Chapter Twenty-Two

**Tempest**
I woke up extra early today to get ready, do my hair and makeup, dress nice and then make him breakfast which I serve to him in bed.

It’s just porridge with blueberries because I’m not the best cook in the world and I’m scared I’ll mess up anything else.

I place his card and gift on the tray with it and smile as I approach his sleeping form. He’s on his back, essentially star fishing beneath the thin blanket in the well air-conditioned room. The muscles of his chest are so defined even as he’s lying down you can see the ridges of them.

He told me he loved me. This handsome, incredible, wealthy man loves me. This thought makes my smile become a beam. I can’t contain it.

He told me he loves me.

Is this what it feels like? Is this what it should feel like? I never want it to end.

“Happy birthday to you,” I sing, sitting on the side of the bed as he finally wakes.

His answering smile is so broad and handsome when he sees what I’ve done. “Porridge?” His accent mimics mine.

“Porridge,” I reply and Maddox enters the room without knocking while declaring, “OATMEAL!”

He tosses a wrapped gift onto the bed. “Can’t stay, got shit to do. Happy birthday, Dad. Bye, Pest.”

“Porridge!” I shout after him when he leaves and Sargent sits up and places the tray over his lap. The legs balance it on either side of his.

“It’s been a long time since somebody went to this effort on my birthday.” Sargent grins, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. “Maddox used to but not since he was fifteen I think.”

He drinks his coffee and waits for me to kiss him.

“So before you open your gift from me, it’s not your actual gift. Your actual gift isn’t here yet. I’m sorry, I suck I know.”

“You certainly do suck,” he chuckles, referring to things other than what I’m referring to.

I slap his thigh that’s peeking out from under the quilt and then lean forward to kiss it. The soft hair tickles my upper lip as my fingers dig in, massaging his shin. He groans and his head rolls back.

“Open your gifts,” I demand, kneeling between his legs so I can rub them both at the same time.

He opens Maddox’s first after a few mouthfuls of porridge and he smiles when he sees what it is. I lean to the side so as to get a good look when he hands it to me, still smiling.

I hold the small key chain in my hand and flip it over. On one side is a picture of Maddox holding a baseball bat, on the other is a picture of me. Yes… me. Smiling at the camera shyly, my hair blowing across my face. It’s a photo he took before we came here. I remember the moment he took it because I was so embarrassed.

“It’s a warning,” Sargent explains while placing the tray to the side, but I gathered that already. “Remind me to put it on my keys later.”

“You want my face on your keys?”

“I want your face near my dick at all times.” He chuckles when I scowl at him and starts peeling open the gift from me.

He won’t be laughing soon.

“This better not be what I think it is,” he murmurs as he reads the little label attached to the bottle of herbal Viagra. “You little.”

I scream when he lunges for me.

“I’ll show you who needs dick cream, you little twat.”

I laugh as he pins me on the bed, tickling me along my sides and thighs with his fingers. “I just thought, because you’re an old man no… AAAAH!” He bites my hip and we wrestle for power. Me still laughing my arse off as he flips me over, rips my trousers down and penetrates me in one powerful swoop.

My laughter stops soon after and, in its place, comes moaning and cursing. I squeeze my eyes shut and push back against him.

When we orgasm, we orgasm together but then I panic and pull away. I race into the shower, remove my clothes and spray my vagina without shame.

“I’m going to need another morning-after pill.” I sigh gravely when Sargent stands in the doorway laughing at me. “We’ve got to stop being so careless.”

His laughter stops and dims to a gentle smile. “Aren’t you at the doctor’s tomorrow for birth control?”

I nod. “I’d almost forgotten. I put it in my phone.”

“I’ll take you.”

“No, it’s fine.” I smile kindly. “I already asked Fidget. It’s during my lunch break.”

“Whatever makes you happy,” he says, stepping under the water and holding me from behind. He massages my sensitive breasts, paying extra attention to the piercing, as his lips move along my shoulder. “We should look into getting you a car and license.”

“I have a British license but I’m only here for another four months.”

He tenses and kisses my shoulder. “Perhaps we can do something to elongate that? If you wanted to stay of course.”

“Are you asking me to stay?” Hope swells in my chest. Could he be? Does he love me that much? Will I stay if I can?

“I don’t know, I don’t want you to feel pressured. Let’s just take it one step at a time.”

I nod and sag against his chest.

“So.” He clears his throat. “Will you be smoking some wacky backy later, as you call it?”

I know what he’s asking for, this is why I giggle and turn in his wet arms. My fingers trace the tattoo that spans from the back of his right shoulder, to his hip and across some of his spine. It’s incredible. He’s incredible. “I’ll do anything you want, it’s your birthday, just say the word.”

“You are too good to me.”

“I love you,” I admit, telling him for the second time and it’s true. I do. With all of my heart. Maybe it’s naïve but who cares? This feeling is amazing, why wouldn’t I cherish every moment while it lasts? “I’d do anything for you.”

Something flickers in his eyes, something akin to remorse. “Tempest, I…”

“Happy birthday to you!” Devon’s loud voice calls from out of the room.

I bite my lip and groan. “I really wanted to have more sex.”

“Later.” Sargent kisses me and gives me a gentle shove out of the shower.

I quickly dry, dress, and race to meet Devon downstairs before he comes looking for us.

“Morning, Pest,” he says kindly but then his smile falls. “What’s wrong? You look troubled.”

I am troubled. I can’t get the look on Sargent’s face out of my head when I told him I loved him and he didn’t say it back. Maybe he was trying to? No… it wasn’t that kind of look. It was one of regret.

Why do I get the horrible feeling this is all going to blow up?

My earlier thoughts on love suddenly feel extremely naïve. I don’t want to feel this way, not if it isn’t reciprocated. I’m such a child.

No, I’m likely being silly as he just asked me to stay not long ago. I’m reading into shit which is not something I typically do. I’ve always been a go-with-the-flow kind of girl.

I’m tarnishing the beautiful moment where he told me he loved me, by no longer trusting him and by questioning him. So I settle down and decide to throw him the best birthday imaginable.

By the end of the night, when he’s thoroughly spent, and we’ve had an amazing day together, I figure I made the right call.

***
“Babe, wake up,” Sargent demanded as he ripped the blanket off my body.

“What’s wrong?” I blinked sleepily, peering around the dark room. “What time is it?”

“It’s past one in the morning, you need to get dressed.”

My panic skyrocketed. “Is it Maddox? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine… it’s us,” Sargent said quietly. “The FBI are on their way.”

“What?” I squeaked, diving out of bed, wondering if this was all a horrible nightmare.

It wasn’t a nightmare.

The FBI showed up minutes later and arrested Sargent. I screamed as they held me back and slammed him to the ground roughly. They handcuffed him but he didn’t speak, just looked at me with sad eyes.

They turned over his house, even going so far as to empty the pool and I was just made to sit there as they did so. They asked me questions but I didn’t answer. I didn’t speak. I didn’t say a word.

Because of that they arrested me too and Sargent… well he reacted in a way that got him Tasered.

“SHE’S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!” he bellowed, fighting against them. “Tempest, I am so sorry. Look at me. I’m sorry. I’m going to get you out of this, okay? I promise.”

I begged them to stop when they pinned him again, telling him it was his fault, he was making it harder on himself.

Seeing him there, stuck as they degraded him in such a way. It was so unnecessary.

They asked me questions, if I took drugs, was he my pimp, shit that made no sense. Then, two hours later, they released me. Just like that. Even though the entire time I didn’t say a word. Not even when one of them called me a smart girl.

Smart for not speaking? Who knows.

**Sargent**


Maddox called the cops when he discovered the extra containers were carrying drugs. I thought I raised him to be smarter than that. Perhaps he thought I didn’t know.

Why didn’t he come to me?

I wait impatiently for them to release her. Those fucks really thought they could use her to get me to confess my crimes? I haven’t committed any crimes beyond being duped myself at age nineteen. Since then it has been about survival.

Those pricks tried everything in the book. “Your girlfriend is in there right now spilling all of your secrets. She’s told us everything about you and your little scheme.”

She doesn’t know shit but kudos to them for trying to trap me into saying something incriminating. It might’ve worked on a guiltier person.

My rage returns tenfold when my lawyer exits through a door with a shaken-up Tempest under his arm.

I move to her and scoop her into my arms. She doesn’t protest, only buries her face in my neck and breathes quietly. I exit the building, glaring at Agent Samuels as I pass, who nods knowingly at me. This is all fucked up. None of this was supposed to happen yet.

FUCK.

Maddox…

What have you done?

“I’ve got you,” I whisper in her hair and follow my long-time lawyer, Feinstein, to his car.

“She doesn’t even have shoes on. That goes against so many human rights laws. I will personally be putting in a complaint about that,” he grumbles, and I have to agree.

I am livid. Absolutely livid.

I lower her into the back seat and climb in after her.

She doesn’t speak, I wonder if she’s in shock. She screamed for me when those fuckers pinned me and Tasered me. I damn near pissed my pants. Thugs. It was severely unnecessary.

“You did good, kid,” Feinstein tells Tempest. “Samuels said she didn’t speak a word. Not a single word. Not even her name.”

I relax. “Good, then they can’t implicate her.”

“They didn’t read me my rights,” she says so quietly I hardly hear her.

“Would you swear on that?” Feinstein asks hopefully.

“I just want to go home,” she murmurs, looking out of the window. “I’ve never been arrested before. Is this going on my record?”

“No,” I promise her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“And you did?” She looks so tired and sad. “What’s going on, Sargent? What happened?”

“Nothing we can talk about here,” I reply softly, kissing her forehead. “I’m so sorry.”

I call my people, my staff, my son, repeatedly. This is going to be such a shit storm.

My house is trashed, well and truly. My lawyer takes pictures of the damage as I return to Tempest in the car. She shifts away from me and sniffles softly, I see the reflection of a tear trail on her cheek.

“We’ll go to a hotel.” I try to place my hand on hers but she slides it away and uses it to wipe her eyes.

“Where’s Maddox?” Her voice is scratchy, probably from the screaming earlier. She was terrified for me.

“We’ll find him.”

When Feinstein returns, the roar of a bike ascends my steep driveway. I turn and look out of the back window of the car and he appears on his Harley.

Stone pulls up far too close and rips off his helmet.

I climb out of the car, leaving Tempest where she is and instruct her to lock the doors.

“Got the feds turning over my compound. Wanna tell me what the fuck is going on?” He looks angry, and high. Not a good combination.

“Somebody in my company unfortunately discovered a crate and called the police,” I explain calmly.

“Who?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

His eyes narrow, he’s never intimidated me, not until this moment when I find myself without a weapon, in just shorts, sneakers, and a white T. He’s as big as I am and far more psychotic. I’m not liking my odds. “I asked, who.”

“They have been dealt with,” I reply and find myself pinned against the side of the car with his hands fisting in my T, gripping the fabric and pulling it up to my neck as he tries to cut off my air supply with his knuckles.

“I ASKED WHO!”

I hear the car door open and close.

“Stop!” Tempest yells and Stone’s grip on me loosens just enough for me to shove him away. He goes back a step but his eyes stay on me. “Please. I can’t take anymore tonight. He’ll still be here tomorrow for you to kick the shit out of. I just need a joint and I need a bed.”

That took an interesting turn.

“Definite old lady material,” Stone mutters and his anger slowly dissipates as he takes in Tempest’s appearance. “Where the fuck are her shoes?”

“They arrested her without them and turned over the house.”

“Why they take her?” His anger is back but for a different reason this time.

“Because they’re dicks. Why else?”

“Fuck.” Stone pushes his hair back and shakes his head. “This shit is getting too hot.”

“Whatever this is, if you think they’re not listening in right now you’re both idiots,” Tempest snaps. “And for the record, I have fuck all to do with it. Whatever it is.”

We both look at her and then at each other. I wince because she’s right and he looks around, his nose high as he tries to peer through the dark shrubbery that surrounds my property.

“Mr. Wolf.” Feinstein leaves the house and strides to us, his face a grim mask. “All of that priceless art work, they’ve trashed it. I will nail them.”

“Dirty fucking cops,” Stone grumbles and returns to his bike. “I want a name, Wolf. So will the Russian whore. If she wasn’t coming before, she is now.”

He clips on his helmet, winks at Tempest, and then the bike roars to life.

“Call me when you’re ready to talk.”

We wait for him to disappear before climbing into the car. I call my people, all of them, and demand they find Maddox. If I don’t get to him before Stone and Nastya do, we are fucked. They will kill him for this.

I’ve never been so terrified before.

It distracts me from what the fuck I’m going to tell Cassius. He’ll never forgive me either.

“Whatever it is,” Tempest says softly during the ride to the hotel. She places her hand on my thigh and rests her head on my shoulder. “It’ll work out. You’ll fix it.”

My arm goes around her shoulders and I hold her and accept the comfort she’s offering. It helps but only a little, but a little is better than nothing.