Fraud: A Stepbrother Romance Read online

  I could feel the smoothness of her skin as I kissed her along the length of her neck, driving me crazy.

  She grabbed my cock, and I almost came in my pants.

  I suppressed a groan, and tried to move into a more comfortable posture. These damned seats weren’t any good at all for this kind of thing!

  At least the windows have really dark tint, I thought crazily.

  Megan looked as though she was going to dive on my dick any second, but I didn’t want to have Randy suddenly appear and witness that scene.

  I mean, yeah, he’s my friend and all, but there are limits to the SEAL credo.

  Sharing is ok, as long as everyone got a vote.

  The team had mostly decided that Megan wasn’t fair game, so she was all mine.

  By this time Randy had come back, and I was sporting a tremendous woody, indeed.

  As Megan and I gathered ourselves, I tried to look innocent.

  Tucking my shirt back in, I muttered something about how it must have come loose when I was running down the stairs.

  It was more difficult trying to hide my erection.

  Finally, we managed to pull ourselves together.

  Randy got in, and we drove back along 112, towards the bay.

  We rode along, with Megan wrapped in my arm.

  When we passed the Port of Miami, the cruise ships were all lined up, like skyscrapers taking a bath.

  They were comfortable, but performance wise, you can’t beat a nuclear aircraft carrier for excitement!

  Still, those things were fucking HUGE.

  *****

  “Derek, we have clearance to go to Vector 12. What do you think?” asked Randy.

  Our team was assigned a series of safe locations to which we could retreat or conduct planning for our missions. They were alphabetical according to level of security, and the numbers were indicative of their privacy. Z-15 was our most secret, most safe hide. But, Vector 12 was my personal favorite.

  It was a penthouse room at the Fontainebleau, on Miami Beach.

  Randy motored across the Causeway, past the Port to the south.

  The cruise ships were all lined up, waiting to take their thousands of fat, eager tourists out to the Caribbean, where the descendants of pirates would fleece them of most of their worldly possessions, all in the name of entertainment. I still marveled at the sheer size of some of these ships, and I’d been on aircraft carriers. The cruise industry made fortunes every day, and spent them every night.

  As we came into Miami Beach, Randy merged with the traffic, and finally we were in the valet parking area of the hotel. The bellboys and other attendants noticed the bullet impacts on the truck.

  “Love bugs,” I deadpanned.

  Megan and I rushed out of the F-150, and Randy roared away. We walked into the lobby, where the concierge, and Travis, who was one of our team, were waiting for us.

  “Mr. Reagan, so good to see you again!” she said. Her name was Sandra, which seemed out of place with her heritage.

  She was a nicely put together Island girl. Caramel skinned, cute, perky and eager. She bubbled with enthusiasm as we were escorted to a waiting elevator, and whisked up to the penthouse suite.

  We walked to the door, and Travis nodded.

  The door opened, and four of our team exited the room, heading for the stairway.

  They went quickly and silently. All of them were dressed in shorts and Cuban shirts, and deck shoes, but I knew every one of them had a SOG Pup knife and a Glock on them.

  Once they were gone, Travis entered the room, while we again waited outside. He came out about a minute later.

  Travis gave the all-clear sign, and then took a satchel and a duffel bag from the foyer and walked into the bedroom, depositing them in a closet.

  All this time, Megan was clinging close to me.

  The Mylar blanket was gone, left in the truck.

  She shivered, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of the air conditioning, which was freezing, or an after action reaction.

  Or something else…

  Travis came back out of the bedroom, and thanked Sandra. He told her we were not to be disturbed, and handed her a crisp $100 bill. Then he gave her another one, and whispered in her ear.

  She blushed, and giggled slightly.

  Then, she gave him a quick peck on the lips and scooted off.

  I rolled my eyes at Travis.

  “Really, dude? Are you sure this is a level 12?” I asked.

  Megan stood beside me, a bit bewildered, I thought.

  Travis grinned, his white teeth shining from behind his gold grill.

  He was two hundred and seventy pounds of muscle, and had a bristly black beard. He looked like a reggae musician, with his tattoos and dreadlocks. But, he was a crack shot, and could swim like an orca.

  “What can I say, ‘Mister Ray Gun’,” he said, enunciating the syllables.

  “Are you and ‘Nancy’ going to be okay here?” he asked.

  “I think so,” he answered himself.

  Travis had this habit of doing that.

  It was odd, but one got used to it.

  He was all SEAL.

  “There’s some gear in the satchel, as you know, and clothes in the duffel. Plus, some sundries. If you need anything else, just whistle,” he said.

  I looked at Megan, and Travis walked out of the room. As he was closing the door, he smiled.

  “You know how to whistle, ‘Mister Ray Gun’?” he said.

  “I think so,” he answered himself.

  “Yeah, just put my lips together and …” I began.

  “Just blow,” I heard from behind me.

  Megan was sitting on the edge of the bed.

  She was undoing the buttons of her blouse.

  As the door closed, I wondered just what I was going to do next.

  I had a pretty good idea.

  Chapter 11

  MEGAN

  I’d decided that I was going to just shoot Tanner and King, and then myself.

  It seemed like the only possible solution.

  Derek was dead, so I really had no reason to go on living.

  But, at least I could rid the world of those two scum bags.

  I spent the rest of the evening planning out my strategy, and getting my affairs, such as they were, in order.

  I looked into finding a home for Nigel, and decided I would just put him up in a first rate dog hotel.

  Then, I wrote a note to the family attorney, regarding my will.

  I didn’t have all that much in material possessions, but there was the trust fund, and the apartment.

  And my car.

  And Nigel.

  Finally, satisfied I’d missed nothing, I retired.

  Nigel must have known what was up, because he tried his damnedest to be cute.

  I cried, thinking of how terribly I was treating him, but I hoped he would forgive me some day.

  I was just of no use to him, my heart torn away by the loss of Derek.

  It was only fair that Nigel be happy, even if I were not able to be with him.

  *****

  The next morning, I left to drop Nigel at his new home.

  I paid for three months in advance.

  When the stewards gave me a funny look, I used the excuse that I would be traveling through the Amazon.

  “Little dogs are great snacks for those huge rain forest spiders!” I told them, sounding insane, even to myself.

  They looked at how much I was paying them, and shrugged.

  Crazy people must have been their stock in trade, I guess.

  Smiling, they showed me Nigel’s accommodations.

  He was going to have a wonderful time, they assured me.

  A twinge of guilt shot through me, because I knew he would never see me again.

  But, better this way, than to leave him to chance.

  My attorney had specific instructions to locate Leslie, and seek her advice, regarding Nigel.

  I kissed his cute little nos
e.

  “Goodbye, baby!” I whispered to him.

  I managed to make it to the car before breaking down.

  I was surely going to go to hell…

  *****

  When I pulled into the garage, Raj was on duty.

  He smiled and waved me through.

  I wished Wernher had been there.

  I always felt safe and calm when I saw him.

  I went up to my apartment, and tried to figure out how to acquire a gun.

  Being in Florida, this was about as hard as buying a beer, or so it was constantly blared in the media. In reality, it wasn’t all that easy.

  But, I knew several police officers who might be able to hook me up.

  Then, I stopped. I laughed inwardly.

  Who gave a shit if I bought it legally?

  It wasn’t like it was going to matter.

  My cell phone rang.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Ms. Greene, if you would be so kind as to meet my wife and I at Bayside tomorrow morning, it would be much appreciated,” said Robert King.

  “What time and where?” I asked.

  “Near the tapas restaurant, at noon. She’ll meet you before we eat, as I may be slightly delayed,” said King, and then he hung up.

  “Won’t you get a surprise, asshole,” I muttered into the dead microphone.

  *****

  Once I had calmed down, I realized how stupid my idea of killing myself had been.

  It was when I was putting Nigel’s bowls away that it had hit me.

  This wasn’t rational.

  I needed to think, and so I opened the sliders, and sat on the balcony, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, beyond Key Biscayne.

  The ocean breeze had a salty tang to it, and I could see some thunderheads shooting lightning in the distance.

  I swore that King was not going to win!

  *****

  After a while, I’d decided that maybe I could come up with an alternate plan.

  Maybe I could bluff King and Tanner, or distract them long enough to allow Peg to get a cop.

  They were always prominently on display at Bayside.

  I could just hold them for the police, and Peg could grab an officer, who’d then arrest them.

  The plan seemed simple enough.

  But, I didn’t know if Peg would play along.

  She really wasn’t keen on me, but I hoped if she realized her life was at stake, she’d do the right thing.

  I turned on my computer and looked online to see if I could find a gun.

  Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything advertised, other than some airsoft BB pistols.

  Well, I thought, maybe that might work? From a distance, King and Tanner might not be able to tell the difference.

  I saw a particular pistol that looked mean, and emailed the contact.

  Maybe I’d luck out and he would have already sold it, forcing me to come up with a better plan.

  But, I got an answer within ten minutes.

  I figured it must have been Fate…

  The guy selling the pistol said he’d meet me in the parking lot at a BurgerFi, which was just down the street.

  I put on some jeans and a t-shirt, then went down to the lobby.

  I crossed the street and walked over to the BurgerFi, and bought a beer.

  I sat down outside, and tried to light a cigarette, but one of the kids running the place said that they’d recently gone ‘no smoking’, and would I please put it out.

  Shit.

  I waited about twenty minutes and then this kid on a long board skates up to me, in clear violation of the signs all over the place forbidding skateboards.

  He smiled at me.

  “You got the cash? Fifty bucks!” he said.

  I put a new fifty on the table, and he palmed it. Then, he took off. I got up to run after him.

  He shouted back over his shoulder, “Kai will be right there with your item, lady! Stay frosty!”

  I sat back down.

  In less than a minute, an old Hyundai Sonata pulled up to where I was sitting, stopping only long enough for a girl to drop a bag out of the window.

  Then, it kept going.

  I walked over and picked up the bag, then strolled in the opposite direction of my place.

  It took me fifteen minutes of randomly walking, sitting and ducking into stores until I was satisfied no one was bothering to follow me.

  Then, I called an Uber and had it drop me five miles away, at the Lincoln Road Mall.

  I grabbed a taxi back to my place.

  I took the elevator to my apartment, and went inside.

  I was shaking with nervousness, just a little.

  I opened the bag, hoping I’d not gotten ripped off.

  Inside, there was the pistol.

  It was an ugly little thing, and I thought it looked real enough to hopefully fool King and Tanner.

  Now, all I had to do was hope Peg didn’t just run away when she saw me.

  If I could meet her just two minutes early, it might work.

  I could explain my plan to her, and tell her to go find a cop in a hurry.

  Meanwhile, I’d hold those two bastards at ‘gunpoint’.

  I knew I was courting an assault charge, but I also figured to plead it down to a misdemeanor, or maybe even get it dismissed, once we got in front of a judge.

  After all, they were the ones who were conspiring to murder someone.

  Not me.

  Not anymore.

  But, oh, Derek!

  Why did you leave me alone?

  *****

  The next morning, I showered and shaved.

  I ate a light breakfast, and tried taking the pistol out of my purse.

  I needed it to go smoothly.

  I finally got the hang of it, after about ten minutes of practice.

  I mentally rehearsed what I was going to tell Peg.

  Then, I got dressed.

  I decided to wear a pants suit, and a blouse.

  My lacy tan bra was the best fit for that ensemble, and I had some brown Van’s sneakers that would allow me to run if I had to do that.

  Then, I went to the parking garage and got in my BMW.

  Wernher watched me with his laser vision as I drove out of the building.

  I waved, and he nodded.

  It felt good.

  Seeing him was an omen of success, I told myself.

  I drove across town, down Brickell Avenue, to where the Bayside parking lot was located.

  I decided to circle it a few times, just to see if King or any of his goons were around.

  I didn’t see anything, so I parked and got out to wait.

  It was just 11:48 A.M.

  The toy pistol was in my purse.

  I saw a vendor selling these nice scarves, so I bought one, and put it on. It made me feel happier, even though I had butterflies in my stomach.

  “Derek,” I thought for the millionth time that morning.

  “If only you were here!”

  At 11:58, I thought I saw Peg walking across the lot, from the south.

  I stood to see, and as I did, I noticed a black Mercedes-Benz parked across from the bus stop.

  I pulled my sunglasses down and peered over them.

  George Tanner sat inside in the passenger seat!

  That fucker!

  What were he and King planning?

  I turned back towards Peg, and tried to get her attention.

  She saw me and started to wave at me.

  Then, she sped up, and I walked towards her more rapidly.

  I was glad I had worn the sneakers!

  Reaching into the purse, I gripped the handle of the pistol.

  Maybe I could attract attention, and stop this madness.

  I spun around, looking for a police officer, but saw none.

  Peg was almost to me, when I heard the engine of the Mercedes racing.

  Pulling the gun from my purse, I aimed it at Tanner’s face.

  I h
oped he would see me and drive away.

  But instead, he aimed the car at Peg!

  I waved the gun at him, trying to look like I was going to shoot.

  Tanner didn’t scare off, but he did veer at the last second, and slammed on the brakes.

  The Mercedes swung around, and the rear of the car struck Peg a glancing blow.

  She tumbled off, and that’s when I saw the Metro bus.

  She fell in front of it, and, even though the driver slammed on her brakes, I knew King had won again.

  The bus rolled over her, and came to rest with the back tires on her head.

  Her hands beat on the ground for a few seconds, then her legs jerked up and down, causing her shoe to fly off her right foot.

  It hung there by a strap, and then she was still.

  I had failed.

  *****

  Someone grabbed me roughly by the shoulders, and I was ready to drop the gun and surrender to the police when I realized it wasn’t an officer.

  My mind short-circuited.

  I had to be having some kind of nightmare, or reaction to the horror of seeing Peg smashed under the bus like that.

  “Derek?” I said.

  “It’s me, Megan,” he said,

  I looked into his eyes, and mine filled with tears.

  Derek was there! It was real!

  He hugged me tightly, then pulled me towards a blue truck.

  There was a huge black man sitting in the cab.

  He shoved me into the cab, then slammed the door.

  “Get us out of here, Randy!” he yelled.

  “What the hell, Derek? What about that woman?” said the other man.

  “We can’t do anything to help her, and …” Derek started to reply.

  A staccato noise interrupted us, then a series of thuds, as gray blotches appeared on the window by Derek’s head.

  Tanner was shooting at us from the Mercedes!

  He was firing some kind of machine gun, but it looked like a pistol.

  Maybe one of those Glocks?

  I could hear people screaming, at Peg’s body under the bus, and from the gunfire. They were running all over the place, and diving for cover behind bushes and into stores.

  A police officer came around the side of the parking garage, and ran towards Tanner, weapon drawn, but he was shot and fell down. I saw him moving, rolling under a bench, and grabbing at his radio. I prayed he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.