I was just glad we were finally closing in on Serrelli. I never asked for a name. We get anonymous information all the time. Why would I suspect this tip would be any different?”

Maria watched Paul in her peripheral version as he wrote something in his ever-present notepad, his eyes shifting to her as if trying to gauge her reaction to what Mason was saying.

“Maybe these tip-offs should be handled differently from now on,” Maria suggested, looking directly at her uncle.

“Maybe,” he consented. After a pause, he continued. “It’s late. I’m sure you are all exhausted, so we’ll leave it there.”

With that, Mason stood, ending the meeting and walked purposely from the room with Brody following him.
Maria sighed dramatically, “I hate this. I hate not trusting anyone.”

Paul moved so he was standing in front of the four on the couch. “I need to schedule appointments for you all tomorrow,” he said, his gaze shifting from Maria to Michael to Max and then to Sean before circling back around. “Michael, Maria, are you both working in the morning?” he asked.

At their nods, he turned to Max and Sean. “Ok, Max, is 10am all right with you?”

“Sure,” Max answered, his mind obviously elsewhere.

“Fine. Sean, is 1pm good for you?”

Sean just nodded in agreement, his eyes on the fire burning bright in the fireplace.

“You two come and see me after work,” he instructed Michael and Maria, then turned to the exit before either of them had a chance to disagree.

“Do you really think it was someone from within that sent them after us?” Sean asked once the door had closed again, immediately turning the conversation to what they were all thinking.

“We were in that alley searching for a target we had been informed would be there,” Michael stated. “I absolutely think that someone wanted us there.”

“It’s too convenient not to suspect that,” Max added.

Sean rubbed his hand over his face. “I guess,” he acknowledged. “Shit, I need a drink.” He stood from the couch and moved over to the door, looking back, half-expecting Maria to be on his heels. “Maria?”

Maria flashed her eyes to Michael and then back to Sean. “You go on ahead, Sean,” she smiled. “I need to talk to Michael about something.”

Sean looked between his cousin and Michael, that feeling of jealousy rushing through him unwittingly as he again realized he was being replaced by the taller man in his cousin’s life.

“Ok,” he mumbled, then swung his eyes to Max.

“Sure, I could do with a drink right now,” Max said as he stood and followed Sean out of the room.

Maria looked to Michael and offered him a weak smile.

Michael beamed back to her. She turned down a drinking session to talk to him, just like he asked.
He moved closer to her, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek. “Are you ready?”

Maria shook her head, knowing he was asking if she was ready to talk to him about what she had done. “No,” she whispered. “But I know you want me to be, so…” she shrugged. She could do this, for him.

“Maria, I don’t want another night like the one we had a few days ago. I don’t want to find you scared, alone, and trembling in the shower, too afraid to move. And I don’t want to have to force you to take pills just so you can sleep.” Michael said as his thumb moved lovingly over her cheek, looking deep into her eyes and hoping she could see he just wanted to help her.

Maria sighed softly, unable to tear her gaze from Michael’s intent look.

“Ok,” she returned, her voice quivering slightly.

Michael searched her face, looking for any signs that she might hold back what he needed her to give up, but at that moment all he could see was the girl who held his heart securely in her hands. The woman whose soul was the mate for his.

He couldn’t help himself as he drew her closer and placed his lips against hers, tenderly and un-hurried.

Maria moved her arms around his shoulder and returned his kiss, sweeping her tongue against his as she deepened their kiss, pulling him closer and molding her body to his.

At a discreet cough, they froze, before turning as one to see Charlie still sitting in one of the large chairs by the fireplace.

“Don’t mind me, but if things get a little personal, I would rather be elsewhere,” he told them with a sheepish grin.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Maria said back, forcing herself to smirk at him. “Don’t want to scar you for life, old man.”

Charlie gave a laugh at that as he stood. “Yeah, the things you youngsters do in the name of fun these days. I certainly don’t need to be privy to that.”

“I bet you could have given us a run of our money back in the day,” Maria returned glibly, unconsciously drawing out their conversation and therefore delaying her talk with Michael.

Charlie moved to the door, but stopped halfway across the room. He turned back to them, eyeing the pair with almost parental concern.

“Don’t trust anyone,” he said before he could stop himself.

Michael and Maria looked to each other in question, and then back to Charlie.

“You rely on each other, and no one else,” he continued sincerely before turning and leaving the room.

“What was that about?” Maria asked, turning to Michael.

Michael shrugged, his eyes on the door, trying to make sense of Charlie’s words.

He turned to her after a moment. “So we trust each other, and no one else?”

Maria nodded. “Charlie is a man of few words, but I have found the times he does have something to say, those are the moments to take notice.”

Maria moved back over to the couch and flopped herself down. Michael followed her, and when he settled on to the opposite end of the large sofa, Maria gave a soft laugh.

“Why so far away?” she asked, indicating the space between them.

“So I’m not tempted by your womanly charms,” he smirked back.

Maria grinned back at him and let her fingers trailed down the buttons of her black shirt invitingly, popping the one that held her top together just above her breasts, and Michael shook his head, though his eyes were shining with enjoyment at her seductive movements. “Not gonna happen, babe.”

Maria huffed at him, pulling her hand away from where she was brushing it enticingly across her breast.

“Maria,” he prompted.

Maria shrugged irritably. “What do you want me to say?”

“Why did you do it?” he asked softly, his eyes intent on her face, watching for the telling emotions that were
bound to surface.

Maria closed her eyes, an image of the man in the alley flittering across her mind, then the picture changed, and it was her lying on the ground in that alley with a nameless man looming above her, slicing into her tender skin.

She shuddered and snapped her eyes open to find Michael’s warm whisky orbs gazing at her, encouraging her gently without words.

“I don’t know why, Michael,” she sighed. “When I started, I wasn’t completely sure what I was doing. It’s like I was working on autopilot or something.”

Michael nodded once, letting her continue.

“I thought I could let you take over, though I wasn’t sure you would want to.”

“I would have if that’s what you needed,” he told her sincerely, needing her to know he was there for her, no matter what. Even if she needed him to him to torture that man to the point of death, he would have. For her.

“But I needed to do it myself. I can’t be that weak, not in front of dumb fucks who think they can use that to control me.”

“It’s not weak to have emotions, Maria.”

“But it’s weak to show them in front of the enemy,” she answered, her voice low. “To lose control of the situation.”

“Maria,” Michael started, then he paused before continuing. “Why do you have to have control all the time? Why can’t you just let someone else take over?”

Maria looked pleadingly to him, “Michael, I really don’t want to talk about that right now.”

“Is this something that came about because of …..”

“Michael, please,” Maria implored, standing suddenly from the couch. “Let’s talk about the alley, not my past.”

“The two are irrevocably entwined,” he sighed, shaking his head at insistence to leave her past in the past.
“Would you have done what you did without the knowledge of how painful it is?”

Maria winced as though she could feel a knife slicing into the skin over her ribs, and she lifted her hand almost instinctively to cover the area, the motion not being missed by Michael.

He reached over and pulled her down onto his lap, circling her slim figure with his large arms.
“He won’t hurt you again, Maria,” he whispered into her ear.

“I hated it,” she whispered, her voice low. “Every time my knife cut into him, I wasn’t there in that alley. I was back in my parents dining room. But…..” she swallowed nervously. “I couldn’t stop. I was sickened by what I was doing but……” She snuggled closer into him, almost as if she needed his warmth. “I’m no better than that bastard who did it to me, am I?”

Michael cupped her chin tenderly. “Don’t think like that. Never think like that.”

“I can’t help it, Michael. Would a normal person do something like that? Would you torture him the way I did for a name that means absolutely nothing to us?”

“Maria, you are normal.”

“No, I’m not. I’m not a normal person, and I never will be. There is too much……..” she searched for the right word, “darkness. There is too much darkness in me.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but I just don’t believe that.”

She was silent for a moment, and he really hoped she was listening to what he was saying.

“We’ll never know if I would do the same as you, but I have done some shit I’m not proud of, all in the name of duty. Does that make me a bad person? I don’t think so. Sometimes we do what we have to do,” Michael said to her, brushing away a single tear as soon as it escaped.

Maria wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting her body slightly in his arms so her head was beside his, hugging him tight to her body. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“What for?” he asked, his hands rubbing her back soothingly.

“For doing that, for making you watch, and for the things that dick said to you,” Maria answered, still not looking at him, laying her head on his shoulder.

“There is nothing for you to be sorry about, Maria,” he answered immediately. “I won’t sit here and lie to you and tell you I wasn’t a little disturbed about what you were doing. But I understand why you did, and I know there wasn’t a moment that you enjoyed it. I know that, Maria, because I know you. I know you deep inside.”

She giggled a little against his shoulder, and he smiled in spite of himself. “Only you can still be thinking about sex,” he murmured softly to her.

She pulled away from him, her hands moving from around his neck to hold his face close to hers. She gave a quick flick of her head, moving the piece of hair which had fallen across her eye with the movement and then looked deeply into his eyes.

She really wanted to tell him, tell him how she felt deep inside. How could this man still want to be with her, knowing all he did about her? She knew he had his suspicions about the full extent of what had happened to her when her parents died, but for now, the words wouldn’t come because she couldn’t verbalize her experience or her feelings.

“Can I kiss you now?” she asked, her voice low and sultry.

He answered by closing the gap between their lips, kissing her slow and tenderly.

Maria leaned back, lowering her body down onto the couch, bringing Michael with her as she continued to brush her tongue against his gently, almost delicately, taking her time with their kiss.

She wanted Michael to be the one to break this time, but she wasn’t above a little teasing to help get him to that point quicker. She trailed one hand down from his face, down to his neck, and she let her fingers dance along that sensitive part where his neck met his shoulder.

Michael repaid her by sucking against the same area on her neck, and Maria sighed blissfully.

Her hand continued down, over his back until she could lift his shirt at his waist and slip her hand under, eager to feel his skin under her fingertips.

She glided her hand back up along his spine, while Michael moved to unbutton her figure-hugging top, his lips following his movement and kissing the exposed skin as soon as it came into view.

He smiled against her bare skin, his month inching to her nipple, infinitely slowly, as he registered she was without a bra again. When he finally had the shirt open, he pushed the panels apart, pulling back from her and letting his gaze and hands trail over her skin, his fingertips barely brushing against her. He glanced to see her eyes were closed as she lost herself in his touch, a soft smile playing on her lips.

When his delicate caress traced over the thin white line below her right breast, Maria opened her eyes only to be confronted immediately with his golden orbs, full of trust and passion. She dropped her eye-level to watch his strong hand stroke against her gently. She couldn’t stop her eyes fluttering and closing again when his lips replaced his fingers, a shudder of pleasure rippling through her as he showered her scar with his kisses.

He snapped the button of her jeans and opened the zipper with ease, pulling the denim down slightly to expose another blemish above her hip bone. Michael gave this mark the same loving attention the other had received.

Maria squirmed under his mouth, the feel of his hot breath against her driving her crazy with desire.

“Michael,” she said, hoping for a stern voice to urge him on, but instead it came out more like a whimper.
Michael looked up to her before bringing himself back up to her waiting lips, moving quickly and catching her by surprise, though her yelp was swallowed by his mouth.

He kissed her thoroughly, not leaving any part of her mouth untouched by his tongue, and Maria whimpered again beneath him, rubbing her legs together to try and alleviate the ache that was building there.

She was the one who was supposed be in control, but for a fraction in time, she felt that need to dominate slip, wanting him to take this to its inevitable finish.

When his lips left hers and made another trail down her body again, she took a calming breath, trying to quell her fear as it started to bubble within her. She knew she was psyching herself out. Her heart wanting to give in, just this once, to not think, just feel, and let this man love her, but she knew it was futile. She wouldn’t, she couldn’t.

She felt the material of her jeans draw down her legs as Michael slowly stripped them from her, and looking at him again, she smiled at his sexy smirk. She scooted back a little on the couch, giving him a little more room to maneuver as he returned slowly up her body, kiss, biting, and licking at her soft skin, moving her legs further apart as he went.

As he pressed his lips against a small scar against her knee, she giggled. That mark was left after she had fallen from her bicycle whilst learning to ride when she was young, but he still treated it as tenderly as he did her other more traumatic blemishes.

When he stopped at the criss-cross markings of short, thin lines high on her inner thigh, she held her breath. Please don’t, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut against what he could so easily see, and what she wished she could remove.

When he placed a delicate kiss on the marred skin, she flinched and moved, quicker than even she thought possible. Within a nano-second, Michael was on his back on the floor in front of the blazing fire with Maria above, her hands on his shoulders and her legs straddling his body.

She trembled as she looked down at him, not really seeing his puzzled look at the sudden change in their positions.

When her eyes finally refocused on him, she grinned, covering her tempestuous thoughts. “You had your chance,” she told him glibly. “Now it’s my turn.”

Michael wrapped his arm around her waist, under her shirt which was still hanging open, pulling her down and closer to him. “I’ll let you have your way this time, babe” he grinned to her, “but, next time, it’s my turn.”

“Whatever you say,” she whispered against his lips before kissing him.

She pulled back, noting the darkening of his whiskey eyes, and she smiled again, her hands roaming over his shirt-covered chest. When she suddenly pulled on the material, ripping the buttons, and tearing it apart, her gaze shot up to meet his.

“Eager?” he asked her, his brow raised, and at Maria’s glint of mischief, he laughed.

Her lips attacked his body, and Michael closed his eyes at the sensation of her moving above him. He knew he had taken it too far when he felt her breathing still as his gaze landed on those scars on her thigh, but he had pushed and placed his lips over the area anyway.

He wasn’t really surprised to see her turn the tables so quickly on him. She opened up about her feelings regarding what had taken place earlier in the evening, and he seriously doubted he would get any more from her this night.

As her hands reached for his belt, his eyes flickered once to the double doors leading to the room they were in. He vaguely wondered if they would be disturbed, but given the lateness of the hour, or the earliness, he doubted they would be interrupted.

She quickly removed his jeans and was moving slowly crawling back up his body with that wicked gleam back in her eyes that he had come to love. He grinned to her when she nudged his erection with her nose, but then completely ignored it, moving closer to his lips.

She teased him again as she nibbled at his chin and across to his ear before she whispered, “I want you, Michael. Hard and fast and right here.”

Michael gulped slightly at the ferocity of her words and the huskiness to her voice as he surrendered himself to her completely.

*************************